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Post by graemek on Oct 13, 2009 23:22:06 GMT
Hi All & many thanks for your reviews & views. I started doing this page just for me but eventually decided to post it. It highlights the songs of which Hayley has written the lyrics as well as the singing & recording. Graeme  |
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Post by Libby on Oct 14, 2009 5:02:43 GMT
Nicola, you should post your review on Amazon or something like that. It's so well-written, you could write reviews for a newspaper! If Hayley's "winter" album can please you, it must be really good!  And it is! |
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Post by Libby on Oct 14, 2009 6:23:49 GMT
Martin, I don't see how you can say that the inclusion of O Holy Night would have destroyed the album?! That's nuts! And just because we've seen tracklistings of the album does not mean they are absolutely final. You may think I feel this way because I still really want it to be on the album, but since it was listed before, I will not give up hope until I know absolutely for sure that it isn't.
If you post this review anywhere, I don't think you should even mention the missing songs. Also, you say so many times about how "unchallenging" the songs are that it makes it sound like Hayley isn't a very strong singer. If you're trying to promote Hayley, you shouldn't make it sound too negative.
BTW, Jeff Franzel also helped her with Summer Rain.
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Post by graemek on Oct 14, 2009 7:51:11 GMT
Gather.com, Nicola, is a networking site. A lot of writers & poets go to it & enter comps & such. Lots of opinions get aired etc. including musical. graeme  |
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Post by nicola on Oct 14, 2009 8:23:05 GMT
Hello Martin, I think you have David Bowie and Bing Cosby confused with 'Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy'. It's a combination of two songs, and it's much better than 'Little Drummer Boy' on its own. Graeme - Belinda told me what Gather was Yulia's chat, and I have looked at your wife's profile since (yes, it was that easy to find her! Beware!) Looks like a lovely community. |
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Post by nicola on Oct 14, 2009 8:32:33 GMT
Thank you, Libby. I normally post reviews on amazon (this is my amazon profile) but I have refrained from posting my website reviews on to the site, as then my website loses the exclusivity. As for writing for a newspaper - that's the general aim! Do not normally share the amazon link, as there are some reviews on there from when I was 16 and they are AWFUL. I spelt 'opera' 'oprah' at one point. Bless my teenage self. Thanks for the compliment. Means a lot. |
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Post by comet on Oct 14, 2009 11:23:36 GMT
 It took it's time, but it arrived this morning UCCL-9061 Winter Magic.. I have avoided all the samples and reviews about the album so as not to have any preconceived notions or ideas placed in my mind about the album. There is more to life than work, so I closed the door and gave myself the time for a listen with my full attention. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif I've got that village idiot smile on my face now i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifI am so pleased with The Little Drummer Boy, which I spoke briefly to Hayley about after she sang it at a Christmas concert here in Dublin. I have a lot of versions of The Coventry Carol but this on "sparkles", and just made the hair stand up on the back of my neck and gave me goosebumps. With a bit of luck I may be able to play the whole album again tonight, undisturbed. Oh I am pleased...... This has really brightened my day..those layered vocals are so clean and clear......and Pure.. so distinctively Hayley i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif
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Post by martindn on Oct 14, 2009 18:45:20 GMT
Martin, I don't see how you can say that the inclusion of O Holy Night would have destroyed the album?! That's nuts! And just because we've seen tracklistings of the album does not mean they are absolutely final. You may think I feel this way because I still really want it to be on the album, but since it was listed before, I will not give up hope until I know absolutely for sure that it isn't. If you post this review anywhere, I don't think you should even mention the missing songs. Also, you say so many times about how "unchallenging" the songs are that it makes it sound like Hayley isn't a very strong singer. If you're trying to promote Hayley, you shouldn't make it sound too negative. BTW, Jeff Franzel also helped her with Summer Rain. Hi Libby, The point about O Holy Night that I was trying to make was that I too was disappointed to see it wan't there when I first saw the track listing, but having heard the album I don't miss it, and don't really think it fits very well with the rest of the album. I think "destroyed" is too strong a word. But that is a great balance of different types of song, and that is part of what makes this album so enoyable. But thinking about it, if you take away On the Wings of Time from the international release, O Holy Night might work as a replacement last track on the album. Although Peace Shall Come would be a good ending too! But I don't think we know whether she has actually recorded O Holy NightIf I post this review elsewhere, I will almost