Charlotte Church

This is one of my favorite cd's. He has such a beautiful and soothing voice.

The music and songs are wonderful. I have this CD in my car and listen to it over and over. It is especially well done. I am enjoying every song the more I listen to them. "The Prayer" with Charlotte Church is one you can sing to.

I specifically purchased this album after seeing a video on Youtube. It was a song that briefly was played on the radio, I never could catch the title. The song is "To where you are." I abosolutely love the song and was happy to finally find it.

When Josh first appeared on an episode of Ally McBeal, I was mesmerized. The boy (at the time he was 16) can sing!! I love his work... he does not disappoint!

There is nothing you can say about Josh Groban except that his voice is like a piece of heaven...

They took some liberties with the story the drama was well done and apparently was satisfactory to the Nash's. At first I was infuriated because the scenes with the CIA agent seemed so real that you thought Howard was suggesting that some of Nash's illusions were real. But far into the story you learn that the best friend character and the CIA agent are imaginary.
Very good actimg by Russell Crowe. This is enjoyable even for those who don't have an interest in mathematics. I took my children (10 and 12) and they enjoyed it also with the help of some adult explanations. The music was excellent also.

For over twenty years, Mr. James Horner has delivered so many breathtaking, beautiful scores, helping to bring the screen to life.
The Land Before Time, Braveheart, Casper, The Mask of Zorro and Titanic. I believe his final was A Beautiful Mind.
A Beautiful Mind, from beginning to end, is filled with emotion and power. From the amazing descending piano montages to Charlotte Church's hauntingly angelic voice....everything so majestic and expressive.
The whole first half of the CD are my favorite tracks. Not to say, I didn't like the last half...it's just the first half is my favorite..haha
This is a definite need-to-own score, even for those who don't think much of Mr. Horner..

I am a big fan of James Horner's music. I often watch movies, he has scored; i.e. Titanic, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, simply to enjoy the music. Having seen "A Beauriful Mind" many times, I decided to purchase the soundtrack. While listening, I can envision the scenes that accompany the beautiful, haunting melodies that Mr. Horner has wtitten. It is a total experience that I truly enjoy...

As other reviewers will tell you yes this is another Horner machine made soundtrack. But it still sounds good! If you are a Horner fan by all means buy it otherwise "at your own risk"!

And another thing that gets me is no one even bothered to mention "Alicia Discovers Nash's Dark World" I happened to like this one this is the song that plays when he is in the hospital.

James Horner's soundtrack for A BEAUTIFUL MIND is as psychologically intense as the film it so effectively embellishes.

Charlotte Church provides an appropriately eerie and largely non-verbal soprano to this remarkable motion picture score, yet one that would seem only quirky were it not so beautifully embedded in a musical stream that draws one inexorably and almost vicariously into the emotional turbulence of the Princeton mathematician John Nash.

There is an angelic nature to the shape and texture of this music, one that is able to turn demonic as the story line requires. Both by brilliance and by dementia, Nash seems the object of external forces, rising with supreme heroism (at least in the film's version of events) to conquer. The music is there at each score, coaxing the viewer into empathic solidarity with this deeply troubled man and his long-suffering and preternaturally beautiful wife.

This is mood music of the deeply engaging variety. Its lush tonal landscape is achieved under the baton of the composer himself. The score's vast range of volume and expression would certainly have made it a joy to watch in performance.

Alas, we don't have that.

But we have this.

An ethereal, compelling, even gripping tone poem. Buy it.

I ordered two CDs of Charlotte Church "Dream a Dream" for Christmas gifts and was really embarassed when both people I gave them to called me and stated they could not get them to play on either their CD players or their computers. I now have them in my possession and cannot get them to play on any of my equipment, so this was acomplete loss for me. I would very much like to return them in exchange for two that will play.

This is one of my fave Christmas cds and I listen to it every year. Charlotte Church was only about 14 and her voice is amazing.

I bought this CD after watching the music video of the same name. Their performance of "dream a dream" is exquisite. The fact that they wrote the lyrics just adds icing to an already magnificent cake!

