Sarah Brightman

Never have I heard such scathing words over an adult contemporary singer. Marilyn Manson? Sure. Sarah Brightman? You wouldn't think so, but there it is. Most reviews I've read are either hot or cold. People hate her or people love her. Very few are indifferent. To me, she's a guilty pleasure. I enjoy what she brings to the table - her range and arrangements. As a classical music/opera lover, she appeals to that side of me. The last decade or so has brought us other "crossover" glamor babes such as the group Bond or Opera Babes but none with quite the class nor finesse of Ms. Brightman. And she doesn't just add an electronic drum beat to a classical piece as her contemporaries are wont to do - she uses her vocal range as an instrument, often switching between her classically-trained operatic voice and adult contemporary entertainer.

Recently, Amazon.com sent me an unsolicited email hawking her new release, Symphony (due out January 29). I made my way down to their preview samples section (I love the day and age in which we live) and sampled all. "Fleurs Du Mal" my favorite, as it sounds operatic, and "I Will Be With You (Where The Lost Ones Go)" my least favorite, because if I wanted to listen to some guy I don't know sing...

I have the physical media to Phantom of the Opera (Highlights), Time to Say Goodbye, Eden, and La Luna. Eden is by far my favorite of those three - I think because its more up-tempo than the other two. I found Time to Say Goodbye too heavy-handed. I missed Classics and Harem though I noticed they were both on my "Recommended For You" list. Choosing to try-before-I-buy, I torrented her discography and discovered something which most of you are probably already familiar with: Dive. Wow! How did I miss this? 1993. I had just arrived to Langley AFB and was doing a LOT of traveling. What a fantastic album! So yeah, now I'm pumped about Sarah again. Maybe I'll pre-order Symphony.