Imagine that you open a box of sparkling jewels - you are blinded by their brilliance and do not know which one you like best. Exactly the same dilemma faces the listener on first encounter with Nikos Ekonomopoulos’ new album recorded under the auspices of Minos EMI, entitled "A Gift for You".
This CD is a really wonderful present, not only for the upcoming Christmas but, we might say, for the entire life of those who obtain it. The very fact that this album immediately achieved Platinum sales status speaks for itself. The "Gift" hardly had time to hit the music stores and immediately started selling like hot cakes!
The rapid sales of the young laika singer’s new record in a country where – at this time - people have been forced to economise on food costs, may appear sensational, but not for those who have been watching the creativity of this gifted young artist. For the past year Nikos’ popularity has grown along with the development of his professionalism.
His previous, well-deserved Platinum Award for his third album “An Offering of the Soul” (Katathesi Psychis, Sony, 2010), which came to Nikos in the fourth month of sales is a confirmation of that fact.
More unusual in this story is that Nikos’ fourth big CD arrived in the world very soon after the third. How did this happen this quickly and why did it turn out to be so successful?
The answer is that Nikos Economopoulos’ incredibly beautiful voice and very engaging personality were the key factors to attract cooperation of outstanding musical composers and lyricists along with talented young authors.
The names of the lyricists involved speak for themselves loud. These are the acknowledged masters of song poetry: Nikos Vaxavanelis, Eleni Giannatsoulia, Spyros Giatras, Panos Falaras and Vangelis Karatzanos. All of them have already contributed to Nikos’ previous albums.
Two young composers - Vasilis Gavrielidis and Giannis Fraseris - entered here into the company of the very big names in Greek music, such as Christos Papadopoulos, Alexandros Chrisovergis and Panagiotis Brakoulias. Maritta Rossi is a young composer, but her name is well known due her work with Nikos' previous CD.
The only duet in the album features lyrics written by the major laika singer Stamatis Gonidis and music by well-known composer Vasilis Dimas. It was Gonidis who proposed to Nikos that they sing it together.
To make our review less descriptive we will not analyse each of the CD’s songs, but just try to figure out genres for them and to make some observations on a few tracks.
So, the album “DORO GIA SENA” is compiled of 13 tracks:
1.KSIMERONEI
2.DORO GIA SENA
3.DEN EIMAI KANENOS
4.ΑΛΛΑ ΜΟU TAKSANE
5. PARE ME ΜΑΖΙ SOU
6. DEN EIMAI KALA
7.DEN ME NOIAZEI POIA ISOUN
8.SIMEIOZATE DIPLO
9.THA ΜΕ VRISKEIS BROSTA SOU
10.ΜΙΑ KARDIA STON ANEMO
11.DOS MOU TI ZOI MOU PISO
12.TRELOS KAI ANAPODOS KAIROS
13.I AGAPI EINAI TRAGOUDI
The first number belongs to Vangelis Karatzanos and Giannis Fraseris. The song became popular before the CD release, being a radio pilot single and later - screened as a promo video for the album. It combines perfectly elements of laika style in instrumental sounds with some features of reggae and samba, creating an image of a happy, carefree mood of a young man in love. The lyrics of slightly impressionistic style inspired Manolis Tzirakis, the director of the video clip, to create poetic sketches with a touch of French elegance.
The second track - the title song of the album DORO GIA SENA has created a storm of emotions in the hearts of the singer’s worshippers as well as added many new fans to their ranks. The mysterious appeal of this little masterpiece lies in many factors. Sincerity and the deepness of the words by Elenia Giannatsoulia touch a nerve with the psychologism characteristic for this author. The idea of a song, which is a singer’s gift to his fans, finds its beautiful incarnation here in a genre of a love rock ballad. The young composer Vasilis Gavrilidis created an inspirational melody with the chorus of high nervous tension which stirs the blood and emotions. Nikos’ performance of this song opens some new qualities in his magnificent voice. He found for the verses very warm, gentle colours we have never heard before, while in the choruses it sounds with real passion.