You know charlotte church has received so much harsh critismn about her,I find that people were jeolous of her voice, and of how a young girl can sing, she is definetly my dream ome true, (So back off johnathan flanders),this girl in the past has done some wonderful music which is inspirational and she is a wonderful person, I dont care whether she has changed, anyway her rock albumn has given me a lease on life and has given me potential in my singing,I love your voice very much, and this reviewer hasnt been written by a kid at all,if charlotte church is reading this,good on yeah girl,you definetly my dream come true,and I hope I will see you one day. your best friend JJCox

You know charlotte church has received so much harsh critismn about her,I find that people were jeolous of her voice, and of how a young girl can sing, she is definetly my dream ome true, (So back off johnathan flanders),this girl in the past has done some wonderful music which is inspirational and she is a wonderful person, I dont care whether she has changed, anyway her rock albumn has given me a lease on life and has given me potential in my singing,I love your voice very much, and this reviewer hasnt been written by a kid at all,if charlotte church is reading this,good on yeah girl,you definetly my dream come true,and I hope I will see you one day. your best friend JJCox

She is a natural talent that we will not likely hear from again. Unfortunately, Church was discovered too young, and rather than protecting the precious, amazing talent, it was used to make a quick buck. I'm sure that's what she thought she wanted, but now, several years later, her voice is showing evidence of the damage caused by the unrealistic strain put on her developing larynx and vocal folds.

I hope that she is able to come back. I hope that with rest and decent training, we find an artist that comes into her own and brings a whole new generation of vocalists and music lovers into an appreciation for classical singing.

The song selection was excellent for what it was... an album introducing the young diva to the public. A great selection of well-known as well as a few lesser known gems. Most of the text is in English, allowing the listener to relate better than if the text was in a foreign language.

Her pure voice is often so perfect and light. At times, there is a pushing into the "forte" dynamic that is unnatural and damaging for her voice. Overall, it is an amazing sound.

This is the first of Charlotte Church's recordings, recorded back when she was still a normal, unspoiled 12-year-old Welsh girl. I first fell in love with her voice when I heard her singing "I Vow Thee My Country" on the radio about 8 years ago, and was blown away to find out that she was only 12 years of age!

I bought the CD shortly after that and have listened to it a bazillion times. Just recently, I decided to pull it out again and found myself enjoying it just as much now as I did then. She was probably in her best vocal form in this CD, before her voice became "overtrained," and eventually, ruined by her "Crazy Chick" habits.

Among the standouts -- besides "I Vow Thee My Country" -- are "Amazing Grace," "Ave Maria," "3 Welsh Bird Songs," "My Lagan Love," "Suo-Gan," "A Lullaby" and, of course, her signature song, "Pie Jesu." At the time, I thought she had the potential of becoming one of the greatest sopranos of all time once she reached adulthood. Sadly, this has not been the case, and her latest album, "Tissues and Issues," is a reflection of how far she has fallen both vocally and in her personal life.

If you buy only one Charlotte Church album, this would definitely be it.

This CD is excellent, I can't believe N Arey put one star because of this issue.
What a shame.

This CD is simply amazing! I can honestly tell you that this is the best from Charlotte Church that you will ever hear! Her voice in this stage in her career is so mezmerizing and well-trained! Soon after her second album, which was self-titled, her voice began to deteriorate, probably because of her constant smoking and drinking. Now, we've reached a low point in Charlotte's career, in which she has now been donned the "Crazy Chick", and her latest CD, entitled TISSUES and ISSUES, is a major flop. More recently, Charlote mocked the Catholic Church, calling the Pope a "Nazi". She currently has her own television show, and in one episode, Church pretended to be a nun, and got "high" on Communion Waffers that were stamped with a smiley face, which resembles the drug ecstacy. She also broke open a statue to find Communion Wine, and placed her gum on a model of the baby Jesus. Honestly, you cannot find blame with the 12-year old Charlotte, for I'm sure that she never would do such an offensive thing! (My best advice for getting back at her is not buying her new album).

