Treasure / Celtic Treasure - Reviews

[1littlegirl]

Good reviews so far, everyone! It's now spring break so I've finally had time to sit down and write a review of Treasure. I hope you like it. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif


‘Let Me Lie’ immediately begins with Hayley’s comforting voice. This song is very haunting, and sort of gives you the chills. I love piano in the background because it really adds a lot. Hayley did a really good job helping write this song. It’s definitely one of my favourites! One little thing that bothers me, though, is that technically the last line should be ‘She and I are one’, not ‘Her and I are one.’ Oh well, it’s not a huge deal, because I still really like this song!

‘Le Notte Del Silenzio’ starts out very beautiful. It’s nice to hear Hayley sing in Italian. Humphrey Berney has a decent voice, but I think Hayley could have done well without him. She proves it when she duets with herself on the second verse. I also don’t think drums were necessary to come in on this song.

When I first played this album through, ‘Santa Lucia’ sounded very awkward coming right after ‘Le Notte Del Silenzio’! Nevertheless, I really enjoy this song. It is so fun and Hayley does an excellent job. I am glad she sped it up and added some really cool instruments.

‘Shenandoah’ is a song I have known for a long time, which means I had grown a bit tired of it. But Hayley’s beautiful version has caused me to love this song. The second verse is my favourite verse. I love the way she pronounces the word ‘years.’ Sounds a bit Irish to me! My only negative comment about this song is that Hayley isn’t quite on key when she sings the first ‘away’ at the beginning of the song.

‘Whispering Hope’ is a song that I haven’t quite warmed up to yet. I don’t really like the choir in the background. I kind of like singing along to this song though.

The most gorgeous song on Treasure has got to be ‘Summer Rain.’ Everything about it is brilliant. I like the abstract lyrics, the pizzicato strings and Hayley’s soaring voice. I just love this song! I wish there were more songs on this album like this one. I hope Hayley writes more songs like ‘Summer Rain’ for her next album.

‘Danny Boy’ is a song I have heard many times for the past seven or eight years. I have to admit it is not one of my favourites on the album, but it is a nice rendition of the song.

‘One Fine Day’ is an excellent version of the Italian opera song ‘Un Bel Di.’ I think Hayley’s version is by far the best I have ever heard. It is a lot softer and much more pleasant than other versions. It doesn’t resemble the original very much at all. I love the fact that it is mostly in English, but a little bit of Italian is thrown in. This is one of my favourite songs on the album.

‘The Heart Worships’ is a song I had to listen to a few times to be able to experience its full beauty. It has a lovely soaring melody and the lyrics are very beautiful. This is a most enjoyable song.

‘E Pari Ra’ is another nice Maori song. For some reason, though, it is not one of my favourites. I guess it sounds a lot like a lullaby and never really climaxes. However, it is still a lovely song.

The song that surprised me most on this album is ‘Sonny.’ When I listened to the samples before Treasure came out, ‘Sonny’ didn’t really impress me at all. I didn’t think I would like it very much. But now I totally love this song and cannot believe how amazing it is! I absolutely adore Hayley’s piano playing. It is so simple, yet beautiful, and that’s how I like it. I also love the emotion in Hayley’s voice. ‘Sonny’ is definitely one of my favourites.

‘Summer Fly’ is a little deceiving when it first starts out. It starts out celtic, but then turns a bit country. Now I am not a fan of any type of country music, but I must say that I really like this song. Of course I think it is due to the fact that Hayley is singing it and she doesn’t have an annoying southern accent that most country artists have. This song is catchy and really fun!

‘Melancholy Interlude’ is exactly what the title says. It is an interlude. I figured that out when I realised it was so short! This is a nice song, but not one of my favourites.

‘Bist Du Bei Mir’ is a song I have been familiar with for several years. When I saw that Hayley was including it on Treasure, I wasn’t sure how it would sound. But I think she did an excellent job and made this song very beautiful.

I love the way Hayley starts out a cappella on ‘Abide with Me.’ It really lets the words sink in. This is the loveliest rendition of this hymn I have ever heard. I’m so glad Hayley recorded it. It makes a nice ending to the album.

Overall, Treasure is a very enjoyable album. But after hearing what Hayley can do with songs like ‘Dulaman,’ I really hope she’ll consider doing more upbeat/faster-tempo songs because if you think about it, most of the songs on Treasure are really slooooooow. That doesn’t make them sound bad or anything; I just don’t think it shows off what Hayley can really do. (which is a lot!)

