music for lovers only
Astrud For Lovers is a fine installment in this "For Lovers" CD series. The quality of the sound is great and I love that artwork. Astrud is truly in excellent form throughout on this CD; and just one listen proves it! This is fine music for lovers only.

"Only Trust Your Heart" starts the CD with Astrud Gilberto showing off her vocal talents; she handles complicated tempo and key changes very well. Astrud makes it sounds and look easy; but of course we know that it really wasn't so easy to be able to sing like that. Astrud did have a great deal of vocal talent and that's what enabled her to sing complicated songs like "Only Trust Your Heart." "Once I Loved" has a lush musical arrangement with an elegant percussion treatment to enhance the beauty of this ballad. "Once I Loved" is a song about the pain that can come when a love goes wrong; and this is clearly an experience that we can all relate to, unfortunately, sooner or later. "Tu Mi Delirio" captures the fine qualities of Astrud's voice with a fantastic bossa nova sound in the background. "Tu Mi Delirio" really impresses me a lot.

"Manha De Carnival" shines like silver and gold combined when Astrud Gilberto perform this to perfection--and beyond! She never misses a beat and the music that plays fits in perfectly with Astrud's rendition of this classic ballad. Wonderful! "Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)" is perhaps the most elegant number on this album; it features Astrud doing a duet with the great Jobim and "Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)" is a real treat!

"My Foolish Heart" again reverts to showcasing Astrud's vocal prowess; and when she sings this tune it really makes perfect music for dancing late at night in your living room all alone with your sweetheart. "It Might As Well Be Spring" gets the royal treatment from Astrud who delivers this like the pro she always was! "It Might As Well Be Spring" proves that Astrud could sing out a tune alongside the best of them and that's incredibly special.

"Lonely Afternoon" has a lovely arrangement with great percussion to accompany Astrud as she sings this tune so very well. "Lonely Afternoon" is a very pretty tune and I predict that you'll enjoy this one very, very much." Love Is Stronger Far Than We" is another pretty song that Astrud aces easily; and the album ends so very well with Astrud Gilberto performing "The Shadow Of Your Smile." "The Shadow Of Your Smile" is one of my very favorite love songs ever and Astrud's performance is truly stunningly beautiful.

Astrud For Lovers is an excellent CD that I recommend for her fans and people who enjoy that classic bossa nova sound. Enjoy!

AUSTRUD FOR LOVERS
I LOVE THE MUSIC AND BOUGHT SOME FOR GIFTS. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

Smooth and Breezy
Excellent CD! A really nice collection of soft, smooth and breezy songs by Gilberto. The ones with back up by Getz and Jobim really define that distinct Bossa Nova sound. A wonderful introduction for anyone who enjoys soft jazz or Bossa Nova from the 1960's. Hopefully, Verve will also re-release some of the harder to find albums that Astrud Gilberto recorded in the 1960's.