Anyways, back to the album. Charlotte's first four tracks are amazing! "Pie Jesu" was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, originally for his wife, Sarah Brightman. I prefer Charlotte's version of Sarah's because Charlotte's voice does not show too much vibrato. If you listen to Sarah's version with Paul Miles Kingston, the boy soprano, from THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER COLLECTION VOL.1, you'll hear the difference! "Panis Angelicus" is amazing, and Church even sang it to the Pope! (Not the recent Pope, but the Late Pope John Paul the II). The third track, "In Trutina" - which means "In Balance", is from Bizet's Carmen, which is beautiful. Compared to Brightman's version, Charlotte has much less vibrato. "The Lord's Prayer" is simply beautiful! Jerusalem is also a magnificent work. "Ave Maria" is amazing, with soaring vocals. I don't prefer this version of "Ave Maria" because it's "Ave Maria, Ave Maria, Ave Maria" over and over again. I much prefer the "Ave Maria" by Schubert, which Brightman sings very well. However, this version is still in my favorites. "Psalm 23" is beautiful! "I Vow to Thee, My Country" is a sort of dragged-out piece, but I still enjoy listening to it. I don't prefer it because the song stays in the same key and the same notes are sung all the time! The next piece is "Danny Boy", which is OK. To me, it seems as though Charlotte and the orchestra are always out of sync, but I'm not sure. Plus, this piece is in minor! I'm not too happy about that. "My Lagan Love" is a beautiful piece, with clear vocals and lyrics. "Suo-Gan" is an awesome piece. In fact, a choir that I was once enrolled in sang this song, although it was in English. "Amazing Grace" speeks its title, which is AMAZING! The next three tracks are from "Three Welsh Bird Songs". They're in a foreign language, and I have no clue what they say, but they are wonderful all the same. The last piece, "When At Night I Go to Sleep" is beautiful, but I find it too short!

Overall, this album is great. Besides a few tracks that aren't my favorite, I'm sure that any loyal Charlotte Church fan will buy this CD and will stick it in his/her collection. Please - boycott against TISSUES and ISSUES - It isn't the greatest album anyways, with drawn-out yuckie ballads and too-hyped up pop tunes.

Charlotte, I hope you can read this! I loved you when you were a Classical singer, but now, I can't stand to look at your music! God gave you a gift, Charlotte, and you kicked Him in the face! Just remember this when your record sales for TISSUES and ISSUES flop!

This is the beginning of Charlotte Church. It came out like in '99. I was so amazed by her voice that I had to go and get the cd. Wow, her voice is amazing and always will be in my opinion. Even, though she has a pop album out I still like it. Also plan on buying it too. There are so many good songs on the cd. It's hard to choose because her voice is angelic. For some people who think she has a kind of boy/girl voice- don't know what their talking about. Listen closely the next time you play it. I'm starting out in singing opera and Charlotte is my role model. There is no voice like her yet, even Hayley Westerna, who also has a beautiful voice...can't be in Charlotte Church's shoes. Hopefully, she'll go back to her classical music or just do both.

Charlotte Church is truly amazing, she has such a lovely angelic,magical,and beautiful voice. I have all of her cd's and they are all truly wonderful. This is worth owning to as is everything Charlotte Church comes out with. It as all of her songs that we're put out as singles and that was on the charts. No one can touch Charlotte Church at all her voice ranges higher than so many singers that she just will always be the top to me. Charlotte truly deserves to have this best of album and it is good to hear all of her music from the beginning up to some of her later stuff all on one terrific album.

I was introduced to Charlotte Church's music when I saw one of her concerts on PBS. This cd is a good collection of her music.

Her music ranges from opera to Broadway to traditional Celtic to pop.

Let's forget for the moment the unfortunate repertoire and lifestyle choices, and just listen to this recording.
"Pie Jesu, "Amazing Grace," and "The Prayer" with Josh Groban remind us of the sweet little girl with the "voice of an angel." That she was, in spite of the reviewers who say "too much, too soon."
Other tracks here--"Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "Ave Maria," "She Walked Through the Fair"--continue the style, with a bit of added maturity.
The problems come in when she moves to selections that are too heavy for her voice at this time. The "Habanera" is most unfortunate, with a stylized accompaniment that forces her to strain to be heard above it.
Perhaps "Issues and Tissues" was a learning experience for her. She has recently indicated her intentions to return to her earlier classical/semi-classical roots. Hopefully, with care, we can once again anticipate "the voice of an angel/"

I personally really loved this CD. I am especially impressed that she was extremely young when recording this CD...and while she still has room for improvement, that can pretty much be said about anyone. I was astounded by "Dream a Dream" (with Billy Gilman, who was especially young at that time). I think this was a good purchase and don't regret it at all.

