2007 AUGUST 3 #215
Anna Maria Del Maestro - Sing With Me
MP3:
1. You're My World (2:49)
2. Pal Of My Cradle Days (3:15)
3. Y-Viva Espana (3:37)
4. O Mein Papa (3:19)
5. One Day At A Time (2:56)
6. Save Your Love (3:24)
7. Santa Lucia (2:49)
8. Love This Is My Song (3:17)
I found this cassette at a scout jumble sale and bought it hoping it might be worthy of my collection. I was not to be disappointed. This is the ultimate budget-priced vanity recording. A low noise cassette and photocopied inlay 'card' are home to a series of cheaply recorded songs with Anna Maria Del Mastro (great name!) singing in English which was clearly not her first language.
The songs are backed by a very nasty synth and are surprisingly sung with little enthusiasm. Ms Del Maestro often sounds like she was doing it under duress, although she occasionally makes up for it by shouting some of the words causing distortion in the mike. Sadly the cheap tape has stretched with age and is suffering from extreme wow and flutter. This has rendered part of the tape unplayable so we don't get to hear her take of Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You or O Sole Mio (but perhaps that's no great loss). Some of the other songs do suffer from a bit of wobble but I think that adds to the magic. Watch out for the over-loud 'Hooray!' on her take of the holiday hit Y Viva Espana, but my fave has to be her take of the Renee and Renato duet Save Your Love. Here the lady remains true to her Italian roots with a bi-lingual song, but does both parts in her leaden, unemotional style. I like the ways he says 'I love you' as though she really doesn't give a shit one way or the other.
I have been unable to find out anything about Anna, except she would appear to be an Italian living in Britain. There is no photograph on the inlay card, just a rather naff clip art illustration of a flamenco dancer. If anyone can provide more information I would love to know.
- Contributed by: David Noades
Images: Cassette
Media: Cassette tape
Date: 1980s