We will skip in our review two other fantastic songs by the same couple of authors: a strong zembekiko “DEN EIMAI KANENOS” and “DEN EIMAI KALA”, a laika waltz.
Another poetic inspiration from Eleni Giannatsoulia brought to life a song, which stands aside from everything Nikos has sung earlier. It is a political rock ballad composed by hugely talented musician and composer Christos Papadopoulos, who already created a couple of hits in Nikos’ previous album.
The main idea of the song TRELOS KAI ANAPODOS KAIROS (Crazy and Upside-Down Times) reflects on the dependence of a person on the unfair political rulers. It is a picture of a painful condition of the human soul, affected by the crisis, which created a disharmony in the simple life of people. The verses of the track are written in progressive rock style, while choruses of it belong to the unique Papadopoulos’ fusion of rock, laika and Pontian (Pontic). The expressiveness of Nikos’ performance n this track is beyond comment, which is due, partly, to his distinguished articulation.
The next set of tracks belongs to the tandem of the big masters, who have already invested a lot into Nikos’ second and third albums: composer Alexandros Chrisovergis and lyricist Spyros Giatras. Here we have PARE ME ΜΑΖΙ SOU (the warmest love song of the mild south European style), DEN ME NOIAZEI POIA ISOUN (a sensual laika/ Mediterranean tango), DOS MOU TI ZOI MOU PISO (laika–hard rock composition of a lyrical drama type)
The text of the ballad ΑΛΛΑ ΜΟU TAKSANE by Panos Falaras and Maritta Rossi is no less unusual for what the public would have expected from Nikos than that of TRELOS KAI ANAPODOS KAIROS. In fact it is a confession of a young man of Nikos’ age. It unfolds the story of his life, the process of personal growth, collapse and revival of the ideals and of finding himself. The music here is growing from the narrative verse to the epic drama in the chorus of zembekiko-influenced style,. Nikos’ performance in this track reflects this form perfectly well by dynamically developing from the tender vibratos at the beginning to the powerful sound in the choruses.
Two tracks by hit makers Nikos Vaxavanelis (lyrics) and Panagiotis Brakoulias (music) compete with each other in beauty. The rock ballad ΜΙΑ KARDIA STON ANEMO mesmerizes straight away with the instrumental entry and then holds the listener in captivity with the excruciatingly beautiful harmony of lyrics and music. Nikos’ voice ideally suites the style of the song adding to it a lot of psychological nuances and colours.
Dancing pop hit SIMEIOZATE DIPLO grasps us with the rhythmic inventiveness of both words and music and serves as a charming counterweight to the image of the beautiful but sad ΜΙΑ KARDIA STON ANEMO, composed by the same authors. Nikos’ singing of SIMEIOZATE DIPLO is full of energy and so infectious that already from the first time any listener involuntarily will sing a merry chorus “SE MISO – S’AGAPO: SIMEIOZATE DIPLO”!
The duet I AGAPI EINAI TRAGOUDI is a real sample of “laika belcanto” - hovering above the whirling waltz accompaniment, the voices of the singers blend harmoniously, creating an image of a splendid beauty.
The CD is perfectly decorated with several photographic portraits of Nikos, that are intended to deprive of sleep the army of young singer’s fans.
The highest standard of vocal performance, the excellent quality of the music and words – all together everything in this album which is overloaded with potential hits - is saying one thing: Nikos Economopoulos is poised, ready to make a breakthrough in Greek discography with this CD – a breakthrough predicted by lyricist Spyros Giatras at Niko’s previous Platinum Award ceremony.
Fashioned from native Greek music (laika) features that are framed into the modern genres and are sung by one of the most attractive voices of Greece, this album could be successfully distributed in other countries. And sooner or later this will happen!
Guido d'Arezzo
Edited by Theo Simeonidis
Many thanks to Eirini Eusebi and Sofia Eleutheriadou for their help!!!!!.
