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Post by nicola on Aug 2, 2011 5:55:19 GMT
I was really disappointed with this release. Felt it so deeply that my review is on amazon, not my website.
I also thought it strange that Laura wasn't in Tescos when I went yesterday. After all the pushing from Decca, they miss the final hurdle of putting her on super market shelves? How can they fail to do that? :/ She's had such heavy promotion.
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Post by Graham on Aug 2, 2011 20:51:16 GMT
I also thought it strange that Laura wasn't in Tescos when I went yesterday. I think she normally shops in Sainsbury's on a Monday  ... Seriously though I can see where you are coming from having just read your review on Amazon. I too think that her voice is more suited to being part of a group as her singing does tend to lack any real emotion. Having said that some of the reviews do seem a little harsh, I don't think she is out of tune or is 'piercing','harsh' or 'painful' as one reviewer puts it. She has said that she now prefers folk to classical so I am not sure in which direction she will go after this album. |
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Post by Jeff on Aug 4, 2011 10:33:34 GMT
My Amazon page says no reviews done on this album yet !! Yes, the album as a whole is overly sentimental and could be called "Songs my granny knew". Pleasant enough I suppose but from the quality of her work with All Angels I thought she might have done better, or been a little more adventurous. Still, it'll keep the NO.1 spot warm for Hayley until "Paradiso" knocks it for six early next month !
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Post by nicola on Aug 5, 2011 18:40:17 GMT
Well, at least Decca have Mary-Jess coming out on Monday. She's far more interesting. I already have an EP from her and I already know I love her. <3
Would have much preferred it if Laura had stayed with All Angels. She's a bore on her own, IMHO.
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Post by martindn on Aug 5, 2011 20:57:36 GMT
Hi Nicola,
She has a nice voice. Her material is uninspiring on this album I agree. But it is easier to find better material than to find a better voice!
Martin D
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Post by nicola on Aug 5, 2011 21:16:31 GMT
You make a very good point, Martin. But still can't help feeling that finding better material should have been a priority for her debut album. It's not as if she's a failure or I'm in the majority. She is clearly selling well and many people like the material she has selected. But since Decca are launching two classical artists with the same fortnight, I can only assume they'll pick one or the other once the albums are both out. I hope Mary-Jess does better - she deserves to do better, IMHO.  xx |
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Post by martindn on Aug 5, 2011 21:28:43 GMT
Well, according to Dave only 4,500 copies in the first week - but that was enough to top the Classic FM chart. As for Laura vs Mary-Jess, I have no strong feelings either way.
Martin D
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Post by dazza on Aug 7, 2011 18:50:34 GMT
Hi Everyone, As you may know I am a big All Angels fan so I was always interested when I discovered Laura was releasing a solo album, especially as she was one of my favorites from the group. I think that it is a good solid debut from Laura and while I would prefer more to hear more classical or crossover than folk, I think that this album certainly does Laura's voice a lot more justice than the route All Angels have taken would have done, I am definitely looking forward to more from Laura and have booked a ticket to see her in Lancaster next month as part of her Last Rose Of Summer Tour. We have been getting a lot of interest in Laura over on All Angels International recently so I have decided to launch a new forum for Laura, keeping the International name. If you are interested you can see it here - laurawright.proboards.com/index.cgiDazza |
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Post by susieverity on Aug 14, 2011 11:03:19 GMT
Hi everyone,
I personally think that this album is a really good introduction to laura esp for those who have never heard of her, I generally think that debut albums for classical artists are never the best or sometimes are not as interesting as later ones- I see 'Pure' as the exception to this. I think that all the songs are well chosen and I had not even heard some of them before- I think she can only get better and as Martin said her voice is so good and she can easily sing something else.
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Post by Chrissi on Aug 14, 2011 20:29:54 GMT
I think Laura Wright is fabulous. I like her debut album and have seen her live a few times now!