[roger]

Hi Cathleen,

Thanks very much for your review. We welcome as many opinions as possible. It seems you and I shared similar concerns when we had only heard samples but, like you, I am very happy with the end product.

1littlegirl said:

One little thing that bothers me, though, is that technically the last line should be ‘She and I are one’, not ‘Her and I are one.’ Oh well, it’s not a huge deal, because I still really like this song!

Huh, I hadn't noticed that but you are quite right. I've just listened to that secion a few times and I can see no reason for it. As you say though, it's not a huge deal.

1littlegirl said:

‘Shenandoah’... My only negative comment about this song is that Hayley isn’t quite on key when she sings the first ‘away’ at the beginning of the song.

I'm not sure if I can detect anything wrong here or not. I am sure the final syllable, "way", is correct. Do you mean the very first note of that word? Again, I have just played that about ten times and slowed it down to study it more closely. Maybe she is just the slightest fraction out as she comes in on that first note but I would never have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out.

Roger

[1littlegirl]

1littlegirl said:

‘Shenandoah’... My only negative comment about this song is that Hayley isn’t quite on key when she sings the first ‘away’ at the beginning of the song.

I'm not sure if I can detect anything wrong here or not. I am sure the final syllable, "way", is correct. Do you mean the very first note of that word? Again, I have just played that about ten times and slowed it down to study it more closely. Maybe she is just the slightest fraction out as she comes in on that first note but I would never have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out.

Roger

Yeah, I guess it is only the first part of the word, but it is two notes. I noticed it the very first time I heard it. I guess I have an ear for those type of things, but, again, it's not a big deal. It's still a beautiful song. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

[roger]

1littlegirl said:

I guess I have an ear for those type of things, but, again, it's not a big deal. It's still a beautiful song. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Ah, well that's the problem, Cathleen. You're supposed to listen with both ears!


Roger

[Dave]

Hello Cathleen and Roger,

I have been fascinated by your discussion about the use of "her" and about the note that you think Hayley sang slightly out of tune. These are the kind of small details that I love - and I sometimes get annoyed if I miss them!

So why did I miss these two? Well on the use of "her", I assumed that it was a local grammatical variation from New Zealand (I'd love to hear from some of our illustrious NZ members about that as I could be completely wrong!) I've been around a long time and I know that in some parts of the UK "her" is used in that way. With a quick Google, I soon found an example... it is here at the British Library - the example is about halfway down in the panel "Listen to these extracts..." - "subject her" and there is an audio clip, transcript and commentary.

The question is, if it is local dialect, is it something from NZ or from whereever Sarah Class (the co-writer) was brought up? I love local dialects and I will be disappointed if that isn't the explanation.

Regarding the other matter - whether or not Hayley is out of tune near the start of Shenandoah - after many replays, I am currently unsure. I shall attempt some frequency analysis of the waveform when I get a minute. Whether or not that can or will resolve it remains to be seen! Edit - Now see my next post

Cheers, Dave

[Dave]

1littlegirl said:

I'm not sure if I can detect anything wrong here or not. I am sure the final syllable, "way", is correct. Do you mean the very first note of that word? Again, I have just played that about ten times and slowed it down to study it more closely. Maybe she is just the slightest fraction out as she comes in on that first note but I would never have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out.

Roger

Yeah, I guess it is only the first part of the word, but it is two notes. I noticed it the very first time I heard it. I guess I have an ear for those type of things, but, again, it's not a big deal. It's still a beautiful song. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

My goodness Cathleen, you certainly do have an ear for it!

I did a frequency analysis,

The first note on first "a" of "away" is D# (Eb?) plus a tiny fraction of a semitone high

The second note on first "a" is D plus almost half a semitone high

The note on "way" of "away" is C plus a fraction of a semitone high.

But I don't know what notes should have been sung, can you explain, please? They all sounded OK to me!

Would more vibrato, like a lot of other singers do, have masked it?

Cheers, Dave
Who needs sleeeeep now!

[roger]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for your analysis. I'm not sure that "out of tune" is quite the right description. It seems that the opening two notes (sung on "a" of "away"), tend to *waver* slightly.

If there is some vocal error, it is unbelievably small and Cathleen is incredibly perceptive to pick it up.