My only other experience with Charlotte Church was seeing part of a PBS special on her, where she sang songs like "Some Enchanted Evening". I actually enjoy her voice on this style of music.

I love her rendition of "Amazing Grace". She also did good on covering "Bridge Over Troubled Water", though I was disappointed she didn't try the high note on the verses as Garfunkel did. My favorite on the project was "It's the Heart That Matters Most".

If I want some beautiful sounding music to relax to while I'm working, this would be a very good project for that.

Charlotte church is truely a remarkable success in the press,for her wonderful voice as a child of 12-14 years old, I give her credit and i would love to meet this girl one day, i think the world of her, it would be wonderful if she could sing those songs when she was a child, because she has got such a beautiful voice, which I think is just amazing,i think the reason why she doesnt like this new pope is becayse she had religion shoved down her throat and she prberly had a gutful of religion,but she still sys that she is quite religious,if she deicdes to go back and doing opera that would be really wonderful because people would rcongise her once again, I wish the press would back off and stop all this harsh critism because when you come to think of it she is a true star in the making, and nobody should she make you feel that you should shun her music, good luck Charlotte my true friend and long time lost romeo

Charlotte church is truely a remarkable success in the press,for her wonderful voice as a child of 12-14 years old, I give her credit and i would love to meet this girl one day, i think the world of her, it would be wonderful if she could sing those songs when she was a child, because she has got such a beautiful voice, which I think is just amazing,i think the reason why she doesnt like this new pope is becayse she had religion shoved down her throat and she prberly had a gutful of religion,but she still sys that she is quite religious,if she deicdes to go back and doing opera that would be really wonderful because people would rcongise her once again, I wish the press would back off and stop all this harsh critism because when you come to think of it she is a true star in the making, and nobody should she make you feel that you should shun her music, good luck Charlotte my true friend and long time lost romeo

I had heard that Charlotte church might consider to go back to her classical roots, but give her time, I mean I dont like it when the press say you must do this and that, the poor girl has been through alot, I will give her 100% in all that she does,she is an inspiration to me, and she had a voice that had potential and was very beautiful,it she does decide to go back to doing opera, it would be good to hear hard rock music in the background while she sings sweetly,and always it would be wonderful if she could do something a bit unusual, for example with the song that she sang at 13 which is "Just wave hello, and if she sings it now with an opera voice it would be wonderful,while rock music is in the song, but it would be good if the msic of the song could be reversed, i mean to have rock in the beining and then opera at the end, its just my suggestion, I wish her all the best in the future, and she tells me that she wants to be a opera singer in the near future which is a long long way away, good luck my dear, your no top 1 fan Jamie Cox

you are definetly my number one top fan,I love your voice, so full, sweet and bright, you are a wonderful person, I dont care what people think of you, proberly they dont like you, but I feel very bad and very sad when people talk bad about you, you are defintely my dream come true, I know that so much harsh critism has been made about you, because it all amounts to them being jelous of you,I would defintely would like to meet you one day, i will always admire you,you do indeed make a good rock singer, and your music has given me potential in my voice and singing, you are my inspiration and your music has released out alot of tension in my body,and it has made me a better person, i wish people would stop judging you, and leave you alone, if you sing opera one day,that would be wonderful too! (I wish the press would back off)but i still remember a little welsh girl of 13 who sang sweetly and had showed respect to God, I am a catholic, it would be wonderful to meet you one day Charlotte, my best friend, if you are reading this,my dear, good luck to you.

Where,has charlotte church gone,very downhill i would imagine, I was a huge charlotte church fan, i always thought the world of her, her voice was so sweet,full and bright, and the image that she represented was about a young lady in a cathedral who loved her God and never questioned anyone even the Priests, she has gone down the river of no return, for someone who had such wonderful talent, when you come to think of it, what a waste she recorded it on junk,and I hope she will make peace with pope bendict because I think he is just wonderful, there be must be something to clear up her name,I used to love her, but after reading one revierwer which said to boycott her music, i was very shoscked, because i always thought she was brought up properly, anyway I feel to boycott and let prayer back into my life for the comming years ahead.

I recommend this album for anyone who loves opera, contemporary, pop, and classical music. Although this album was made years ago when Charlotte was just 15, she has since released a hit pop album with a string of hits, had a baby and a hit T.V. variety show, she has recently stated that she's looking into acting again, and getting a role in an opera in the theater, releasing a new classical album, and a new pop album! This record is a great way to get ready for what Charlotte will be hitting us with next!

