(09 June 2012) Marina Cruzo is a classical crossover artist now based in Russia. Her self-released debut album We'll Meet Again (2009) is a collection of both classical crossover standards and other songs featuring the singer's stunning mezzo-soprano vocal work. The thirteen tracks on perfect length album were arranged by Igor Ivanchenko and was produced by Michael Kuvshinov and Yan Foss.

Marina was born in a friendly and loving family. Due to the profession of the her parents, they stayed abroad for a long time. Most of her childhood she spent in Greece, where her father had a house on a small island in the Gulf of Corinth. Despite the tough working schedule her father and mother devoted a lot of attention to the development and education of their daughter who aspired to sing from a young age. Be sure to read our exclusive June 2012 interview with Marina to learn more about her background and her work.

The family always worshiped arts, so the atmosphere in the house was in tune with their interests. Interesting and talented people were not only their guests, but they became part of the family. The future singer was growing up in a special atmosphere filled with the sounds of classical music, intellectual disputes and infinite love for arts. Marina has developed into a stunning and award-winning mezzo-soprano since those early days.

The album opens with Marina's tremendous operatic delivery of "Winter Light" by Eric Kasz, Linda Ronstadt and Zbigniew Antony Preisner. "Torna A Surriento" is one of the less frequently covered classical standards. Marina's heartfelt rendition is sung superbly and masterfully arranged. Her delivery of the longstanding classical crossover standard "Hijo de la Luna" is awe inspiring challenging Sarah Brightman while the almost showtune arrangement of "Granada" reveals Russian influences within this album. Album owners familiar with the tunes will note the switch of the song names on the back cover.

Marina's recording of Handel's "Lasaci ch'io Pianga" aria is flawless with crystalline vocals soaring over the light arrangement. Equally stunning is this album's operatic version of "Be My Love." In another Sarah Brighman challenge, Marina takes on "En Arajuez Con Tu Amor" and hits the ball out of the park with her delivery. Producers are to be commended for the fantastic acoustic guitar arrangement that does the recording artists proud. The instrumental passages dominate "Chanson Boheme, however Marina's crystalline vocals soar above orchestra parts.

Three album standouts immediately follow, beginning with "O mio babbino caro." The track, covered by many classical crossover artists, is certainly as well performed by Marina. However, Marina's version of "La Wally" is certainly one of the very best ever heard by our editorial staff. And from The Phantom of the Opera, Marina's rendition of "The Music of the Night" is equally superb.

Marina's upbeat operatic performance of Borodin's "The Sleeping Princess" is complemented by rich string arrangements. The album concludes with the title track "We'll Meet Again." Read Marina's comments about the track in our interview. Written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, the show tune suits Marina's vocal style and her recording is a fantastic ending to this superb album.

At this writing, Marina Cruzo is recording a new album of new classical crossover songs written exclusively for her. Marina Cruzo is a brilliant classical crossover artist with a bright future. Her album is not widely distributed but classical crossover enthusiasts should certainly invest the time to locate a copy for their collections. In the meantime be sure to listen to the tracks available at the artist's MySpace, SoundCloud or YouTube channel. Bravo!