Anna Vissi

X (Sony Music, Greece)
by Michael McCarthy

Anna Vissi returns to her traditional Greek roots on X (pronounced H) (Sony Music Greece). While her previous album, the English-language debut Everything I Am, was all about dance and sounding modern, X has her blending modern beats with classic Greek music with mostly pleasing results. Also, the subject matter is much deeper this time around, the album perhaps being the story of a woman who parts ways with her lover and contemplates suicide as a result. To be honest, I had a friend tell me what the lyrics were about, since I only know a few words of Greek, but I wasn’t surprised because the songs are so emotional you can certainly appreciate her pain even if you don’t understand a word of it. It’s not all about misery though, there are a few upbeat tracks. A few. But this is mostly music for a contemplative, espresso-sipping afternoon alone.
(www.annavissi.net)