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Post by Libby on Mar 29, 2015 20:57:41 GMT
I don't think any of us really know what her album is going to be like. At this point in time, we can't really make judgments about it and assume we won't like it. We can't just go by tiny glimpses and hints to decide whether we'll like it or not. Anyway, hasn't she done folk and pop before (isn't Maori considered folk?). I think it's going to be a mix as always... or at least, the way her 1st 3 albums were (without the fiasco of the Odyssey versions, however). Having said all that, I feel sure that I will like the album, and I think all of you will, too. Also, Jeff, it's barely been 4 years since Paradiso. Haha, I'm glad to find someone else who agrees with me on the "baby" album. LOL However, I will say I absolutely loved her performance of Dream a Little Dream in Madison. But then, what didn't I love there? Anyway, she could've done that song without a "baby" album. Simba, I agree with your positive comments, too.  |
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Post by martindn on Mar 30, 2015 9:28:15 GMT
Hayley has done a lot of folk in her time, and she is rather good at it.
Scarborough Fair is folk. She moves trough the Fair is folk. Traditional Irish music is folk. Joni Mitchell has often been described as folk. And of course those Maori songs are folk. Fado is also folk, so you might even stretch that definition to Amalia Por Amor. It is even possible that some of her Japanese and Chinese stuff might qualify too (I don't know the history of most of those songs).
Martin D
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Post by Simba on Mar 30, 2015 12:36:57 GMT
Folk is amazing! Many songs from Hayley's Repertoire is folk/traditional, more than classical. We have Danny boy, inspired from irish folk tune, Londonderry air, Scarborough fair, Mummer's dance is folk too I think! And even her own songs have a similar touch to them... |
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Post by Libby on Mar 31, 2015 3:53:54 GMT
Folk is amazing! Many songs from Hayley's Repertoire is folk/traditional, more than classical. We have Danny boy, inspired from irish folk tune, Londonderry air, Scarborough fair, Mummer's dance is folk too I think! And even her own songs have a similar touch to them... Her album Treasure/Celtic Treasure are pretty much all folk, with a few classical, 1 or 2 hymns, and maybe one considered pop (Summer Rain).And as for pop, there's all kinds of songs throughout her whole career that can be considered pop! Who Painted the Moon Black, Beat of Your Heart, ATUOT, Wuthering Heights, Heaven, Never Saw Blue, You Are Water, My Heart Belongs to You, HSJS 1 & 2, All With You, Peace Shall Come,.... Bridge Over Troubled Water, I Know You By Heart, and Close To You are a few she has sung in concert but hasn't recorded. She sings lots of pop live these days. Don't you like those songs, Jeff? I think it's great if she writes everything on the album, but I still tend to think a few covers are likely to be on it. Can we really expect Decca to go from having her do 3 albums straight with mostly ALL covers (Winter Magic, Paradiso, & Hushabye (all covers)), to suddenly trying to promote Hayley with all unknown songs to the public? That's not to say Hayley's songs wouldn't appeal to the public; I think they would definitely be appealing to the general public. The question is whether Decca has the confidence i her writing to do that for her. I also don't doubt that Hayley is capable of writing songs that could sound classical, but it's not as if she's going to write an operatic aria. She could, of course, write something to an existing classical piece, which she did once before, and Sarah Brightman has done quite a bit. But, to really be unique, to be Hayley, I wouldn't think she'd do too much of that. So, unless she's switched labels, there's probably going to have to be some classical material, so there are likely to be some covers. I suppose Mary-Jess' album with Decca didn't contain any real classical songs, but where did that get her with Decca?  Anyway, you know how Hayley's fans always request songs for her to sing. I think I would be a tiny bit disappointed if there were no covers at all. I know, that sounds like she can't win either way, but yes she can. Variety is what always wins, IMO. A little bit of everything!  |
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Post by cloudbusting.heights on Apr 2, 2015 21:55:03 GMT
I agree, variety is the best way to go. By creating an album with a variety of songs (from different genres), the listener is given the opportunity to hear what she is capable of. I think Odyssey is a good example of a "variety CD". It has folk, pop, classical, even gospel(ish). Odyssey is my favorite album, then HSJS |
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Post by Libby on Apr 3, 2015 4:14:56 GMT