Roger

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

In case anybody misses it, Postscript (Peter Such) has posted an excellent review of the UK version of 'Treasure' HERE.

Enjoy! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Richard

[postscript]

How very kind of you Richard. Thank you for your kind compliments. I am about to bury myself for probably too short a while in the reports from the US Tour. Needless Treasure is in my headphones. . . for the umpteenth time since last night, my first hearing of the whole!

Peter S.

[Stephany]

Peter, I'm sure Hayley will be delighted to hear that one of her loyalest fans appreciated the album so much.

[postscript]

Thank you Peter for this fabulous review. It is very personal and yet, I agree with most of it.
Many thanks for sharing!
Take care,
Stephany
Peter, I'm sure Hayley will be delighted to hear that one of her loyalest fans appreciated the album so much.

Thank you Stephany. Nice to hear from you. Reminds me it is too long since I was in Paris!

Yours aye.
Peter S.

[milewalker]

roger said:

If there is some vocal error, it is unbelievably small and Cathleen is incredibly perceptive to pick it up.

Hmm - I have noted that Hayley often employs a rather common "pop" inflection to a song - which I think a classical purist might decry as "scooping notes". (Which is not to say I havent heard classical vocalists do it too ) This inst a criticism btw - it is simply a part of her vocal style.

The basic idea is that you dont hit the first note square, and sort of slide into it - sometimes on the same syllable and sometimes on the second. Sometimes it can be so subtle that the "attack" portion of the note is not square, and the singer slides into the "proper" pitch on the "sustain" Normally, the slide covers enough ground that what the singer did is so obvious that the ear doesnt even react to it except as a part of the song as a whole. I think in this particular case, ironically the way Hayley attacked the note too might have been too accurate, so that what should have been siimply a slide, now sounds like what Roger called a "waiver" around the intended pitch.

Such "imprecisions" are in any case one of the things which makes a human voice different than one produced by unliving nstrument - and also among the hundreds of little nuances which help us differentiate one voice from another.....

End of lecture

Jon

[Stephany]

Here is a review from a NZ listenner found HERE.

IN HEAVEN WITH HAYLEY

I’ve been listening to the new “Treasure ” cd by little Hayley Westenra, except she’s not little anymore. The beautifully exquisite voice is still there but it’s grown into a fuller, at times more sensuous sound. There’s a sense of her looking you squarely in the eyes.

As a fellow pakeha New Zealander, she is something of an icon to me which originated when I first heard her sing Pokarekare Ana. She owned that song with such confidence and articulation that only one born to the country could express.

Again, with these Celtic songs she parallels my heritage and all that that carries. It’s not surprising that I’m again slain by her charms.

She sings “Shenandoah”, a favourite from my teen years when I had an lp by the beautiful black Odetta with her deep powerful voice. Hayley produces the song with equal reverence and satisfaction from the other end of the scale.

“Danny Boy” is sadder than ever and there’s a chilling desperation in “Sonny” yet both are sweet. In “Last Rose of Summer”, a duet with fellow Celtic Woman Meav is remarkable where these two siren voices inter-twine in a rising spiral, like angels winging you into the heavens. Cor blimey, I’ve got to get a grip on myself.

But best is the final song, “Abide With Me”. If heaven is as beautiful as this I want to go there. I am flabbergasted that my little boxes of metal, wood and blinking lights, when fed this disc, can produce such perfect beauty. I can but gasp.

[jons]

dave said:

Barnes and Noble said:

"Let Me Die"

Actually Dave, the typo may have been born out of a little know fact that the original version of the song was called: 'Let Me Dye'. On a brief moment of madness Hayley was considering dying her hair green, so the original draft of the song was about that.

Let me dye my highlights green
At the salon across the street
Under heated dryers

stephany said:

New review from THE EDGWARE TIMES.

Hayley Westenra, Treasure (Decca) ****
By Ian Sime

It is said that Hayley Westenra's music has healing qualities.

People are starting to realise this more and more, Hayley's voice on Treasure is healing at its best.

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

I'll quote this post from the Sophie Westenra' thread, due to the next post.

mariannek said:

Hi milewalker Jon,
Thank you for your input re Hayley reviews. There can never be an objective review by anyone.
Tastes differ too much and moods vary as well.
But you are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. Therefore I do not take you or your friends opinion too seriously.
I know who I rather listen to and that's what counts to me...Hayley Westenra time and time again!
Love, Marianne