Many of the songs on this recording remind us of the little girl with the "voice of an angel." The unaccompanied beginning of "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" is reminiscent of the natural vocal beauty that first attracted attention. The selections like "Tonight," "Bali Hai," and "Somewhere" are fitting for her voice and remind us of the talent she possesses. And "The Prayer," with Josh Groban, is as delightful as when they first sang it.
The problems arise in music that is beyond the scope of her early age. The "Habanera" and "The Laughing Song" demand more than she had to offer at the time they were recorded.
Recent news releases indicate that she is now intending to return to her classical roots. Get those settled, Charlotte; then move into the bigger stuff.

I have been listening to this album for many years (since it came out), and I still love every song!

I am not an "opera" person. I just don't like the real stuff. Charlotte is admitably fudging a bit, but to her advantage. I don't think many people can listen to a recording of a real opera singer. Don't they sing to fill up an entire room. It sounds like screaming to me. However Charlotte has a very soft and very agreeable voice, especially since she ditched her back of the throat voice thing.

Obviously, this album was meticulously made. The first time I heard it, it had an "environment". It was a very relaxing place, especially Bali Hai. I really liked the way they arranged all of the pieces. Charlotte's voice sounds flawless, hitting the notes clear and high. It is an extremely accomplished album; a definate classic, and in my opinion, perfection.

This is one of my facorite CDs. The selection of songs is amazing. They are all "classical" songs that appeal to everyone. The flower duet is breath taking.

I really enjoy this cd and have played it over and over. I love all the songs, but the best ones are "The Flower Duet" (amazing) and "Papa can You Hear Me?".

I sent this CD to my parents and they love it! It is nice to preview the songs on-line instead of with greasy headphones in a music store! The shipping is always speedy and makes sending gifts across the country so much easier.

This cd is a must have for any Webber fan. It has many great songs from his most sucsessful musicals. But something I don't like about this cd is that some of the singer how sings some of the songs arn't the onse that sings the originals. Like "The Phantom Of The Opera" and "Love Changes Everything". Witch is so sad. Couse the original songs are so much better.
But besides that this cd is very good. With manye nice and difficult songs (I've sung some of the myself in siningclass).
So if you like Andrew's music this most sertanly is a most have.

Although I like Andrew Llloyd Webber and his music very much, this collection earns only 4 stars and it's not because of the quality of the music but the level of performers. If a best of collection is made it should contain the best version ever done and this time it's not true. I could write the same review for the European edition (labeled import here) because the blend of the two would be a perfect best of.

Some examples: this version contains Memory sung by Betty Buckley while the Elaine Page version is light years better. Then it contains Patti Lupone's version of Don't Cry For Me Argentina. Even though Madonna wasn't the best Evita, she definitely sung Argentina in a way no-one could before or will ever. Whistle Down The Wind is represented with 3 songs - the place of the Tom Jones song is not here (the same could be said of Tina Arena's song o the European edition). Instead of the TJ song they could have included Take That Look Off Your Face by Marti Webb - one of the best songs by Webber. Pie Jesu from the Requiem is much better sung by Sarah Brightman. These are the faults.

What about the rest? Pure joy and material worth of 6 stars. Superstar, Phantom Of The Opera, Music Of The Night, I Don't Know How To Love Him, All I Ask Of You, No Matter What, Oh What A Circus - wonderful songs and wonderful performers. My all-time favorite from Webber will always be Music Of The Night and the version included here is the mesmerizing adaptation of Michael Crawford.

I don't advise anyone not to buy this album - it's good material, however it's far from being perfect.

There are numerous compilations out on the market full of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music. As most people know, Lloyd Webber is the most successful musical composer of all time and many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. This compilation captures some of the best songs he has ever written, he personally supervised it and it is the best thing to have if you can't afford his five-CD compilation called "Now and forever", which was selected and supervised by him as well. You should bear in mind, however, that there are two compilations called Gold out there: The one made for the European and the British market, and this one, made for the American buyers. Some of the songs on both of them are the same, the others are performed by different artists and some can be found only in one of the two. This one here was issued later and it is digitally remastered. Therefore you should check your favourites and buy accordingly, or, if you can, buy them both, since both of them contain interesting songs and performers.

