Which album would be a best first album?

[Libby]

Elliot, what about Veni Veni Emmanuel, or Peace Shall Come or All With You? I think the vocals in Veni and All With You especially are beautiful. And Silent Night.

Jun 22, 2010 16:40:11 GMT mihizawi said:

Jun 22, 2010 5:49:38 GMT Libby said:

Well, my sister used to have a low tolerance for high-pitched singing,

Yes, I noticed that when you said the songs she liked and disliked, xD.

Actually, it was more that she didn't like to hear a lot of her songs all at once without getting tired of it. After all, Amazing Grace has that extra high note at the end! In fact, she's sorely disappointed that she never hits that note in the song anymore!
And often when I listen to Shenandoah, on some of the higher parts (a-a-way, you rolling river), she often attempts to sing along right at the higher note. It gets on my nerves, because the high notes are always the notes I'm waiting to hear, and she has to go and drown it out. I tell her I'll start it over, and she says she's still going to do it.

[Elliot Kane]

Libby,

I absolutely hate Silent Night - unless you're talking about the Bon Jovi song, which I rather doubt Emmanuel bores me and I'm not sure I even know the others.

My idea of good Xmas music involves Slade or Wizzard or The Darkness or The Pogues & Kirsty McColl (Fairytale Of New York being the best Xmas song ever written, IMO). Or Twisted Sister's take on the carols which put a truly extraordinary new spin on things.

I suspect that Xmas songs are an area in which we will find little to agree on

[Libby]

Well, what about All With You? It's an original song by Hayley, and it only mentions Christmas a couple of times... You have to at least admit that her voice sounds good in those songs!

[Elliot Kane]

Hayley's voice always sounds amazing. That's a given. I couldn't stand Kate Bush at all, for example, but I like Hayley's version of Wuthering Heights.

I played Winter Magic through once on the day I got it, took it out of the player and put it on my music shelf, where it's been ever since. My only real memory of the album by this point is that I didn't really like a single thing on it, because none of the songs get even close to bringing the best out of her. By comparison, I've had Sings Japanese Songs 2 for about four days and I've played it around half a dozen times and maybe more. It certainly will BE more very shortly. I flat out love that album (And the first one for that matter).

As a side note, I'm not allergic to mentions of Xmas. Every one of the major hits I allude to above mentions Xmas in a major way, and the Twisted Sister album (A Twisted Christmas) is basically Heavy Metal reworkings of carols, for the most part. Silver bells is particularly good, if you'd care to YouTube it

[martindn]

Well, I certainly don't agree about Winter Magic Elliot. I too have shelved it, but only beacuse of the season, and it will be out again next Christmas, I'm even looking forward to it.

But I can see where you are coming from too. Most of its songs are not challenging, and do not do justice to Hayley's wonderful voice for the most part.

Bur I would argue that very few songs do. Not many songs ever written require a voice like Hayley's. Most only require a small part of her range for instance. Most are written for average singers, not exceptional ones like Hayley.

So she writes her own. Remember Talk to Me? Most singers couldn't attempt that, far to much vocal range required. Wuthering Heights too, needs a lot of range. Hayley has it, Kate too obviously, most pop singers do not. Some operatic arias are written for eceptional vocal ranges, but that's about it.

Christmas songs? Well, everybody and his dog sings that. So they won't be demanding. Hayley adds a bit of spice by including some of her own songs, and they are some of the best on the album in my opinion. On the Wings of Time especially, if you have the Japanese version.

And yes, I too love her Japanese Songs albums two of the best albums ever made if you ask me.

Martin D

[Elliot Kane]

You're completely right, Martin. The reason I listen to Hayley is to hear her do things with her voice that no other artist ever can or does. Because she's as good as she is, I expect to be enraptured. Xmas songs are absolutely written (Well, the traditional ones) with the idea that anyone can sing them because that's the point. Everyone is supposed to sing them.

The only way to rescue such songs, for me, is to do something unique and original with them (Like Twisted Sister did by making them into Heavy Metal. Only time I ever liked O Come All Ye Faithful. They pretty much recreated the songs with Dee Snider's incredibly powerful voice in mind). To play them straight is just... bland.

