Blackbird – The Beatles Album—Miloš, guitar (Mercury 24425)
Angela Mitchell, host of WCLV All Night:
“About two years ago, around the time that I entered my 30s, I ‘discovered’ The Beatles, and have listened to hardly anything else since. I know, I know, I’m about five decades late to this party; but boy am I glad to have arrived. I’ve been taking in anything and everything Beatles-related ever since, and even saw Paul McCartney in concert over the summer—the greatest live event I have ever experienced! So when this new CD of Beatles arrangements by Miloš came out, I was thrilled to hear a new and unique take on these beloved songs. Not that the Fab Four’s music needs updating or refreshing; as the sleeve note for 1964’s “Beatles for Sale” put it: “The magic of the Beatles is timeless and ageless. It has broken all frontiers and barriers. It has cut through differences of race, age, and class. It is adored by the world.”
Jenny Northern, General Manager of WCLV:
“Why would I choose as my Choice CD of 2016 a disc that doesn’t contain classical music? I chose it because the material is so familiar and beloved, and yet is presented in an interesting and, for the most part, refreshingly uncontrived way. The arrangements by Sergio Assad more than do justice to these great songs by the Fab Four. (The strings at the beginning of “Here Comes the Sun” very effectively evoke that moment when a tiny pinpoint of sunlight first emerges and spills out over the horizon.) Milos’ mastery of his instrument and his love for this music are apparent. This is artistry in appreciation of genius.”
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