Los Reyes

I do like this recording because it does include all of the numbers including the amazing MORNING OF THE DRAGON, which is sung much better on here than on the OLC. Lea Salonga's KIM will always be the definitive Kim and Claire Moore's ELLEN is the best out of all of the casts. Henshall is WAY too bright and edgy with her voice. The role needs warmth as is evidenced by Claire Moore's voice. I saw both casts and I much prefer the OLC overall. Simon Bowman's vibrato is way too big and he goes out of tune. I don't like ANY of the Johns..yuck. If I had to pick one I would pick Peter P. from London and for sure NOT Hinton B. Jonathan Pryce was the best engineer. Gigi is much better in London than on this CD. Keith Burns, for all his faults, is a great Thuy and his "rock" voice is excellent for this. All of the other Thuys were so weak and wussy. I could never take them seriously.
The chorus is much better on this recording than on the OLC. I always felt that OLC Chorus forced too much and it was sometimes out of tune.
All in all nothing beats (and nothing will beat) the OLC. I know people who worked on the show in London from the beginning and have agreed that the OLC is, by far, the best overall.

Wonderful to be able to catch the entire essence of Saigon. The highlights are good but, to be able to catch EVERY aspect of the show.....is amazing. Completely suggest for any diehard fan!

Lea Solonga will always be Miss Saigon. Not putting her on this CD is a crime.

Miss Saigon is my favorite all-time musical! I was hesitant when buying this recording because in my mind Lea Salonga is and always will be Kim! But I was pleasantly surprised. Joanna Ampil as Kim holds her own. While she doesn't have the vocal range of Lea, she has a beautiful, crisp voice which she uses to emote the emotional turmoil of Kim. She expresses herself in a way that makes you feel her love, pain and anguish and in turn she makes this part her own. The rest of the cast is superb (especially the amazing Ruthie Henshall as Ellen) but make no mistake, this show belongs to Ampil!

I also fell in love with some of the material left out of the LCR. There a beautiful bridges and songs which enrich the story. "Back in Town" stands out for me because of the gorgeous melodies. Anyone who has fallen in love with the story of "Miss Saigon" will appreciate these added gems! This cast recording is definitely worth a listen!!

This 1995 studio recording is fabulous. While I don't necessarily prefer it entirely over the original cast recording, there are elements to this recording that are over and above the original.

Joanna Ampil, while delightful as Kim, lacks Lea Salonga's essence. There are moments I find her, how shall I say it - too much? - even when the score calls for drama. Perhaps it is the over enunciation of certain words, or perhaps it is my yearning for Salonga's angelic, crystal clear rendition. I might have preferred Toronto's Ma-Anne Dionisio on this recording as well. Kevin Gray, as The Engineer, is nothing short of thrilling. He was fabulous on stage and just as magical on this CD - lending a greasy, snake-like feel to the role. Hinton Battle and Peter Cousens disappoint slightly (what is it with Peter Cousens' heartless, cold reading-esque "You shouldn't be here"?); Sonia Swaby a perfect Gigi; but Ruthie Henshall - beyond words! What I would have given to see her and Lea Salonga in New York. And perhaps the most wonderful performance on this CD is that of Charles Azulay's - his Thuy is deeper and much more complex than the original Thuy.

The extra music and lyrics suddenly provide the bridge between gaps found in the OLC. For example, in the original recording, on disc one, it goes straight from Kim and Ellen's beautiful ballad, "I Still Believe," straight into the Engineer's shrieking, "Are you waiting for them to kill me? Did you not get what he said? There's a big screw loose inside you - I will rip it out of your head!" Even having seen the show, I'd forgotten what the moments in between were - what was the Engineering going on about? On this complete recording is a vital part of the show - a powerful explanation of Kim and Thuy's past, and an essential look into the very things Thuy himself hopes for, as well as the man he has has become. Also, whereas the OLC finishes disc one at This Is The Hour, the studio recording goes straight into I'd Give My Life For You, providing us with the Entr'acte on the second disc.

The finale is an improvement as well. While seemingly shorter, it is undoubtedly more forceful and significant. The heart is the same; but there's less of Kim "praying" to her parents and more of her concentrating on her very last moments with Tam, the very one who has "sustained her for miles."

The music of Miss Saigon is captivating, capturing the very essence of Kim and Chris' doomed love, as well as the shattered fantasies of the other characters. It is all at once heartbreaking, hopeful, and soaring. A lovely addition to any music theater lover's collection.

Well this CD is not what I expected at all.
I really thought Cruz was going to come back hard, but all I hear is lame music. I do like Muevelo, but thats it i couldnt believe how boring this cd was.
Hate to break it to ya, but AB is the one with the TALENT not you Cruz! So go apologize to AB !

