Paradiso
Dec 11, 2011 22:40:53 GMT
Post by John on Dec 11, 2011 22:40:53 GMT
Hayley's section of the new forum was looking sadly empty so, since I don't often do album reviews, I thought I would repost this one from the old forum.
I won’t go into the technical aspects of production etc. Sometimes I understand a bit of what people are talking about from that point of view but to be quite honest I don’t really care. I like what I like, and I like Paradiso.
I have been playing it on repeat quietly throughout the night for most nights since I received my CD, so I really have been getting Whispers in my Dreams. No, it doesn’t keep me awake but it calms me whenever I do wake in the night, so I have been getting some pretty good sleep recently. I have also been playing it at home during the day, in the car on some longish journeys and on my MP3 player when the opportunity arises. So yes, it has pretty well seeped right into me by now but no way am I getting fed up with it.
Track by track then:
1. Gabriel’s Oboe (Whispers in a Dream) – a stunning opening to the album. Hayley wrote her own words to this familiar theme. Wonderful orchestration, beautiful voice – need I say more? You have probably all heard this one by now.
2. Cinema Paradiso, with Morricone’s own lyrics. Another beautiful well known theme. It doesn’t matter that I don’t understand the words.
3. La Califfa – a combination of Italian lyrics by Morricone and English lyrics by Hayley, but actually I don’t notice when the language changes. I am sure I have heard the tune before but I couldn’t tell you where.
4. Once upon a time in the West. It says “Lyrics by Ennio Morricone”, but how long does it take to write ah-ah-ah? This is probably my favourite track; no words to distract – just Hayley’s beautiful voice as a solo instrument to the orchestral backing.
5. Metti una sera a cena. The orchestra has a few weird moments at the beginning but the track is rescued by Hayley.
6. Cinema Paradiso – Would he even know me now? Lyrics by Don Black. A beautiful song, sung in English. The title really tells you what it is about.
7. Per Natale (L’Esprit de Noel) Lyrics by Josephine Drai. An upbeat number and quite charming. My son and I are convinced that this is written for a Disneyland theme park ride. I think it’s about Christmas, but it is all in French.
8. I knew I loved you (Deborah’s theme). Lyrics by Ennio Morricone, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman. Another beautiful love song (there are quite a lot of those here) sung in English.
9. Lezione di Musica. Lyrics by Ennio Morricone, consisting of the words do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti in various combinations, with the odd ah-ah thrown in for good measure. This is a fun number, sung really fast. It’s amazing how Hayley got her tongue round it all.
10. Da Quel Sorriso Che Non Ride Piu. Lyrics by Ennio Morricone. A long relaxing number; Hayley singing in words for some of it then long orchestral interludes, sometimes with Hayley ah-ah-ing over the top.
11. The Edge of Love. Lyrics by Tim Rice. Sung in English again. I love this song.
12. Amalia Por Amor. Lyrics by Joao Mendonca. Many Hayley fans are saying this is their favourite, but I don’t quite get it. It’s Hayley, so of course it sounds good. Make up your own mind when you hear it.
13. Here’s to you. Lyrics by Joan Baez. A simple verse (in English) repeated about ten times. That sounds boring, but it isn’t at all. The sound builds up layer by layer to an awesome climax. (I think Nicola is still looking for her Bart.)
14. Malena. Another beautiful song with lyrics by Hayley again makes a wonderful conclusion to the album, but still leaves you longing for more.
Hayley and Ennio are given equal billing on the album cover and it really is a partnership between voice and orchestra with neither dominating overall. Thankfully, Hayley is given much greater prominence on the album artwork, looking more beautiful (in my opinion) than on any of her previous albums. It’s worth the price of the CD just for those photos, but since you can see them on her website anyway you really should listen to the music as well.
I won’t go into the technical aspects of production etc. Sometimes I understand a bit of what people are talking about from that point of view but to be quite honest I don’t really care. I like what I like, and I like Paradiso.
I have been playing it on repeat quietly throughout the night for most nights since I received my CD, so I really have been getting Whispers in my Dreams. No, it doesn’t keep me awake but it calms me whenever I do wake in the night, so I have been getting some pretty good sleep recently. I have also been playing it at home during the day, in the car on some longish journeys and on my MP3 player when the opportunity arises. So yes, it has pretty well seeped right into me by now but no way am I getting fed up with it.
Track by track then:
1. Gabriel’s Oboe (Whispers in a Dream) – a stunning opening to the album. Hayley wrote her own words to this familiar theme. Wonderful orchestration, beautiful voice – need I say more? You have probably all heard this one by now.
2. Cinema Paradiso, with Morricone’s own lyrics. Another beautiful well known theme. It doesn’t matter that I don’t understand the words.
3. La Califfa – a combination of Italian lyrics by Morricone and English lyrics by Hayley, but actually I don’t notice when the language changes. I am sure I have heard the tune before but I couldn’t tell you where.
4. Once upon a time in the West. It says “Lyrics by Ennio Morricone”, but how long does it take to write ah-ah-ah? This is probably my favourite track; no words to distract – just Hayley’s beautiful voice as a solo instrument to the orchestral backing.
5. Metti una sera a cena. The orchestra has a few weird moments at the beginning but the track is rescued by Hayley.
6. Cinema Paradiso – Would he even know me now? Lyrics by Don Black. A beautiful song, sung in English. The title really tells you what it is about.
7. Per Natale (L’Esprit de Noel) Lyrics by Josephine Drai. An upbeat number and quite charming. My son and I are convinced that this is written for a Disneyland theme park ride. I think it’s about Christmas, but it is all in French.
8. I knew I loved you (Deborah’s theme). Lyrics by Ennio Morricone, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman. Another beautiful love song (there are quite a lot of those here) sung in English.
9. Lezione di Musica. Lyrics by Ennio Morricone, consisting of the words do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti in various combinations, with the odd ah-ah thrown in for good measure. This is a fun number, sung really fast. It’s amazing how Hayley got her tongue round it all.
10. Da Quel Sorriso Che Non Ride Piu. Lyrics by Ennio Morricone. A long relaxing number; Hayley singing in words for some of it then long orchestral interludes, sometimes with Hayley ah-ah-ing over the top.
11. The Edge of Love. Lyrics by Tim Rice. Sung in English again. I love this song.
12. Amalia Por Amor. Lyrics by Joao Mendonca. Many Hayley fans are saying this is their favourite, but I don’t quite get it. It’s Hayley, so of course it sounds good. Make up your own mind when you hear it.
13. Here’s to you. Lyrics by Joan Baez. A simple verse (in English) repeated about ten times. That sounds boring, but it isn’t at all. The sound builds up layer by layer to an awesome climax. (I think Nicola is still looking for her Bart.)
14. Malena. Another beautiful song with lyrics by Hayley again makes a wonderful conclusion to the album, but still leaves you longing for more.
Hayley and Ennio are given equal billing on the album cover and it really is a partnership between voice and orchestra with neither dominating overall. Thankfully, Hayley is given much greater prominence on the album artwork, looking more beautiful (in my opinion) than on any of her previous albums. It’s worth the price of the CD just for those photos, but since you can see them on her website anyway you really should listen to the music as well.