Sarah Brightman - Symphony

Artist : Sarah Brightman

Album Title : Symphony (2008)

Genre : Easy Listening (so sez Best Buy)

Rating : ***** **½ (out of 10*)

This Week I'm Listening To...
Sarah's back, with her first studio album in 4 years or so (last one : Harem in 2003). Whether you like her best as an opera-singer, a pop diva, singing in various foreign languages, or doing duets with various male hunks; you'll find something here to your liking.

What's To Like...
It's indisputable that Ms. Brightman has the best soprano voice in music today. With the possible exception of Posh Spice, and she doesn't count cuz she sings in a group. (JK) Symphony merely reaffirms Sarah's place at the top.

As always, the songs' arrangements and the studio mixing are first-rate. Brightman's voice blends nicely with all her duet partners. She even covers a Dead Can Dance song - Sanvean. How cool is that?!

What's Not To Like...
Unlike Harem and La Luna, this is not a concept album. While there's something here for everybody, the album overall is disjointed, and there will be parts that will be ho-hum (albeit different ones) for each and all of her fans. For me, it was the opera stuff. And there's a lot of opera stuff here.

There are also too many slow songs. Perhaps Sarah's tired from all the Harem touring. She's been in this business over 20 years now. Maybe it's time to do away with the dozens of wardrobe changes and simply stand on stage and do duets. Indeed, there is a feeling of "just going through the motions" that permeates this album.

Finally (and I admit I'm picking at nits), there's a "hidden track" at the end of the CD. C'mon folks. This was cute the first time someone did it, back when you needed something to balance out the length of both sides of a cassette tape. Anymore, it's pointless banality.

Everyone Wants To Be Someone Else...
Quick - name three (living) female opera singers. You can't count Beverly Sills; she passed away last year. Can't name three? How 'bout two? One maybe?

Here's my point. Tarja Turunen wants to be Sarah Brightman. Sarah wants to be an opera diva. And opera divas want someone - anyone - to buy a couple of their CD's. Why not stick to the genre(s) you're already good at, everyone? For SB, Harem and La Luna were great-selling albums that gave her a bunch of new fans. Those fans (okay, moi) want her to continue to do concept albums, that border on pop/easy listening. If we want to hear opera (and we don't), we'll pick up an Alma Gluck "Best Of" CD in the bargain bin.

But I digress. Symphony is not going to drive away Sarah's fans in droves, but it won't have them doing cartwheels either. The "good stuff" is very good (Fleurs du Mal; I Will Be With You; Running), but there's too much mediocre stuff to justify a superlative rating. We'll give it 7½ stars, and trust that next time, a four-year hiatus brings forth a better and more-focused effort.