I wanted to like this CD. I really had hope for it and was ready to like it. Cruz Martinez had nearly two years to come out with something after the KK breakup and in that time all he managed to do was to prove that he has never had an original idea in his life. He has one beat in his head and then samples anyone and everyone, puts that beat around it and asks people to buy it. For feck's sake he covered a creepy, old Jackson Five song on this CD! There is also a waste of a minute called "You gonna lose" which is clearly the mind of a three year old trying to get back at AB. It's painfully obvious in this track that Cruz exists now to "get" AB and not to produce good music. This CD ranges from boring to drippy. Production seems to have been phoned in as in "Do it like all the others." Even the video of Muevelo looks old, tired and stiff, but the band is getting older and in Pangie's case, fatter. Abel Talamantez doesn't have the moves he once had and Nino B continues to look lost on stage. There is nothing new here and it is a real disappointment after a long wait.

I had hoped that the split of the old band would produce two new, vibrant bands going in different directions and giving the audience a choice but what has emerged is the reality that AB is the one with the talent and the ideas. Cruz, sad to say, comes up way short on his effort.

Totally loved this production, Cruz didn't let any one down other than Mofo Quintanilla. Plus he gives credit to the band members. Keep up the great work Cruz, you are the best.

Yo, check out this CD, so much for the drama in dueling new CD's. Cruz packs a big punch with his debut CD, rather than taking high road like his ex bandmate, we hear different melodies and harmonies. Cruz plays to the whole damn union. There is more to the world than Corpus Christi TX.
The Real Kings show up on this album, ballads, R & B, Killer Kumbias, this is what we should have had all along. No feud here since the all starz don't matchup. As a Tejano, Cruz wins Round One by technical knockout. Cruz is the real KING!

With all of the drama surrounding the KUMBIA KINGS/KUMBIA ALLSTARZ/A.B. vs. Cruz Martinez...it's a great thing that we finally get to enjoy the results of that epic feud. i was truly hoping that Cruz & his group would come out with a cd that would finally prove that Cruz can stand on his own two feet as a producer, arranger ,musician, performer, etc. Thankfully, this cd does that & beyond!
From the opening cut, the hyper-soccer anthem, MUEVELO , the Reyes let us know the GAME is ON!!! SERENATA (ESTRELLITA) gives Jo-Jo a shot to shine, proving he has the singing ability to carry out a well-crafted radio-friendly pop tune. NADA NOS VA A SEPARAR & SI PUDIERA are beautiful ballads with SMASH potential. For all who follwed the "drama": listen closely to YO SERE > CRUZ & his crew do their talking back to their former "boss" on this cut & let him know that it can go down : "tell me where & when"!! LA NETA is a slammin' Kumbia cut which features ZION,"the perfect melody", and this cut will have u bobbin' that head! My 2 personal favorites are PERFECT GIRL (which features FRANKIE J.)>this is a BONAFIDE SMASH HIT>radio please pick up on this one!!! & ROSES>which shows us Cruz can write that R&B slow jam joint with the best of them! This cd was well worth the wait for me. It's been on my player since i received it. Congrats to Cruz & Los Super Reyes.

Well this CD is not what I expected at all.
I really thought Cruz was going to come back hard, but all I hear is lame music. I do like Muevelo, but thats it i couldnt believe how boring this cd was.
Hate to break it to ya, but AB is the one with the TALENT not you Cruz! So go apologize to AB !

I wanted to like this CD. I really had hope for it and was ready to like it. Cruz Martinez had nearly two years to come out with something after the KK breakup and in that time all he managed to do was to prove that he has never had an original idea in his life. He has one beat in his head and then samples anyone and everyone, puts that beat around it and asks people to buy it. For feck's sake he covered a creepy, old Jackson Five song on this CD! There is also a waste of a minute called "You gonna lose" which is clearly the mind of a three year old trying to get back at AB. It's painfully obvious in this track that Cruz exists now to "get" AB and not to produce good music. This CD ranges from boring to drippy. Production seems to have been phoned in as in "Do it like all the others." Even the video of Muevelo looks old, tired and stiff, but the band is getting older and in Pangie's case, fatter. Abel Talamantez doesn't have the moves he once had and Nino B continues to look lost on stage. There is nothing new here and it is a real disappointment after a long wait.

I had hoped that the split of the old band would produce two new, vibrant bands going in different directions and giving the audience a choice but what has emerged is the reality that AB is the one with the talent and the ideas. Cruz, sad to say, comes up way short on his effort.

Totally loved this production, Cruz didn't let any one down other than Mofo Quintanilla. Plus he gives credit to the band members. Keep up the great work Cruz, you are the best.