I agree, variety is the best way to go. By creating an album with a variety of songs (from different genres), the listener is given the opportunity to hear what she is capable of. I think Odyssey is a good example of a "variety CD". It has folk, pop, classical, even gospel(ish). Odyssey is my favorite album, then HSJS Yes, I love Odyssey. It was the album that made me the fan I am today; songs like Never Saw Blue, Prayer, and She Moved through the Fair (nice rhyme) were songs that really appealed to me, and then I got the surprise of You Are Water when I got my CD (the website had a clip of Bachianas Brasileras in its place). However, the Odyssey album seems like it's actually made up of sub-albums, there are so many different mixes of songs with each version, and even still, different versions of the same song! That's the thing that irritates me about Odyssey. For that reason, I decided some time ago that Treasure was my favorite. Even though that has different versions, it isn't quite so many. I wonder if Hayley will ever do the Celtic/folk genre again, or if she had enough of that with Treasure and CW. However, anything well-known will have already been covered by CW by now, anyway, or will be in the future. Going back to the theory that Hayley may be writing all or nearly all of her songs on her album. I think it's possible, but with Decca, probably not. I thought of several cover songs, a few that have been requested for years, as well as 1 original song, but couldn't be done because of WM, Paradiso, & Hushabye. Others are newer songs she's performed in concert the past 1-2 years that fans really love. Have a look, and see my follow-up below: You Raise Me Up Bridge Over Troubled Water I Know You By Heart Vivo Per Lei Close to You Talk to Me Before making judgments on my list here, which are indeed ones I'd particularly like, please read on for my point on the matter. Let's just say she were to record all of these songs for the new album. That's just 6 songs. That leaves plenty of room for new original songs to be added. Her albums are usually at least 12-15 songs, depending on the version. Usually more than 12. So, that leaves 6-9 more slots that original songs, other than Talk to Me, can easily fill. So, let's not just assume Hayley's writing 12-15 songs. Not that that would be a bad thing, but that's a huge step to go from mostly covers on her last 3 albums, to over a dozen completely original songs. Not impossible, it's just, at least with Decca, not very likely. Some of these songs were first performed so long ago, but as I mentioned, other albums prevented those from happening. However, Hayley has performed all of them at least once in concert for the past 3+ years. Vivo Per Lei on her Paradiso tour. I Know You By Heart last performed as recently as 2 years ago. And then, of course, she hasn't had all that many concerts in the last 2 years, so now you can't really go by what year she sang something anymore. I know that just because she's performed a song doesn't automatically mean she'll record it, but I think it would be really sad if not even one of these songs was on the new album. How are people supposed to hear them if unless they are able to attend a concert (or spend a fortune on Japanese versions)? And you can't necessarily take youtube videos with you wherever you want to listen to music (the car, bus, train, etc.). And not all youtube videos have the best sound quality. |
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Post by chungchunglee on Apr 3, 2015 9:16:25 GMT
Folk is amazing! Many songs from Hayley's Repertoire is folk/traditional, more than classical. We have Danny boy, inspired from irish folk tune, Londonderry air, Scarborough fair, Mummer's dance is folk too I think! And even her own songs have a similar touch to them... I think it's great if she writes everything on the album, but I still tend to think a few covers are likely to be on it. Can we really expect Decca to go from having her do 3 albums straight with mostly ALL covers (Winter Magic, Paradiso, & Hushabye (all covers)), to suddenly trying to promote Hayley with all unknown songs to the public? That's not to say Hayley's songs wouldn't appeal to the public; I think they would definitely be appealing to the general public. The question is whether Decca has the confidence in her writing to do that for her. I also don't doubt that Hayley is capable of writing songs that could sound classical, but it's not as if she's going to write an operatic aria. She could, of course, write something to an existing classical piece, which she did once before, and Sarah Brightman has done quite a bit. But, to really be unique, to be Hayley, I wouldn't think she'd do too much of that. So, unless she's switched labels, there's probably going to have to be some classical material, so there are likely to be some covers. I suppose Mary-Jess' album with Decca didn't contain any real classical songs, but where did that get her with Decca? Hello Libby & Simba ! and Hi Guys :: Just wanna put in my 2 cents about the new album , In my humble opinion , 1 of the reasons why Decca Management might NOT give her full control over the choice of the materials to be included in the new