[mihizawi]

Elliot and Martin, that's true, Christmas Songs itself aren't vocally challenging, but in my opinion, Hayley achieves in this album something as difficult and interesting as any vocal range or voice power requiring song. She creates a truly unique sund in that album, so different to anything we've heard before from her. She has reunited the two different and quite oposed ways of making a Christmas album: she achieves the cheerful and honest sound typical of the Christmas albums sung by untrained childs (very popular, at least in Spain) without loosing the magnificency and seriousness of the carols sung by professional, classical singers. Her voice, although more pop in most of her songs, carries a very rich bunch of expressiveness, both coming from conventional techniques (volume and intonation) and from Hayley's unique way of using her voice. Also, the simple but perfect arrangements helps in bringing a very close and honest feeling to the listener. For me, it's the perfect Christmas album.

Michal

[Libby]

The only song on there I don't like is The Christmas Song. It's mostly that the song bores me a little, but there her voice just sounds very light and not very powerful. Not that it isn't light in other songs, but the others showcase her voice a lot better than this song. But then she did sound better singing it at the Christmas Presence concert.

[Jeff]

Jun 23, 2010 19:41:29 GMT Elliot Kane said:

My only real memory of the album by this point is that I didn't really like a single thing on it, because none of the songs get even close to bringing the best out of her.

Yes Elliot, I agree. I don't dislike "Winter Magic", it's just that I prefer her previous albums. I thought her peak was "Treasure" and since then her UK releases haven't really improved on that. Rather than WM I wish Hayley had made an album like Camilla. Of course, Hayley wants to write her own songs now and seems to have moved away from the classical side (the last 2 concerts I went to she didn't do one classical piece). Nothing wrong in that of course but in doing so she has vacated an area of repertoire which others have eagerly filled.

[Elliot Kane]

Jeff...

For me, the real standout album of last year was Faryl Smith's Wonderland, which in a year filled with excellent releases in many genres, I felt was the best album of the year across all genres. It really didn't help that Winter Magic was released on the same day in Britain.

That was a brutal comparison and one that Decca should have avoided at all costs.

I played Faryl first because my expectation was that after I'd listened to Hayley, any other singer would sound far worse than they are and I wanted to give Faryl a chance to impress me before I moved on to the main event that was Hayley and Winter Magic.

When Wonderland finished, I moved straight on to the far more anticipated Winter Magic. Another Treasure would have proved my play order to be wise. As it was... Not so much.

[martindn]

Well, my album of 2009 was HSJS2 without a doubt. Nothing else comes close.

But I think WM is still my favouite Christmas album ever!

Martin D

[Libby]

I wouldn't have replaced Winter Magic for anything, maybe just have switched a couple of the songs to something different.

[nicola]

I hate Christmas music with a passion. But I super loved Winter Magic. I don't like The Christmas Song (argh! Give me strength!) but all the others were beautiful. Love her original pieces too. It's a good album for what it is. It doesn't have te diversity of Wonderland, but then, that album wasn't exclusively Christmas.

I don't know how you can say 'Treasure' was her peak, though. She hasn't released a proper full studio album since 'Treasure' in the UK. XD

[Libby]

I'm glad someone agrees with me about The Christmas Song! I get so tired of hearing about Jack Frost nipping at your nose, as if that's really a comfortable feeling. And people under 2 and over 92 get left out of the Christmas wish at the end; that's kind of rude.

I don't hate Christmas music, but the fact that you do, but yet you love WM is pretty amazing. It's Hayley, that's what it is!

I love Treasure, but I wouldn't call it her peak. It wasn't as successful as Pure, and her voice is gorgeous on all her albums, so I can't say that her voice sounds better on one or the other; they're all beautiful!
Wouldn't Pure have been the peak, though? I'm hoping her next album will be another peak, too.

[Elliot Kane]

Jun 29, 2010 23:32:08 GMT nicola said:

I hate Christmas music with a passion. But I super loved Winter Magic. I don't like The Christmas Song (argh! Give me strength!) but all the others were beautiful. Love her original pieces too. It's a good album for what it is. It doesn't have te diversity of Wonderland, but then, that album wasn't exclusively Christmas.

I don't know how you can say 'Treasure' was her peak, though. She hasn't released a proper full studio album since 'Treasure' in the UK. XD

Not sure if you mean me with that last comment, Nicola, but I mentioned Treasure precisely because it was her last UK release - and thus the best comparison (Discounting WM, of course). I wouldn't try to pinpoint Hayley's 'peak' - not least because I don't think she's reached it, yet

My point was that a NORMAL Hayley album would better Faryl, not that she'd need to be at her peak to do it.