Customer Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Songs of the Bad Life
Comment: This CD is a wonderful addition to anyones collection of Mafia related items. The songs are sung with an emotion that as one reviewer says comes right from the heart. The true value of these songs comes from the cultural and historical background that gave birth to them. A nice bottle of wine and a traditional meal round off the listeners enjoyment to this CD. I would suggest the Second CD in this series as well: Vol 2, Omerta, Onuri E Sangu, By "La Musica Della Mafia"
Customer Rating: 
Summary: 1st Generation
Comment: I don't know what I was expecting but the lyrics gave me the creeps. I'm from L.A. and it was like hearing some local gang singing about their latest drive-by shooting and glorifying it. I thought the singing voice was mediocore. I am glad I bought it used.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great folklore in South Italian dialect
Comment: A rare glimpse into the dying world of the Calabrian mafia, this CD is endlessly fascinating to those of us who grew up in Sicilian or Southern Italian households and heard stories similar to those in the songs of honor, revenge and sacrifice. Of course knowing the dialect will help any listener appreciate the full meaning of the lyrics, but even those unfamiliar with those terms that appear in almost every song, such as'sango' for blood or 'onore' for honor, can appreciate the wonderful contrast between the harshness of the lyrics and the melody of the songs. The counterpoint and complexity contained in these songs reflect the complex societies from which they come, raw, real and emotionally honest.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Background purchase
Comment: This Cd is hardly overwhelming -- I can't imagine why people feel compelled to give 5 stars.It is beautiful music. However I don't listen to this CD nearly enough to consider giving it more than 2 stars. Buena Vista Social Club gone Italy this is not. Even if you love the Sopranos, you're probably not likely to go ape mad over this CD.
It's a nice CD to have in your collection, but I fear it's going to gather more dust than airtime on my player.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Can't get any better than this
Comment: This album is interesting in a great number of ways. First, it's one of those rare quality recordings available outside Italy with folk music from Calabria. Second, the performances are outstanding. The singing sounds like it has sprung from the performers' heart rather than being just a flat interpretation of the music. I imagine that one doesn't necessarily need to understand the lyrics to appreciate this music, as a matter of fact, at certain point one may wish not to know the subject of the songs. The words reflect a world unto our own where a different code of laws reigns supreme and which exists in a dimension most of us would not want to explore except in works of fiction such as Mario Puzo's novels. The lyrics speak of a ruthlessness of spirit which is somewhat disturbing, but this is counterbalanced by the quality of the music. Finally, this will be a treat to those who speak Italian and always wanted to have some exposure to the colourful dialects of the south. Although a few tracks are in Italian, you can hear plenty of Calabrese, a dialect derived from Latin, Arabic, Greek and French.
