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Laughter Through Tears
 
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Laughter Through Tears

~ Oi Va Voi
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
Price: £10.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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In stock but may require up to 2 additional days to deliver.
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  • This item: Laughter Through Tears ~ Oi Va Voi

    In stock but may require up to 2 additional days to deliver.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Travelling the Face of the Globe ~ Oi Va Voi

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    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
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Product details

  • Audio CD (7 Nov 2005)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Outcaste
  • ASIN: B0000C83XI
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 21,019 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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1. Refugee
2. Yesterday's Mistake
3. Od Yeshoma
4. A Csitari Hegyek Alatt
5. Ladino Song
6. Brothers
7. D'ror Yikra
8. Gypsy
9. Hora
10. Pagamenska

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Oi Va Voi's strong live reputation gained them twin nominations in the 2002 BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards, and Laughter Through Tears marks the long-awaited album debut from this London-based sextet. The opening run of tracks are commercially viable and soulfully relaxed, with all Jewish traditional elements appearing as peripheral traces. On another level, this is a courageous (or perverse) move, saving the faster, more characterful numbers for the album's second half. This has a slow-building effect, but doesn't necessarily convey the band's full live personality. KT Tunstall provides emotive vocals on "Refugee" and "Yesterday's Mistakes", backed by soothing strings and nimble basslines, akin to Nitin Sawhney or Zero 7, given subtle traces of traditional klezmer. As Judith Ne'meth sings an atmospheric Hungarian love song, Oi Va Voi enter the more active second phase, all of its dancefloor elements hand-crafted by the live line-up of drums, bass, guitar, violin, trumpet and clarinet. Earl Zinger raggas up "Gypsy" and Uzbekistan's Sevara Nazarkhan trills on "7 Brothers", which is later remixed by Hefner, appearing as a hidden track. But it's "Dror Yikra" that provides the most extreme example of cross-culturalism, with Tunisian vocalist Ben Hassan tackling a traditional Sephardic tune from the Yemen, bolstered by flamenco touches and a pin-pricking jazz trumpet solo by Lemez Lovas. --Martin Longley

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great listen, 15 Nov 2003
I am an old fan of Oi Va Voi and have heard them live on many occasions. Their new album exceeds my expectations! The sound is a mix of the familiar - the old Klezmer melodies moderned up with the funky dance beats, and the new. KT Tunstall has a fantastic voice and is a great addition to the band. This is a CD for all moods and occasions - its chilled out, impassioned, frantic and soulful. Definitely worth a listen.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, 22 Oct 2003
By A Customer
This is one of the few albums I’ve heard that successfully marries ‘traditional’ forms of musical expression with contemporary dance styles without simply cashing in on the current trend for quirky ethnic sounds. There is genuine expression here, both in the themes and lyrics of the songs, and in the rich and varied soundscape that is explored. The music touches on modern dance genres rather than basing entire songs around them, ranging from the gentle breakbeat of ‘Refugee’ to the rolling house backdrop of ‘D’Ror Yikra’. Sequencing is kept to minimum, with live drumming preferred on most of the tracks – essential for the more complex rhythms used, such as the 7/8 in ‘Ladino Song’. The use of the clarinet and trumpet add extra dimensions to the sound, and the rich 4-Hero-esque string arrangements are particularly effective on tracks like ‘Od Yeshoma’.

The band demonstrate their Jewish roots with clever use of the Klezmer musical tradition – you can hear plenty of accentuated 4th notes and subtly worked harmonic minor modes, but this never clashes with the more contemporary harmony. I’m no expert on Klezmer but the singing seems to me particularly authentic, and evokes the folk tradition well. Their use of Hebrew, Hungarian and other languages is a brilliant vehicle for the soft, reflective lyrics; in some tunes the words are repeated in English, as if to emphasize their relevance in a modern context. The playing in general is rock-solid throughout, with interest continually generated through fluid basslines, clever use of percussion and and a rich harmonic spectrum. This album pushes back the frontiers of ‘crossover’ – I’d definitely recommend it.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic mix of musical genres, 22 Mar 2005
By A Customer
I saw Oi Va Voi at last year's Glastonbury, I had only heard the name before and they were the first band I saw during the weekend. They set the tone of the whole Glastonbury festival for me - I absolutely loved the performance as the whole band had such energy with a huge variety of instruments used to play pop, chillout and traditional Jewish folk. They were like nothing I'd heard before.
The CD is quite different to the live Oi Va Voi as its a much more chilled out set of music. It took a while to get into, but the songs are all very easy on the ears and great for anyone looking for what is essentially a pop record with a wide variety of folk influence.
I might add that the female singer has one of the beautiful voices I've heard!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 10 stats and, perhaps more!
This is one of the best albums I've have heard in MANY time. It's what Enigma was. But it's still more it's a convination of Enigma, Aria, Afro Celt Sound System, Delerium and... Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2006 by martưn alexandro

5.0 out of 5 stars Tip
I love Laughter Through Tears and am thrilled that the Oi Va Voi violinist, Sophie Solomon now has a solo CD. We saw her at Koko in December and her performance was amazing. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2006 by Duckie

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent & diverse album
I heard this album on Radio 2 & was immediately intrigued by the glorious sound of the tracks. I bought it immediately. Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2004 by Emmy

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent cd
Music to my ears. Proof that modern recording tecniques can, when combined with good arrangements and musicianship produce a warm and exciting result. Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2004 by K Levan

5.0 out of 5 stars a breath of fresh air
i boughtthis album ofthe back of hearing about 2 minutes of it on the radio. what a fantstic voice, melodies & instrumentation. Read more
Published on 11 Dec 2003 by johnnymobasher2

5.0 out of 5 stars Massive Attack meets Klezmer with style
Smooth production, superb instrumentals, and powerful lyrics make this a great album. Possibly it isn't as 'raw' as some established fans would want, but it is still one to listen... Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
Absolutely love it, - maybe due to my roots, but I think it is very interesting, unique, and rather haunting. A mixture of Eastern European Zero 7 meets pantomime klezma.
Published on 6 Nov 2003 by gillykins

3.0 out of 5 stars Relevant & Interesting
Relevant & interesting but by no means exceptional. Oi's live performances are electric, vibrant and moving, both for your emotions and for your feet. Read more
Published on 22 Oct 2003

2.0 out of 5 stars Unsettling
It's one of those occassions that you learn to live with..... I listened with eagerness and happiness to BBC Radio 4's "Excess Baggage" programme. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2003 by tuna-d

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Laughter Through Tears
73% buy the item featured on this page:
Laughter Through Tears 4.6 out of 5 stars (12)
£10.99
Travelling the Face of the Globe
13% buy
Travelling the Face of the Globe 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
£9.18
Oi Va Voi
9% buy
Oi Va Voi 4.2 out of 5 stars (4)
Poison Sweet Madeira
3% buy
Poison Sweet Madeira 4.6 out of 5 stars (14)
£19.79
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