Yo, check out this CD, so much for the drama in dueling new CD's. Cruz packs a big punch with his debut CD, rather than taking high road like his ex bandmate, we hear different melodies and harmonies. Cruz plays to the whole damn union. There is more to the world than Corpus Christi TX.
The Real Kings show up on this album, ballads, R & B, Killer Kumbias, this is what we should have had all along. No feud here since the all starz don't matchup. As a Tejano, Cruz wins Round One by technical knockout. Cruz is the real KING!

With all of the drama surrounding the KUMBIA KINGS/KUMBIA ALLSTARZ/A.B. vs. Cruz Martinez...it's a great thing that we finally get to enjoy the results of that epic feud. i was truly hoping that Cruz & his group would come out with a cd that would finally prove that Cruz can stand on his own two feet as a producer, arranger ,musician, performer, etc. Thankfully, this cd does that & beyond!
From the opening cut, the hyper-soccer anthem, MUEVELO , the Reyes let us know the GAME is ON!!! SERENATA (ESTRELLITA) gives Jo-Jo a shot to shine, proving he has the singing ability to carry out a well-crafted radio-friendly pop tune. NADA NOS VA A SEPARAR & SI PUDIERA are beautiful ballads with SMASH potential. For all who follwed the "drama": listen closely to YO SERE > CRUZ & his crew do their talking back to their former "boss" on this cut & let him know that it can go down : "tell me where & when"!! LA NETA is a slammin' Kumbia cut which features ZION,"the perfect melody", and this cut will have u bobbin' that head! My 2 personal favorites are PERFECT GIRL (which features FRANKIE J.)>this is a BONAFIDE SMASH HIT>radio please pick up on this one!!! & ROSES>which shows us Cruz can write that R&B slow jam joint with the best of them! This cd was well worth the wait for me. It's been on my player since i received it. Congrats to Cruz & Los Super Reyes.

Este cd es una maravilla. El numero "No me queda mas" lleno mis ojos de lagrimas. El mejor requinto del mundo es un titulo que se pudo discutir entre Gilberto Puente y Chamin Correa de Los Tres Caballeros. Pero Gilberto toca con mas gusto. Siempre e sido un fanatico de esta musica y Los Tres Reyes son la crema. Dios los bendiga.

How can one improve perfect entities, such as the crystal clear velvet of Los Tres Reyes and the fiery emotion of Selena? By combining them (unfortunately just once) into one song, "No Me Queda Mas", you enjoy something that is worth much-much more than the sum of its parts.

Este CD demuestra que Gilberto Puente sigue siendo el mejor requinto del mundo; no ha perdido su frescura,destreza y poder de improvisación.Recomiendo este CD a los que gustan de la buena música de tríos.Espero que se lancen al mercado más CDs con música de LOS TRES REYES y no sólo compilaciones repetitivas.

I am a second cousin to gilberto puente and have always been a fan of los tres reyes. This cd is absolutetly their masterpiece! I have been playing it everyday since i received it. Their duet with Selena just blows me away!!!

Creo que este disco es un acierto ya que nos permite tener de regreso a uno de los mejores, este trio de "Los Tres Reyes", como siempre nos brinda una creatividad en cuanto a sus arreglos fenomenal, asi como el cuidado en la seleccion de la letra de sus canciones y la excelente ejecucion de sus guitarras dejandonos con ese sabor acostumbrado de gran talento y sensibilidad y aparte de esto se conjunta la excelente interpretacion de una nueva voz dandonos como conclusion que la experiencia, el conocimiento y el talento son la conjuncion de este nuevo disco. FELICIDADES!

Mi Rocio - Las mejores Sevillanas del Rocio -
Disky (label) #EDC 640942

Track Listing:
1. Amigos de Gines - El adios
2. Los Marismenos - Salta la reja Almonteno
3. Los Romeros de La Puebla - Tengo en mi casa un tambor
4. Los Hermanos Toronjo - Que bonita el Rocio
5. El Pali - Orgullo rociero
6. Los Hermanos Reyes - Tiene dueno
7. Amigos de Gines - Que se va "pa" el Rocio
8. Los Marismenos - No puede ser rociero
9. Los Hermanos Reyes - Salero de mi Hermandad
10. Los Romeros de La Puebla - Las pinos
11. Requiebros - Se me va
12. Los Marismenos - La marisma se alborota
13. Amigos de Gines - Ya se van las carretas
14. Requiebros - Esos caminos de arena

Typical "sevillana" type music. I enjoyed listening to it and it brought back many memories of my experience is Seville. Great for the person who wants to listen to traditional music from Andalucia.