So here are my thoughts about the tracks in this one:

1. "Superstar" and "I don't know how to love him" are both from the concept album of "Jesus Christ Superstar". They sound wonderful as ever, although the orchestrations may seem a bit dated by now.

2. "Sunset Boulevard" is marked here with two songs. Barbra Streisand's powerful voice shines all the way through in "As if we never said goodbye"; it's a shame she never played Norma Desmond on Broadway, since Patti LuPone wasn't allowed to take her Norma to New York, and Glenn Close butchered the role. Her limited vocal abilities were hardly suited for the material, as it is shown by the second Sunset song, "The perfect year", performed by Close and Alan Campbell. They both lack a decent singing voice, so this is the one song I skip regularly. The song itself sounds much better in its single version with pops orchestration, as can be heard on the European version of this compilation, where it is performed by Dina Carroll. This version here can hardly be considered a gold one.

3. "The Phantom of the Opera" is represented by three songs. Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman performance in the song of the same title is amazing. They were both born to play their roles in this show and their voices fit together perfectly. Sarah can hit the high notes in the end like no other Christine. Cliff Richard and Sarah sing the lovely ballad "All I ask of you" with passion, and Cliff has a wonderful warmth in his voice. Finally, Michael Crawford gives his unique and mesmerising interpretation in "The music of the night".

4. The 1996 movie version of "Evita" is Madonna's best role to date and it brought an Academy Award for Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who wrote "You must love me" especially for the big screen. This is another wonderful ballad with the haunting cello and piano solo. It just proves that Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were the best collaborators. They really should do another musical together.

5. "The Joseph and his amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was Webber's first musical and the signature song "Any dream will do" is performed here by Donny Osmond, who also appeared in the video version. I find his rendition even better than London's Jason Donovan, since Donny isn't strictly bound by the notes and so sings it more casually. A wonderful pop piece.

6."Memory" from "Cats" is probably the most famous of all Webber's songs, recorded by numerous artists. This version is sung by Betty Buckley, who was Broadway's Grizabella. Although Betty's performance can't be considered bad, I prefer Elaine Paige, who sung the song first, in the London production. Elaine has a note of sorrow in her at times husky voice, which I found very intriguing. Her performance can be considered definite, as heard on "Cats" DVD or in her latest two-disc compilation, "Centre stage: The very best of Elaine Paige", issued in May 2004. Still, those who prefer Ms. Buckley or who saw her on stage in this role won't be disappointed.

7. "Pie Jesu" is the best known song from Webber's "Requiem", written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. I'm not too keen on the version included here, performed by Charlotte Church, because her voice isn't as pretty as Sarah Brightman's on the original recording and the tempo is somewhat faster here.

8. "Don't cry for me Argentina" is among my all-time Lloyd Webber's favourites. I like all the ladies who performed "Evita" on the stage and on the screen (Julie Covington, Elaine Paige, Patti LuPone and Madonna), but on this disc is the version I am most satisfied with, since it is sung by Patti LuPone. Ms. LuPone has a very powerful voice with an amazing range and she deserved her Tony Award for this role. She was able to sound both vulnerable and decisive while singing this, whereas the other leading ladies emphasized one or the other in their interpretation. Mandy Patinkin's "Oh what a circus" is not the best, the orchestration is a little bit weak and his voice sounds thin to me. David Essex on the London cast recording is more suitable.

9. "Aspects of love" boast here with its top song, "Love changes everything", performed wonderfully by Michael Ball. It was his #1 hit and is probably one of the most beautiful love anthems ever written.

10. Three songs come from "Whistle down the wind". The studio release of the same title is one of the reasons I bought this compilation, although I already have the European one. It is performed by Sarah Brightman with Lloyd Webber playing the piano and a symphonic orchestra who nicely takes the lead of the main melody. Sarah voice is angelic; she sings it like a little bird. Very charming. Boyzone's "No matter what" was a huge pop hit in the charts. Again, we have a song with the suitable orchestrations and vocals. And lastly, Tom Jones' deep voice in combination with the back vocals of "The Sounds of Blackness" gives a rocking rendition of the church hymn "The vaults of heaven". It can't be found on the European version and Tom's voice shows it hasn't aged. Way to go.

