[ Post a Response | The Dame Shirley Bassey Message Board ]
Posted by Brian
on November 8, 2009, 5:02 pm
98.235.92.77
So far, this is the only word coming to my poor mind wrecked by the avalanche of sound. I think she and David Arnold (the ultimate Wizard)have managed to turn back time and bring back the Essence totally (or almost so) missing in today's so-called music - the BEAUTY. Those are not "tracks", those are SONGS. Those are not "beat collections", those are ARRANGEMENTS. The concepts abandoned. The stars navigating true musicians, the stars I was afraid had fallen never to shine again. I would call this a revolutionary-evolutionary album. Revolutionary for the reasons above (a live orchestra on record is already sensational enough these days) and evolutionary because of Shirley's approach to vocals there. Never has she caressed the notes so meaningfully, never has she sounded more versatile, expressive and believable throught the whole album, which is impossible to stop playing. The phrasing, the modulations, the smooth, seamless and justified register transitions (oh, what a head voice our Dame has!), the passion, pain and hope and irony...this is a Diamond of an album. And what strikes me most s that I am totally getting an impression of a singer at the dawn of her prime - so willing to rediscover herself, to be open, giving, to look for new colours, to leave the comfort zone and think and sing outside of stereotypes. Her vibrato is impeccable, the tone is youthful (especially in the bridge of "Solace" - that crystal girlish "cooooonsequeeeenses" and way more), the vocal chiaroscuro is stunning and serves the unity of musical and dramatic purposes. The amazingly fresh "as God is my witness" and "After the rain" would be jaw-dropping revelations to those who only know Bassey-the-Belter. But may you not doubt - she does belt!
Congratulations, Ladies and Gentlemen, we go on living in the Bassey era! May it never end like the Music we have been blessed to be granted.
Adore the whole thing!!!
the top would be
1. Solace
2. As God is my witness
3.I love you now
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