Sissel Kyrkjebo

I bought this for my husband after hearing her sing with the Mormon Taberancle. I thought this would make a nice Christmas gift. She has a beautiful voice and sounds well with the full orchestra and strings behind her. We both found that showcases the rich beauty of her voice. We found when she sings in a band group with back up singers, it's just not the same rich sound. She is very good but not with the band back up, I would not buy this CD again, the cost of this CD was very expensive at $45.00 plus. Why would this cost so much? Must be good marketing. Again she has a style that is great and a voice that is so beautiful. Disappointed for sure with the choice I made. I have bit the bullet and have reordered the CD with her singing with the Mormon Taberancle.

This is one of Sissel's best albums (I have 4 so far). Includes a great choice of songs and even though this is one of her earlier albums, nothing can compare to her voice, then or now.

I sampled this at a store prior to ordering it on line. After hearing the samples, I couldn't wait to get to my computer, as Sissel CDs are hard to find here in the states, except for what has been issued here. Stores that stock World Music do not include her for some reason. Regardless, this CD is a must.

Besides her "Fire In Your Heart" from the 1994 Olympics, she does some great covers of oldies, including a duet with Neil Sedaka on his own "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", which is my favorite song on the album. Neil gives her a lovely dedication and describes his first hearing of this great voice. She does two other Neil-penned songs, including an earlier version of "Solitaire". Mama Cass would also be proud of Sissel's version of "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" (if she was still with us). I still can't figure out how to pronounce her last name of Kyrkjebo, but so long as I get Sissel right, and since she goes by that name professionally (like Cher, Madonna), she will always shine just being Sissel!

I was vacationing in Denmark visiting an exchange student we had here a few years ago and her parents. I mentioned that I wanted to visit a music store and look for CD's by Sissel. Well, the eyes lit up on my host. He was surprised that I had heard of her, and liked her music. At first he said "You mean Sissel Kyrkjebo?" and I said yes. He said he went to most of her concerts in Copenhagen and she has a great Christmas Concert. Anyway, we found the Europe version of "Deep Within My Soul" which was slightly different. And I got "Soria & Moria" mostly in Norwegian and "Gift of Love." All three are favorites I play. The CD "Gift of Love" is all English and it shows what a great voice she has. I am partial to "Dream a Little Dream of Me."

She reminds me of Enya in part when she does her songs in Norwegian and Danish. There are also some similarities to a Danish singer named Lene Siel.

The only reason that this is not a five-star recording is the blandness of some of the selections on this disc. When you listen to this CD, however, it is easy to forgive such a simple flaw. With endearing versions of songs originally done by the likes of the Beatles, Neil Sedaka, and Bread, all in her sweet, lilting yet powerful voice, this CD deserves a place in everyone's collection. Some of the best songs on this disc include the 1994 Olympic Hymn, "Fire In Your Heart" (a bonus track duet with Placido Domingo is included as well), the folk-y "If", the smoky jazz of "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" and the grand melancholy of "Calling You". This Norwegian songbird is already popular in Europe and has sung on the Titanic soundtrack, but now is the time to put her on the top of the charts and purchase this CD.

I first heard a track from this album on eklektikos, a radio program on KUT, my local NPR affiliate, and I immediately wanted to hear more. I tracked down a copy from a friend from Norway, and fell in absolute love with her voice. If you like Enya's voice and melodic style, this CD would be music to your ears (yeah, yeah, I know). Beautiful melodies, even more beautiful voice with incredible range. (I just wish I understood the language!) Favorites are the title track and "Prosejon", the first bonus track. The only low moment on the album is the final track, an Olympic Hymn featuring Sissel but is stylistically at odds with the rest of the album. Based on the track list, this album is almost identical to Deep Within My Soul [IMPORT] CD, having essentially the same primary 12 tracks. The difference is this album has the two Olympic bonus tracks and "Within" has a remix of "Eg Veit I Himmerik Ei Borg (Castle in the Sky)" (original version is track 4) as the only bonus track, and this album features a duet version of "Fire In Your Heart" with Placido Domingo as the 12th track instead of the solo version as on "Within".

Bottom Line: Wanna hear someone who can *really* sing? Buy this album.

While I'm not Scandinavian, as previous reviewer is, I married a Danish-American woman, so I've been exposed to some Danish culture. We picked this up on a weekend vacation, and it promptly became one of our favorite Christmas CDs. Beautiful voice and music, not to be missed.

if you have grown up in a typical scandinavian family (especially norwegian) then this is for you. these are songs from your grandparents time in their language you might not know all the workds but your sure will identify the tunes as those who grew up in the 30's 40's 50's 60's and 70's will see as soon as the first few notes are played. can't loose with this one.