Kenneth ChanSome called her a one-trick pony. Some said she couldn’t live up to the expectations set by herself when she first wowed the crowds on national television. There were even others who questioned the authenticity of her song gifting.
In the company of all that negativity and overdrive of media frenzies, it’s no wonder that Susan Boyle was checked into a psychiatric ward by Britain’s Got Talent’s show executive for emotional and physical tiredness shortly after the results were announced. She was tipped as the hot favourite to win the third season of the immensely popular talent contest but eventually placed second in the finals.
And now, with the release of I Dreamed A Dream to record-breaking figures, the runner-up to the star-search programme can finally stick a finger up to her naysayers. It’s estimated by her label that the CD has collected worldwide sales of more than 5 million, overtaking rapper Eminem for the highest sales in its opening week. This makes the never-been-kissed singer a major contender for the biggest selling album of the year, backed by the apt description of her astonishing claim to fame in the teaser for her promotional appearance on The X Factor: “She sang… and the world listened”.
Her sultry, warm and emotionally riveting vocal performance is absolutely stunning to the point of perfection. It’s hard to deny the singing sensation’s god-given gift of timbre and tone that lends a certain degree of timelessness to her debut album of 11 covers and 1 original composition. Whether it’s the jazz-soul standard of “Cry Me A River” or grandiose Christian hymns (“How Great Thou Art”, “Amazing Grace”), her mighty chops are spot on and pitch-perfect.
The studio recording of her signature song from the musical Les Miserables is essentially fashioned in the same mould as the “I Dreamed A Dream” performance that turned the frumpy, cheeky and unknown 48-year-old into an overnight household name. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the monumental track on the album sounds more polished and majestic this time round – definitely a highlight of her grand entrance into both worlds of reality television and the music business.
But amidst the bundle of gems, the Britain’s Got Talent finalist shines her brightest in the 1971 Rolling Stones classic “Wild Horses”. Accompanied by a sparse piano arrangement, her composed delivery drips of melancholy and heartbreak so powerful that every note overwhelms your auditory senses and sends tingling waves of goosebumps after each stanza. This is a vocalist not particularly pretty nor nubile and young, but she sings like she’s been singing for all her life and before. One can only wonder how the world could’ve missed this Scottish spinster’s world-class talent previously, before reaching out for the nearest Kleenex when she belts out the climatic closing chorus: “Fate has been suffered and tears must be cried / So let’s do some living after we die / Wild horses, would of dragged me away / But wild horses, couldn’t drag me away…away”. The original writers, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, would’ve been proud.
The album doesn’t come without a few missteps. “Who I Was Born To Be” – the only original piece that’s basically the Youtube star’s famous overnight rag-to-riches story set to song – sounds like a cheesy American Idol winner ballad that is instantly forgettable. Also, Madonna’s defiant ballad “You See” doesn’t quite suit Boyle’s knack for showtunes. The 43-minute long CD, packed with downtempo and dramatic tracks, may also be a tad too slow for those who are already accustomed to the thump and thrum of contemporary radio.
But that little miscalculation pales in comparison to her awe-inspiring talent. Because Susan Boyle embodies a timely reminder for those of us who have forgotten what music is truly about – that is, to just sing, and sing like you mean it. Not even this year’s best production technicalities or the biggest stars of Taylor Swift, The Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Lady Gaga and 10-time Grammy winner Beyonce can steal Boyle’s well-deserved thunder.
All in all, I Dreamed A Dream is a pop album stylised with the author’s unique brand of classic music, making the record sonically ravishing and almost magical – one that’s for the ages and those to come.
The UrbanWire gives I Dreamed A Dream 4/5 stars.
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Album: I Dreamed A Dream
Best tracks: “Wild Horses”, “I Dreamed A Dream”, “Amazing Grace”
Artist: Susan Boyle
Distributed by: Sony Music Singapore
Language: English
Track list:
1. Wild Horses (by The Rolling Stones)
2. I Dreamed A Dream (from Les Miserables)
3. Cry Me River (by Julie London)
4. How Great Thou Art
5. You’ll See (by Madonna)
6. Daydream Believer (by The Monkees)
7. Up to the Mountain (by Patty Griffin)
8. Amazing Grace
9. Who I Was Born to Be
10 . Proud (by Heather Small)
11. The End of the World
12. Silent Night
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