certainly have to cut it down, since many review sites have a maximum word count. This is the HWI version, so talk about missing songs that might be relevant here probably won't be elsewhere. Also, my point about many Christmas sogs being technically unchallenging was not meant as any sort of criticism of Hayley or her choice of material. I love this album exactly as it is. In fact I meant the exact opposite of that, that these songs don't give Hayley much opportunity to show off vocally, something I like to hear her do, and that I'm sure she enjoys too. "If you've got it, flaunt it". So it's more a case of some (but not all) of these songs not showing what a strong technical singer Hayley is. None of this has any impact of my enjoyment of the music, it was just an observation. I subjected my passenger to this album on my way home from work last night. He is someone who doesn't know Hayley's work, and I think he was quite impressed by the purity of her voice ("cleanness") was the word he used, and the clarity of her diction. Martin |
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Post by thomas on Oct 14, 2009 19:06:04 GMT
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Post by Libby on Oct 14, 2009 23:22:35 GMT
Also, my point about many Christmas sogs being technically unchallenging was not meant as any sort of criticism of Hayley or her choice of material. I love this album exactly as it is. In fact I meant the exact opposite of that, that these songs don't give Hayley much opportunity to show off vocally, something I like to hear her do, and that I'm sure she enjoys too. "If you've got it, flaunt it". So it's more a case of some (but not all) of these songs not showing what a strong technical singer Hayley is. None of this has any impact of my enjoyment of the music, it was just an observation. I subjected my passenger to this album on my way home from work last night. He is someone who doesn't know Hayley's work, and I think he was quite impressed by the purity of her voice ("cleanness") was the word he used, and the clarity of her diction. I knew you weren't saying she wasn't a strong singer, but I was just reading it from the view of a newer Hayley fan who is thinking of buying the album, or someone who's never even heard Hayley. But who knows, they might get it and say "What was he going on about, she's wonderful!" When you said you didn't have anything to say about All With You, did you mean you loved it so much that you're speechless about it, or that it's not your favorite? It is one of the best, in my opinion. It's such a pretty song. Nice lyrics, such pretty vocals. But then my favorites aren't always everybody else's favorites; I seem to be the only one who likes Crescent Moon all that much. I'm one of the only ones who lists it as a favorite from HSJS2. Same thing with Sparkle being my favorite duet. |
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Post by Libby on Oct 14, 2009 23:41:14 GMT
Love the video, Jillian! |
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Post by graemek on Oct 15, 2009 1:24:32 GMT
I love this album exactly as it is. Same thing with Sparkle being my favorite duet. Yes Libby...when we first got Sparkle, we played it at any excuse and I had it on a couple of car copies. I have never liked 'crooners' but I absolutely love Hayley's singing of Sparkle   Graeme PS Following is the best Oh Holy Night we have. I stripped it off Dave's remastered 2006 xmas Pres.Cardiff 2 days ago. It's pretty immaculate IMO. www.mediafire.com/file/mkmlknowvx4/20061222christmaspresence_OhHolyNight_h264.m4a |
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Post by graemek on Oct 15, 2009 1:44:06 GMT
Hi All, My ONLY disappointment with Winter Magic was the lack of Oh Holy Night as a studio recorded song. But the capture & re-working of the live show is FABULOUS. Graeme  |
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Post by amptique on Oct 15, 2009 2:04:37 GMT
Hello Everyone. Thanks to all the reviewers for their impressions of this album. I envy your ability to express your thoughts so well. I'm afraid I do not have those skills and I am much too biased to write a credible review of anything Hayley does. She could bring a tear to my eye by simply singing "Yankee Doodle".  I've listened to the album many times now and discover something new with each session. One thing that strikes me is how the various songs work together. In particular, the sequential placement of "Sleigh Ride" and "River". To me, they represent the emotional extremes of the season. From the high of enjoying simple activities and friendships in "Sleigh Ride", to the low of lost love, disappointment and a less-than-positive self-evaluation in "River". I found this combination to be very powerful. If I had been asked to set the order of the tracks, it would not have occurred to be to put those two songs together. Hmmm, maybe that is why no body asked. Well done, Hayley! Bill |
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Dave
Administrator
HWI Admin
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Post by Dave on Oct 15, 2009 2:35:35 GMT
Hello Graeme and everyone, This is off topic for the thread, but as members are discussing "O Holy Night", I have posted something about it in the original thread relating to the 2006 "Christmas Presence" concert (broadcast on TV). My post can be found in the Christmas Presence - Wales Millennium Ctr 2006[/b] thread. Cheers, Dave |
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And it is!
