Shining Nights
GEORGE DALARAS
| CD 68.851 |
Shining Nights is an album with modern laika songs entrusted to George Dalaras by his friends. Since its release in autumn 2004 the album has gone platinum in Greece. The songs are born through friendship, companionship and shared experiences with the composers and the lyricists proving that for George and his friends music is not just work but also a very important part of their private lives. Extroverted songs based on a common code of communication which the listener can easily „break“ in order to be accepted into the inner circle.
The album starts with the song My other self written for George by Haris Alexiou. A very special moment for discography that brings together George Dalaras and Haris Alexiou after the Byzantine Vespers (1973) while the last time they were seen together on stage was 1983 in the „Tent“.
Five of the songs were born after successive nights of interminable discussions as children of unanimous acceptance or fruitful dissent at Stamos Semsis' as the host on the piano and George Dalaras on the guitar interpreting George Pavrianos' lyrics.
Five more songs were written by one of George Dalaras' oldest friends, from the time of the boites and Plaka, Antonis Vardis, who conjured up his innate talent and sensitivity to set to music lyrics by Antonis Andrikakis, Vicky Gerothodorou, Lina Dimopoulou, Zoi Panayotopoulou and Manos Tsilimidis. His voice is heard, along with George Dalaras' in the song One more time.
Stergios Gargalas, an accomplished musician and violin soloist introduced by Sokratis Malamas, contributed three songs on lyrics by Lina Dimopoulou, Zoi Panayotopoulou and Katerina Siapanta.
George Dalaras' old friend and partner Takis Bourmas, „who talks little and writes even less“, as George says, contributed his own Zeibekiko, rounding off the popular profile of the album which is „counterpoised“ by a „modern oldie“, a single, perky, sensitive twist by Lakis Papadopoulos.
The songs on on this CD were orchestrated by Akis Katsoupakis, Antonis Vardis and, for one song, Stamos Semsis, with the valuable cooperation of the composers and, of course, George Dalaras and the excellent musicians, whose talent has contributed the most to the final aroma of the album.
Shining Nights presents also a new friend who joins the party with a new idea. It is Antonis Remos who interprets along with George Dalaras George Theophanous' song The only thing I know.
More Information on George Dalaras
More music by George Dalaras on Tropical Music:
CD A Tribute to Markos Vamvakaris
CD Live & Unplugged
CD The Greek Spirit
CD The Greek Voice