album is that .......... the "Financial" guys up there care too much about $$$$ (sorry to say that  !) . "They" probably won't allow the new album to be 100% original. They may let Hayley include SOME numbers that are written by her , but not the WHOLE pile of "it". Granted , we ALL know that Hayley has song-writing talents , she is NOT just a wonderful singer , she is so much more than that. AND I would even venture a bit further to say that even her Management knows that she has song-writing talents , but nowadays the Music Industry is REALLY facing its own "Financial Crunch" , competition being tough as ever , music-lovers getting very picky and prudent with their money. A little Mis-calculation would most likely lead to financial loss for the Record Company. It's a sad thing to happen , but it does happen and we should do what we can. Begrudgingly we have to admit , good sales figures will ALWAYS work in Hayley's favor , as in any artists' relationship with their record labels. I guess you know that Katherine Jenkins has "Re-signed" her business engagement with Decca recently and has released "Home Sweet Home" , right ? Regardless of what you guys think of her , Katherine's album seems to be doing quite well in the market. It contains SOME new songs + re-arranged classics + collaborations with tenor Alfie Boe and some other artists . The track-list is not really "Groundbreaking"-ly inspirational but it does offer its own charms and sparkles. NOT bad for a crossover singer that has survived in THIS industry for SO long. AND I guess that , THIS probably might be the direction our girl would be requested (by Decca) to go , commercial , safe , appealing-to-the-existing-clientele , collaboration-oriented , and YET still being given a bit extra space for her to write some original stuff(Hayley won't give in , you guys knew better than I do). I'd keep my fingers crossed that Hayley'd outperform Katherine in every single aspect  . Best Regards Chungie :: |
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Post by Libby on Apr 4, 2015 4:30:41 GMT
I think it's great if she writes everything on the album, but I still tend to think a few covers are likely to be on it. Can we really expect Decca to go from having her do 3 albums straight with mostly ALL covers (Winter Magic, Paradiso, & Hushabye (all covers)), to suddenly trying to promote Hayley with all unknown songs to the public? That's not to say Hayley's songs wouldn't appeal to the public; I think they would definitely be appealing to the general public. The question is whether Decca has the confidence in her writing to do that for her. I also don't doubt that Hayley is capable of writing songs that could sound classical, but it's not as if she's going to write an operatic aria. She could, of course, write something to an existing classical piece, which she did once before, and Sarah Brightman has done quite a bit. But, to really be unique, to be Hayley, I wouldn't think she'd do too much of that. So, unless she's switched labels, there's probably going to have to be some classical material, so there are likely to be some covers. I suppose Mary-Jess' album with Decca didn't contain any real classical songs, but where did that get her with Decca? Hello Libby & Simba ! and Hi Guys :: Granted , we ALL know that Hayley has song-writing talents , she is NOT just a wonderful singer , she is so much more than that. AND I would even venture a bit further to say that even her Management knows that she has song-writing talents , but nowadays the Music Industry is REALLY facing its own "Financial Crunch" , competition being tough as ever , music-lovers getting very picky and prudent with their money. A little Mis-calculation would most likely lead to financial loss for the Record Company. It's a sad thing to happen , but it does happen and we should do what we can. Begrudgingly we have to admit , good sales figures will ALWAYS work in Hayley's favor , as in any artists' relationship with their record labels. AND I guess that , THIS probably might be the direction our girl would be requested (by Decca) to go , commercial , safe , appealing-to-the-existing-clientele , collaboration-oriented , and YET still being given a bit extra space for her to write some original stuff(Hayley won't give in , you guys knew better than I do). I'd keep my fingers crossed that Hayley'd outperform Katherine in every single aspect . Best Regards Chungie :: A little miscalculation... kind of like the poorly-handled album promotion (releasing it weeks ahead of the birth is pretty poor, IMO) and contest-running that went along with Hushabye? If anyone is likely to miscalculate, it's Decca, not Hayley! And if your last remark is the actual case, then I'd almost wonder how Hayley would even want to continue on with them. However, what other record company would treat her differently? Also, they allowed her to do her own thing with Treasure, and that was a success, at least with her fans, if not with sales (and that was due to CW touring interfering with UK album promotions, I would