Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In a career that's veered from '70s pop chanteuse to Broadway star and neo-operatic diva, Sarah Brightman has brought a critics-be-damned sense of dramatic scale to nearly every project she's tackled. As the title suggests, the tracks here are largely culled from her Songs That Got Away and Surrender song anthologies, although they do include four previously unreleased outtakes from those collections. Her 1998 recording of the title song from ex-husband Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind succeeds by emphasizing its melodic grace with a deft, airy touch, while the remainder rescue worthy songs from obscure or failed musicals. From Lerner and Lane's 1959 Carmelina comes the lovely "One More Walk Around the Garden." Stephen Sondheim's youthful 1954 debut, Saturday Night, yields a sprightly take on "What More Do I Need," while an operatic reading of "In the Mandarin's Orchid Garden," from the Gershwins' unproduced 1929 East Is West, is also included. If the selection leans a little too heavily on the Lloyd Webber connection elsewhere (including Italian versions of "Guardami (With One Look)" from Sunset Boulevard and "Piano (Memory)" from Cats delivered in her patently restraint-free soprano), they're only reminders that shrewdness has hardly been the least of Brightman's talents. --Jerry McCulley
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Customer Reviews Read 24 more reviews...
Andrew September 30, 2008
Samantha R. Roig
This followed "La Luna." Webber releases his own collection of Sarah music following her major releases. It's a very good album and features some previously unreleased songs by Miss B.
Repackaging of previous recordings September 1, 2008
Priscilla A. Arnold (Minneapolis, MN)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I personally find the practice of coming out with a "new" album, consisting of entirely previously released pieces save a small handful, distasteful and unethical. In fact, I think that it's an insult to the fans. Fortunately, I bought this album used, and so did not pay towards this scam.
Sarah Brightman has an interesting voice. It wavers between classical and pop, with some indistinguishable character in there. Her ability to create new, challenging albums is one of the reasons I am so drawn to her as an artist. This, unfortunately, was not one of those creative albums.
Classy,Romantic, And Stirring. March 9, 2007
unclevito (Hazleton, Pa)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Encore is the perfect CD for those who love diversity. Classy, Romantic and Stirring. My two favorites are Piano and One More Walk Around The Garden.
Piano (Memory)is even more soul stirring in Italian than the english version.If the english version was perfection she improved upon it. One More Walk Around The Garden is sad and soul stirring bringing a tear to the eye on every play.Sarah sings her way through every song with the voice that earned her the title Angel of Music.Everyone a Gem. A must have for every true fan.
Lovely - Just Lovely! January 4, 2007
Darlene (NC USA)
Overall I was very pleased with the content and quality of this CD. Once again, Sarah sings beautifully. I rated this 4 stars instead of 5 simply because, like another reviewer, I, too, felt that it contained too much old material. I used to enjoy 'Memory' but it's been overdone to the point that I cringe when I hear it now. It's sung in Italian here and called 'Piano' but it's still 'Memory'.
I especially liked 'One More Walk Around the Garden' (Carmelina), 'There is More to Love' (Aspects of Love), 'The Last Man in My Life' (Song and Dance) and 'Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta' (La Rondine). 'If I Ever Fall In Love Again' (The Crooked Mile) is especially well done as well.
I do enjoy playing the CD but I find that I pick the songs that I play rather than allowing it to play all the way through.
Encore! May 29, 2005
Lisa Verson (Dayton, OH)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The title of the CD is perfect. Sarah has a beautiful and flawless voice and her singing just pulls you in. If you like Sarah Brightman, this is a wonderful CD to add to your collection. I have only started to collect her CDs from concerts she has done and I love every single one of them! BUY THIS!! You won't regret it!!!
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