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Product Description
Review
Renée Fleming is an accomplished soprano who's sung opera for the last 30 years, and is now turning her hand to rock and pop with this eclectic album of covers. The song choices–from The Mars Volta to Leonard Cohen–are uneven yet interesting, and there's little to nitpick about her voice, but the project isn't altogether successful.
The tiresome question hanging over it is: what's this for? Of course most music doesn't have to contribute anything especially; it is what it is. Covers, however, are what something else is, and if you're treading in someone else's musical footprints then you're, um, on the back foot from the start. It must be humbling even for a performer of Fleming's standing.
Fleming's precise phrasing and sonorous expression in this uncertain new context immediately and unfortunately brings to mind operatic metallers Within Temptation. She sounds almost like Marianne Faithfull, if Marianne Faithfull could really sing.
Her voice is deeper than you expect–her take on the gentle No One's Gonna Love You by Band of Horses is transposed lower than seems necessary, sapping something from the song. The soaring high notes she allows herself throughout are pure and extraordinary, but they're rare. She seems to be going against her own voice as well as her genre.
Her version of Mad World is interesting, sparse and dark, but there are some compressed horns in there that seem to mock it–elsewhere, there is some awful keening guitar work. Sincerity isn't lacking here, but soul may be. She tries Duffy's Stepping Stone–Duffy may sing like a distressed sea bird but it's her best song, defiant in fragility. Fleming sounds like a mature, confident woman, and it doesn't convince.
She finishes with a lengthy Hallelujah–the albatross in the aviary. It's like a comment on cover versions; it's such a standard, and yet so stubbornly cultish that it resists every rehash. It's like no other song, and this version doesn't distinguish itself. This is a respectable collection and a work that embarrasses no one, but lacking in purpose and ultimately in heart. --Sarah Bee
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Product Description
2010 album from opera soprano doing songs by Mars Volta, Tears For Fears, Peter Gabriel
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By C. Holdich
Format:Audio CD
As a classical singer and a rock music fan as well, my head was in a spin when I first heard that my idol, the worlds greatest living and working soprano, would be making an album of rock/pop covers. So many questions arise - will it work? How will Renée use her voice? Is it worth the risk? Well, I shouldn't have worried, as Renée has got it spot on as usual. She uses her voice in a way which is perfectly suited to the music - bringing out the words and proving that a strong and solid vocal technique will always get the best results in any genre (take note Katherine Jenkins at al., this music should be sung in it's own style and not a 'classical' lilt). The arangements are great (although I think from a production point of view sometimes a little too heavily compressed on the vocal and strings), and provide the perfect mix of modern and traditional instruments to bring out the musicality of each track. And there is a welath of well written music on this disk - the songs have been selected for their knowledge of how music should be written with a solid musical understanding - I'm sure that any one approching this disk from a purely classical background will find lots to interest them. This is well written music sung as it should be - my dark hope is threefold: that Classical lovers can be brought up to date with how modern pop and rock can be enjoyed, that popular music fans are inspired by one of the best singers on the planet to explore the magic of composers from the past, and that all musicians can be provoked into thinking about the future of music as a whole.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Andy
Format:Audio CD
I confess I hadn't heard of Renee Fleming before, like other reviewers, hearing her on Ken Bruce's show. But her version of 'Endlessly' gripped me first time I heard it. I listned to the rest of the album on Napster last night and had to buy it. I'm not averse to a bit of opera, so the next step is to check examples of work from Ms Fleming's day job!
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Pete Mc
Format:Audio CD
Never heard of Renee until Radio 2 and particularly Ken Bruce started Playing Endlessly (Muse) which I thought wow what a great version !
Then last week the album was the album of the week and after I had heard her version of Arcade Fires Intervention and a fabulous version of Peter Gabriel"s In Your Eyes I was hooked !
What a voice and the power behind it obvious.
May have to listen to the opera stuff now !
Then last week the album was the album of the week and after I had heard her version of Arcade Fires Intervention and a fabulous version of Peter Gabriel"s In Your Eyes I was hooked !
