Post by Jeff on Sept 30, 2014 10:25:01 GMT
ALBUM REVIEW.
On the face of it you couldn't find someone less like Hayley Westenra if you tried. Lucy Kay Riley is a 25 year old opera graduate who sinks a good pint, likes heavy metal (I must admit I had to google Killswitch Engage and mosh pit !) and Thai fighting, interests which probably come in useful living as she does in a flat in the east end of Glasgow with her stage-rigging partner and a big dog ! One thing the two singers do have in common is the affection in which they are held by the British public. However, I'll take Comet's advice and seperate the lady from her art and we have recently learned that she is a perfectionist, re-recording some tracks she wasn't happy with which is why the album release was delayed. It is interesting to see someone who was a music student 9 months ago already has sufficient clout with her record company to do that. Paul Bateman and the Prague Philharmonic have indeed been busy lately !
It was Yvie Burnett (Susan Boyle's vocal coach) who once remarked that every great singer has a note which can break your heart. Hayley has it in the last note of "Danny Boy", Camilla has it in "Closest thing to crazy" and Lucy has it in "Casta Diva" and particularly in "Vissi d'arte" which for me are the two standout tracks on the album. If you follow her on Twitter you will know this is an emotional lady. She clearly has a deep love for her partner, her family and her dog too. We've had photos of her and David in bed, her in the bath with bubbles and candles, the dog in the bath (without candles!). Everything is open, no teasing enigmatic tweets here. She wears her heart on her sleeve and I like that in a singer since she brings this emotional intensity to her music and infuses her songs with feeling and devotion to produce a performance which is heartrendingly beautiful. Other versions of "Casta Diva" sound bland in comparison. Gone too are the tears of BGT to be replaced by a more confident even exuberant performer.
It really was a masterstroke to get her involved in the schools' anti-bullying campaign since it raised her profile with youngsters up and down the country, especially teenage girls who probably outnumber her male fans. The brains behind this is Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE who some of you may recall steered Charlotte Church to global stardom. (I seem to remember he and Charlotte ended up in court but we'll gloss over that!). He says Lucy will be bigger than Charlotte. Well as her Mr 20% he would say that wouldn't he but I think he's probably right. For one thing Lucy is twice the age Charlotte was when she started so I don't anticipte any teenage pitfalls !
I have to say I would have preferred more crossover repertoire. Lucy does have a "musical theatre voice" (i.e. less vibrato) and once demonstated it in a radio interview but until she uses it for a live performance it is hard to assess the contribution she is likely to make to the genre. I have a feeling we will hear it on her second album. For now, if you are new to opera then this CD would make an excellent introduction to the genre. It is a highly commendable debut.
The album is dedicated to Pamela Cook and rightly so. Lucy's mum Glenys went into debt to pay for her daughter's singing lessons. Most loving parents would do that but it takes a special person to pay for someone else's child's education and that's what Pamela Cook did. She was co-founder of the Mansfield-based Cantamus choir and she sponsored Lucy through university in Scotland. Tragically she never lived to see her investment come to fruition. I think she'll be pleased and proud.
On the face of it you couldn't find someone less like Hayley Westenra if you tried. Lucy Kay Riley is a 25 year old opera graduate who sinks a good pint, likes heavy metal (I must admit I had to google Killswitch Engage and mosh pit !) and Thai fighting, interests which probably come in useful living as she does in a flat in the east end of Glasgow with her stage-rigging partner and a big dog ! One thing the two singers do have in common is the affection in which they are held by the British public. However, I'll take Comet's advice and seperate the lady from her art and we have recently learned that she is a perfectionist, re-recording some tracks she wasn't happy with which is why the album release was delayed. It is interesting to see someone who was a music student 9 months ago already has sufficient clout with her record company to do that. Paul Bateman and the Prague Philharmonic have indeed been busy lately !
It was Yvie Burnett (Susan Boyle's vocal coach) who once remarked that every great singer has a note which can break your heart. Hayley has it in the last note of "Danny Boy", Camilla has it in "Closest thing to crazy" and Lucy has it in "Casta Diva" and particularly in "Vissi d'arte" which for me are the two standout tracks on the album. If you follow her on Twitter you will know this is an emotional lady. She clearly has a deep love for her partner, her family and her dog too. We've had photos of her and David in bed, her in the bath with bubbles and candles, the dog in the bath (without candles!). Everything is open, no teasing enigmatic tweets here. She wears her heart on her sleeve and I like that in a singer since she brings this emotional intensity to her music and infuses her songs with feeling and devotion to produce a performance which is heartrendingly beautiful. Other versions of "Casta Diva" sound bland in comparison. Gone too are the tears of BGT to be replaced by a more confident even exuberant performer.
It really was a masterstroke to get her involved in the schools' anti-bullying campaign since it raised her profile with youngsters up and down the country, especially teenage girls who probably outnumber her male fans. The brains behind this is Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE who some of you may recall steered Charlotte Church to global stardom. (I seem to remember he and Charlotte ended up in court but we'll gloss over that!). He says Lucy will be bigger than Charlotte. Well as her Mr 20% he would say that wouldn't he but I think he's probably right. For one thing Lucy is twice the age Charlotte was when she started so I don't anticipte any teenage pitfalls !
I have to say I would have preferred more crossover repertoire. Lucy does have a "musical theatre voice" (i.e. less vibrato) and once demonstated it in a radio interview but until she uses it for a live performance it is hard to assess the contribution she is likely to make to the genre. I have a feeling we will hear it on her second album. For now, if you are new to opera then this CD would make an excellent introduction to the genre. It is a highly commendable debut.
The album is dedicated to Pamela Cook and rightly so. Lucy's mum Glenys went into debt to pay for her daughter's singing lessons. Most loving parents would do that but it takes a special person to pay for someone else's child's education and that's what Pamela Cook did. She was co-founder of the Mansfield-based Cantamus choir and she sponsored Lucy through university in Scotland. Tragically she never lived to see her investment come to fruition. I think she'll be pleased and proud.
I wonder if he's heard her latest collaboration. 
