Post by Dave on Jun 28, 2004 16:40:19 GMT
There's a nice new customer review of US Pure at Amazon.com today. The review is balanced, it's not gushing with praise about every single thing Hayley does ("showing room for improvement as her voice matures...) - yet overall it's VERY complimentary. I think the overall balance of the review validates it even more than those by die-hard Hayley fans like us (we aren't exactly impartial!). I've highlighted a couple of the most interesting comments:
"[five star rating] Crystal Clear, June 27, 2004
Reviewer: Buggotchi from Utopia, Utah USA
Hayley Westenra, the 17 year old songstress from New Zealand, has put together a debut album for America that is sure to please classical crossover fans. With a diverse selection of music from classical to folk to easy listening, all the songs fit together as a whole due to their orchestrated arrangements. Perhaps most notable in Hayley's voice is the absence of the operatic vibrato that many classical crossover artists utilize in their performances, such as Charlotte Church who most people will draw immediate comparisons to. Instead, Hayley is more like Streisand in how she holds the note crystal clear with slight vibrato towards the end. Hayley's range is quite high for a young woman and, unlike her earlier releases in New Zealand, her pitch is truly perfect. However, her music is not sterile by any means, showing room for improvement as her voice matures, but bringing a warm personality to the performances that pleases the ears and soothes the soul.
Highlights for me off this album are:
• Never Say Goodbye - So high and steady is her voice at one point you will mistake it for a violin. Soothing, not screechy.[/b]
• Across the Universe of Time - Haunting chorus as she sings with herself. Melancholy yet beautiful.
• Dark Waltz - A beautiful classical arrangement compliments this melancholy tune. Hayley's voice is angelic throughout the chorus.
• Heaven - More pop than the other tracks, but still more classical than mainstream. Lilting tune. Lilting voice.
• Wuthering Heights - Perhaps an unfamiliar tune to those not aware of the delightful Kate Bush, Hayley adds her own personality to this arrangement, even outshining the same cover she did for the UK release. With more dramatic strings and accompaniment than the UK edition behind her, Hayley's voice soars into the higher octaves effortlessly. Very different than Kate Bush's original falsetto version or the rerecorded version from 1985.
I highly recommend this album. It is a wonderful panacea to the blather currently blaring on pop radio."
Amazon link here.
"[five star rating] Crystal Clear, June 27, 2004
Reviewer: Buggotchi from Utopia, Utah USA
Hayley Westenra, the 17 year old songstress from New Zealand, has put together a debut album for America that is sure to please classical crossover fans. With a diverse selection of music from classical to folk to easy listening, all the songs fit together as a whole due to their orchestrated arrangements. Perhaps most notable in Hayley's voice is the absence of the operatic vibrato that many classical crossover artists utilize in their performances, such as Charlotte Church who most people will draw immediate comparisons to. Instead, Hayley is more like Streisand in how she holds the note crystal clear with slight vibrato towards the end. Hayley's range is quite high for a young woman and, unlike her earlier releases in New Zealand, her pitch is truly perfect. However, her music is not sterile by any means, showing room for improvement as her voice matures, but bringing a warm personality to the performances that pleases the ears and soothes the soul.
Highlights for me off this album are:
• Never Say Goodbye - So high and steady is her voice at one point you will mistake it for a violin. Soothing, not screechy.[/b]
• Across the Universe of Time - Haunting chorus as she sings with herself. Melancholy yet beautiful.
• Dark Waltz - A beautiful classical arrangement compliments this melancholy tune. Hayley's voice is angelic throughout the chorus.
• Heaven - More pop than the other tracks, but still more classical than mainstream. Lilting tune. Lilting voice.
• Wuthering Heights - Perhaps an unfamiliar tune to those not aware of the delightful Kate Bush, Hayley adds her own personality to this arrangement, even outshining the same cover she did for the UK release. With more dramatic strings and accompaniment than the UK edition behind her, Hayley's voice soars into the higher octaves effortlessly. Very different than Kate Bush's original falsetto version or the rerecorded version from 1985.
I highly recommend this album. It is a wonderful panacea to the blather currently blaring on pop radio."
Amazon link here.
, you have hit the nail right on the head. If anything, the effect is even more dramatic in her earliest work like Eternal Flame. It is still noticible but perhaps less obvious now because she has learned to do many other things over the years.