11. For the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Webber wrote, together with his long-time lyricist Don Black, this last song, "Amigos para siempre or Friends for life". It's a nice duet between Sarah Brightman and Jose Carreras, their voices sore when bound together. The melody itself is neat, especially when the orchestra takes the lead.

Besides the fact that some of the performers here were not the best for my taste, there is also the fact that some of Lloyd Webber's shows are omitted in this version, most notably, "Tell me on a Sunday". Also, unlike its European counterpart, this compilation isn't aligned chronologically, so we have 1970 Superstar being the first song, 1993 Sunset Blvd comes the second, followed by The Phantom from 1986 and so on. None the less, this CD is excellent as an introduction to Lloyd Webber's music and one can continue with his cast recordings from there. It's also very handy as a single disc compilation for the American fans.

The songs on this CD are great. If you also play piano, the book of the same title goes perfectly with the CD. You can following along with the music and learn the songs on the piano.

I purchased this CD on iTunes and I love it. Martha's CD collection is very tasteful and the music is great background music. I'm not a big fan of Christmas music sung by pop stars, and so I avoid most modern releases, but this CD is all classical. Particularly love the song sung by II Divo and Placido Domingo. This is a classical album sure to please everyone.

When I played it in my car my I got compliments on it. Way to go Martha!!!

I bought the album because I was interested in learning what types of music Charlotte Church might be doing after I saw the movie "I'll Be There" (great movie, if you haven't seen it, do so!). The first track "Call My Name" is a great, sexy, grown-up, pop, club song. And my favorite on the album. "Show a Little faith" is good; soft and slow and tugs at my heartstrings a bit. The rest of the album, while not bad, is somewhat mediocre, and in the instance of "Confessional Song" boring and filled with more than I care to know about Miss Church. Perhaps I had my hopes too high after seeing her (pop) performances "I'll Be There" and the video for "Call My Name," but I am a bit disappointed. However, I don't necessarily regret buying this album. Though the price is awful steep, even for an import (why was it never releases in the States, anyway?).

Charlotte's pop album is gorgeous. I love every single song on there, mostly co-written by Charlotte herself, and beautifully composed by some of the best composers in both the U.S. and U.K. Charlotte traveled the world to create this album, including writing and recording sessions in Arizona, New York, and London! Each song has a very personal and very beautifully portrayed story from a piece of Charlotte's young life. I am a year younger than her, and I have always loved her voice. She showcases her vocal range very well, weather it be a ballad, dance tune, or a mo-town inspired song. I would definitely reccomend this CD for anyone who lives good lyrics, a great voice, and songs that you will love forever.

was a fan, not any more. What a waste of talent. the packaging is just as bad.

This CD is awful. It is one step below the ghetto talking trash we hear so much from cars vibrating you out of your car seat. She has gone from the base of her strengths. It will be a tough decision to buy anything of hers in the future unless I can hear it completely first. I routinely delete songs related to gods, talking rap, and unintelligble tracks. That is this entire album.

I remember listening to this album over and over in 2005, the year of it's release. This is from a fan, but that shouldn't be relevant. I will try and be as honest as possible about the album.

The bad:
-I always oversaw it off before, but you can hear Charlotte's voice has a slight cold, that she can't breathe out of her nose. The fact that they didn't wait until her voice was in peak condition to record an album that can't be reversed.
-The songs aren't deep at all... the lyrics are not just average, they are quite bad. I've been inspired by albums before. Nothing is inspiration about this one.
-The music is... well it varies from style to style. Not very memorable, except Crazy Chick and Call My Name. The arrangement is "nice". But it is no where near the quality and excellence of her previous album, Enchantment. It must be difficult to get many people to come in and do different styles of music. And I found that even though the styles seemed different, the whole album kind of sounded the same.

The Good:
-Charlotte still has incredible range and her new tone is soulful, despite the cold (which by the way she admitted to having on the documentary)
-It's cute, light, and fun.

I do have a problem with the song "Even God". I guess Boy George hasn't heard of a thing called Omnipotence.

It's so sad because Charlotte is so talented, but I do not think that her producers did a good job as they could have. I really hate to admit this, but I do believe that Britney's Blackout album is a much better pop album. So again, this is no judge of character. Just brutal honesty on the album itself.