Younsun Nah

It's a bold concept; take Pink Floyd's iconic Dark Side of the Moon (Harvest, 1973) and reinterpret it in a big band jazz setting. With upwards of forty million copies sold, every note, every nuance of Floyd's eighth album is so firmly entrenched in the minds of the band's legion devotees that to tamper with the work in any way is to leave oneself open to facile criticism. French-Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê, however, is nothing if not adventurous. Lê has already demonstrated on Purple: Celebrating Jimi Hendrix (ACT Music, 2007) and Songs of Freedom (ACT Music, 2012)—his tribute to classic pop and rock songs of the 1960s and 1970s—that he can breathe new life into old material without being overly reverential.

This definitive full Vaya Con Dios collection includes twenty-one tracks. Eighteen hits which set the radio waves on fire, two new numbers and a superb reinterpretation of “What's a Woman” with soul legend Aaron Neville. This compilation gives a glimpse of the sheer elegance of the most publicized Belgian group of the 1990s. Vaya Con Dios's songs remain fresh, thanks to a well honed sense of melody and top quality production. With her brand of Latin influenced soft folk, Dani Klein and her fellow musicians give us some exceptional moments between the dark shadows and the light. “Just a friend of mine”, “Rico”, “Johnny” and “Nah neh Nah”.