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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
He is a megastar in Turkey !, 19 Aug 2008
This review is from: Dudu (Audio CD)
Tarkan's music is definitely a CD worth listening to, especially for those with an interest in exploring international music.
......A portrait of TARKAN
Tarkan Tevetoğlu (born October 17, 1972), popularly known as Tarkan, is a World Music award winning pop singer in Turkey. Tarkan has been known for the use of sexual and romantic themes in his work and has been nicknamed the "Prince Of Pop" by the media. He has released several platinum-selling albums during his career, with an estimated 15 million albums sold. He also produces music through his company HITT Music, which he established in 1997. One of a few European singers that has managed to span chart success over three continents without singing in English, the artist is also noted for his live stage performances. Tarkan's effect on Turkey has been compared by the Washington Post as analogous to Elvis in America circa 1957 and Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegün described him as one of the best live performers he had ever seen. He has also been listed by Rhapsody as a key artist in the history of European pop music, with his signature song "Şımarık" as a keystone track that moved the genre forward.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great title cut, the rest, well..., 18 Jan 2004
This review is from: Dudu (Audio CD)
I bought this EP having never heard a note based on my love of Tarkan's past work. I must say this CD was hard for me to get into. While the title song Dudu is a great piece with a catchy beat, the other pieces I just kind of listen to. The last song, track 5, is apparently a folk song. Tarkan sings this acapella with traditional instruments only. I listened to this song once and have skipped it ever since. No offense I just don't like it. The breakdown of the CD is five new pieces plus remixes of three of the songs. I find this amusing, remixes before the album's release, but they are good nevertheless. Very dance-able. So you get a total of 10 tracks. Overall I would say this is an album for a Tarkan fan, not someone looking to get their first CD of Turkish music. I would suggest Karma for that.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic, 14 Sep 2003
By Hassan Galadari - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dudu (Audio CD)
As a man from the Middle East, I truly do appreciate the music from that area. The rhythm is always mystical and very highly personal. You can feel the instruments and the musical tones which the artist wants you to feel. The musician wants to take you on a trip. They want to take you to a world unlike any other. And in this album, Tarkan manages to do just that. Tarkan's latest offering is very much different than all the others he has managed to put out. Having become widely successful in very much all parts of the world as the premiere Turkish artist with his pop, melodic tunes, he turns his sight on tackling the classical music of the land of Turkey. If you come upon this album expecting to dance to the groove of Simarik or Sikidum, you're badly mistaken. With this album, all you want to do is tap your fingers and frenzily shake your belly. Dudu, the opening song and perhaps the best on the album, is a song that displays all range of emotions that makes this a classic album to own. To try and top it all off, Tarkan manages to dish out two remixes of the song without compromising the core and the melody of the main song. The remixes do work. In addition, there are four more other new songs that are equally as good, especially, Gulumse Kaderine, which I admit I can't fervently stop dancing on or shaking my head with the intoxicating Middle Eastern rhythm. Tarkan also dishes out two remixes of that song in the 10 song album (5 of which are new, while the other 5 are remixes of some of the songs). The reason I don't give the album a full five star is that I would rather have preferred that Tarkan get on with more of the new material rather than recycle songs already on that album. A move Michael Jackson seemed to do and not succeed very much with Blood on the Dancefloor: HIStory in the Mix. Apart from that, the songs are great (except one, which I really can't bother listening to), the theme is mystical, the journey is grand, and Tarkan delivers in style. What more is next, you ask? You can only wait and see.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Turkish delight!!, 8 Nov 2003
By Savka - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dudu (Audio CD)
I heard about Tarkan in a rather roundabout way...first a snippet of his trademark kiss-kiss "Simarik" on a world music program about 3 years ago...the snappy rhythms caught my attention,but the announcer failed to mention the artist when the song was finished. I resigned myself to remaining eternally ignorant of the origins of that amazingly catchy song, and had all but forgotten about it until last month, when I purchased, totally at random, a Middle Eastern pop compilation (Indestructible Arabian Beats by Manteca, great CD, buy it too!). And one of the songs..none other than the funky "Simarik", except sung by another artist in Spanish!! Too cool. Anyways, after much cryptic research, I finally traced the song back to Tarkan, and decided I had to get more of his material. It is some of the most intriguing high quality pop on the market (with the added exotic attraction of being Turkish and being sung the by the deliciously hot Tarkan.) "Dudu" delivers on all counts. It's perfectly arranged, performed, and remixed. The title track, "Dudu", is simply one of the best pop songs I have ever heard. It's original and exotic without being contrived (ie. without trying way too hard to be exotic a la Shakira/Aguilera and all the rest of the bubblegum brigade). It's upbeat and massively infectious without ever becoming monotonous. The melody loops and swirls and glides effortlessly around the distinctively Turkish rhythms without ever obscuring them, and frames Tarkan's smoky rich voice, which I consider to be without equal in the largely puerile world of pop. His vocals are showcased best on the album's non-pop tracks, which have him singing with only a baglama (a Turkish lute) plucking away in the background. This album is a great mix of "Tarkan unplugged" type material which, as I said, features him singing with some very sparse accompaniment (by pop standards, anyways)and leans more towards the Turkish Classical repertoire, and outright pop extravaganzas such as as Dudu and Gueluemse Kaderine. The remixes are great too, adding a third "chillout" dimension to the album, particularly the last track. This recommendation comes from an avowed pop-averse crusader against the insipid pap that rules the airwaves. Have I convinced you yet? If not, go to www.tulumba.com and search for Dudu. There, you can find clips from each song on the album and decide for yourself (since Amazon hasn't uploaded any yet). What more can I say... this is real Turkish Delight ;)
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sublime, 15 Jan 2004
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dudu (Audio CD)
I absolutely love Tarkan. It is now at the point where I know I can buy his album without hearing a single note first (which is what I did with this one) and it will be good. Dudu is a departure from his earlier work (also fabulous) in that it has a more traditional middle eastern sound, but it is just as danceable. Dudu (and Tarkan's music in general) is achingly beautiful at times but also loads and loads of fun. Great for singing at the top of your lungs(whether you understand the words or not) and dancing your .... off! Truly spirit lifting!
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