What a voice and the power behind it obvious.
May have to listen to the opera stuff now !
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By G. Sykes
Format:Audio CD
I can't stop playing this album. Her voice is fantastic, the choice of material is superb. Everyone should own a copy of this!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By barnstoner
Format:Audio CD
I love both classical and popular singing,but I would never give house room to a crossover album by a classical artist. This is different; Renee Fleming has taught herself to sing in a totally different style and her voice is perfect for these songs, rich and strong, yet probably more than an octave below where she would normally be pitching. The choice of songs is inspired; I have hunted down each one that I didn't already know to find out who did the original, to find names of bands I'd never heard of - in fact the most obscure ones (Arcade Fire, The Mars Volta)are the best songs on the album. There are one or two tracks where the backing is a little bit straight - the drums on Endlessly are a bit Gloria Gaynor for instance - but generally the production is good and does not stray far from the original style. Hats off to RF - she's pulled off a great album.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Dawn
Format:Audio CD
Although a big opera fan, Renee Fleming is not one of my favourite opera singers, however, I heard one of her crossover songs and decided to listen to more, which I am extremely happy that I did. She is probably one of the best crossover opera singers, where many other opera singers can sing one or two crossover songs well, they do not always sound great outside their own genre. Renee, however, sounds fantastic. She has chosen a very good range of songs too and I'm sure she has picked up some new fans, including me, who will now also listen to some more of her opera contributions. She appeared at the Proms this year and was fabulous and very well received. This CD is well worth a listen and well priced too.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By H. Ulla
Format:Audio CD
I had previously only heard Renee Fleming singing opera - which I love. This album was such a surprise, I don't finds words. A wonderful collection of really soulful songs, sang in Renee's "own" voice. Can't stop being fascinated by the voice or the songs. Anyone who loves music, will love this one!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
What is without doubt this girl can sing Opera. If you like Annie Lennox I don't think you will be dissapointed with this Album, Endlessly is the most played track on the Radio but the rest of the album will not disapoint.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good start to interesting new departure
Its a long way - two octaves actually - from her usual repertoire and some of the songs not the greatest. Plus, the instrumental is a bit over elaborate (operatic even?). Read more
Published 24 months ago by padraigyeates
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quirky!
Yes, Endlessly on Ken Bruce won me over too!!! I saw her on the Jools Hooland show and thought her a bit strange but engaging. Read more
Published on 14 April 2011 by Susie Q
1.0 out of 5 stars
Music to "top yourself" by ?
This is a wholly disappointing album.
The musical composition of each of the songs is extremely weak, the lyrics of the songs seem to have been strung together by a... Read more
The musical composition of each of the songs is extremely weak, the lyrics of the songs seem to have been strung together by a... Read more
Published on 22 Oct 2010 by Alan J. Stedall
4.0 out of 5 stars
delightful surprise
It is not very often that I have come across an opera star that can really sing non-operatic repertoire, however delightful or great their voices may be. Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2010 by George M
5.0 out of 5 stars
Renee Fleming
One of the most versatile and interesting singers around today. Renee has a wonderful voice with an incredible range and styles of songs to match. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2010 by Ms. JM Tappenden
2.0 out of 5 stars
Spoiled by the excessive use of bass and drums.
I'm sorry I bought this CD. I listened to the entire CD only once. The relentless thumping of the drum and the bass guitar spoils what could have been a good collection of songs. Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2010 by Harry F. Korbl
1.0 out of 5 stars
Renee Fleming
Think Renee Flemming should stick to opera, THE ONLY SONG i LIKED WAS THE ONE THAT IS CONSTANTLY PLAYED ON THE RADIO
Published on 15 Aug 2010 by Ang (France)
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK
I have to be honest and say although I love Renee Fleming as an opera singer this cd was for me just ok. Read more
Published on 27 July 2010 by abbg
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Hope
It's a pleasant change to hear a singer who doesn't need electronic trickery in the recording studio to sound good, her voice is real, she can sing like a true professional without... Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2010 by greenburn
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