guess). However, I don't think we really need to worry, though. With all the hints and teasers Hayley has been giving us, I think it's clear that she has been doing some writing/co-writing. Stephan Moccio, Pam Sheyne, among others...since we all have varying thoughts on who the "others" are. If they are helping to write songs, it's very likely co-writing. Hayley has actually written very few of her recorded songs with no co-writer involved. Melancholy Interlude, Paradiso songs, and On the Wings of Time are exceptions, but of course those were all written to already existing pieces. All the others were Jeff Franzel, Sarah Class, and... Beth Orton..? (Talk to Me). Remember the last Pam Sheyne song Hayley sang? Never Say Goodbye, set to a classical piece. The Stephan Moccio songs I know are all sung by classical crossover artists. Hmm... I don't think there's any problem here, now is there? Oh, wait, there's the Miley Cyrus song, but I don't think we have to worry that Hayley's going to remotely resemble Miley Cyrus, heaven forbid! LOL But then, there's also a Celine Dion song. Not CC, but a decent, popular song, nonetheless. |
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Post by Sapphire Rain on May 6, 2015 15:40:53 GMT
I think “Fragrance” would be a perfect name for her upcoming album. Itseems so fit.
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Post by gillette on May 10, 2015 22:36:08 GMT
Hi,
After some considerable nosing around in the past few days with regard to Hayley's forthcoming album, my guess at the moment is that we are going to see a great collection of original works created by Hayley in collaboration with various topnotch songwriters who whose names would likely be a big plus for Hayley to be associated with. This would be quite a deviation from her last "real" album, Paradiso. (Uniformity)
How exciting the slightest trickle of news concerning the album would be! They certainly have it under wraps, which I guess is best.
BobS
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Post by Libby on May 10, 2015 22:56:43 GMT
Hi, After some considerable nosing around in the past few days with regard to Hayley's forthcoming album, my guess at the moment is that we are going to see a great collection of original works created by Hayley in collaboration with various topnotch songwriters who whose names would likely be a big plus for Hayley to be associated with. This would be quite a deviation from her last "real" album, Paradiso. (Uniformity) How exciting the slightest trickle of news concerning the album would be! They certainly have it under wraps, which I guess is best. BobS That quite possibly is the case, but I still think there could be some covers. Either is possible, but I still question whether Decca has enough confidence in her to allow such a thing, but then I still remember what she said she did for Treasure, and also her getting her way with Wuthering Heights.  |
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Post by gillette on May 16, 2015 22:43:54 GMT
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Post by gillette on May 16, 2015 23:52:41 GMT
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Post by gillette on May 17, 2015 0:32:43 GMT
Not clear how Peter Gregson fits in the picture. Will have to do some looking around on that. Edit: Looks to me as if Peter Gregson is in the Benbrick studio. The upper right corner of the picture over Paul's shoulder corresponds to the studio picture. The BIG QUESTION, just what exactly are they doing there??!!! |
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Post by Libby on May 17, 2015 1:05:26 GMT
Wow, thanks for your excellent detective work! I see in the "About" section they mention Winter Magic, but they failed to mention that he also helped her write Summer Rain! Also, in one spot, they spelled her name Hayley WestNERa.  Wait, I found it in a playlist in Music on his website, along with Peace Shall Come: www.jefffranzel.com/music.html However, the wrong album image appears!  It's good to know he's going to participate on her new album, since all of his songs have been hits with we the fans. But with all this writing, writing, writing, makes me despair of an album at the end of this year. Yet, we've seen her doing what appears to be recording in some of her pics on twitter. Maybe she's literally taking one song at a time, instead of doing it all at once. If not, then I do wonder how there could be a 2015 album. Well, you would think that from now until fall is tons of time, but if nothing besides writing ever happens... Peter Gregson is a musician and composer. Most likely contributing his cello skills (seems pretty obvious from the pic). Maybe even composition. Hayley's a writer, we know that, but not sure if she's a composer, too. |
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!) . "They" probably won't allow the new album to be 100% original. They may let Hayley include SOME numbers that are written by her , but not the WHOLE pile of "it".
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