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Post by mcessna89 on Aug 16, 2011 19:18:32 GMT
I just got Laura's album in the mail last week and think it is a great debut for her! I think the folk repertoire was a smart choice for several reasons, one being that it is fairly safe. I would say that this album is more classical than classical-crossover, though I can see how it has appeal to both markets. The folk song repertoire isn't heavy material for the voice, and it's understandable that they would have this for Laura's debut. Seeing as she's just turned 21 and is in the midst of her university vocal studies, she is really only in the beginning stages of her vocal training and we're really going to see her voice mature and evolve as she continues her training. I personally think that Laura's voice has a depth to it that will eventually lend itself to heavier repertoire, such as opera, if she chooses to go that direction. Right now I'd guess that she is a budding lyric soprano because of her warm vocal quality and bright but full timbre. She has a good consistency of tone from the bottom to the top of her register. I wouldn't be surprised if we'll hear Laura singing over orchestras WITHOUT amplification within the next 5-10 years. Many have commented that they don't find her material interesting or inspiring. Most of these songs are ones that you'll find in many books that one might use for vocal study and are standard young singers repertoire for CLASSICAL artists, though some have been sung by crossover artists, which is quite fine! I enjoy a good crossover interpretation as much as the next person. Departing All Angels was actually one of the best decisions that Laura could have made. I could easily hear her superior level of vocal training on their most recent Album "Fly Away" with extreme ease (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this album and All Angels, and still do). Her vocals would sometimes cover the other singers because of her more advanced vocal harmonics and more full timbre, which can be hard to mix well in the studio. Departing the group was doing the group and herself a favor to be honest. They were going in a direction that would have done her more bad than good because of the style of repertoire that have been doing recently. For the musical direction she wanted to go the schedule and musical demands would have hard on her university studies and the style of singing that a classical university vocalist is expected to deliver. Crossover artists usually have more liberty in how their songs are sung, arranged, and the instrumentation that is used, which for some adds more interest to the music. She was hardly marketed as a crossover artist and nearly ALL of the songs from her album have been played on classic-fm at some point over the past few months, showing her appeal to the straight classical music market, small as it might be compared to others. I personally prefer listening to a more trained voice like Laura's, and that is simply because I am a classically trained vocalist myself and that is what my ears enjoy most. In the classical world, too much experimentation can get you into trouble with the critics, who are often expecting a straight interpretation, which Laura delivers very well on this album. I think some pieces are beautifully expressive, my favorite being "Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes". Hopefully we'll see more and better albums from Laura in the future. I'm excited to see the kind of repertoire that will be on her next release, as well as the direction that her voice goes.
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Martin
Global Moderator
HWI Management Team
Posts: 3,339
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Post by Martin on Aug 16, 2011 19:26:53 GMT
Hi Mcessna89
Many thanks for your interesting review of the album. I have been fortunate enough to see Laura live and can vouch that her voice is simply perfection.
Best wishes
Martin
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Post by Sing on Aug 21, 2011 13:26:58 GMT
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Post by nicola on Aug 21, 2011 13:50:22 GMT
Someone posted that on my forum earlier. It's a horrible article. The journalist is too fixated on Katherine Jenkins and paints Laura in a very negative light - makes her sound bitter towards KJ.
I never, ever read the Daily Fail. Stupid paper.
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Post by martindn on Aug 21, 2011 21:16:36 GMT
Yes, I agree Nicola. What has Katherine Jenkins got to do with it? They could equally quote Hayley (but they wouldn't). And it too would be irrelevant.
Laura is her own person, has made a beautiful album, and deserves to be seen as herself. not some sort of KJ clone. Why can they never ever see an artist as who he/she is? Why do they always have to compare them to someone else, usually as an inferior copy? Hayley had that problem with Charlotte Church, who never got anywhere near Paradiso. And is a different to Hayley as chalk is to cheese...
Grrr....
Martin D
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