Customer Reviews

Anthems

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Queen's guitar virtuoso, Brian May, is a master in reference to selecting vocalists. It started with the iconic Freddie Mercury, then he joined forces with the wondrously bluesy Paul Rogers and now he has produced and played guitar for the soon to be a major starlet, Kerry Ellis. If you can fuse Kate Bush' voice with Carrie Underwood's voice that's how great Kerry Ellis sings. "Anthems" is immediately impressive and infectious. The opening track "Dangerland" is exotic and enchanting. The song "Anthems" has a major Queeen influence and Kerry Ellis' vocal performance is amazing. This song and several others are bolstered and enhanced by some majestic Brian May guitar riffs featuring his inimitable tones.

Other major highlights are May's poignant "Save Me", "the spectacular and rousing "Defying Gravity" and "the sterling and heartrending "I'm Not That Girl". Other appealing gems are "I Can't Be Your Friend", the tender "No One But You" and the gorgeous and emotive closing track "I Loved A Butterfly"(Written By Brian May.

I was pleasantly surprised and even awed by the grandeur of this CD. Kerry Ellis is a vocal phenomenon and once again Brian May displays his resplendent instrumental talents while unveiling the enormous talent of an exemplary vocalist.

This is a bona fide 5 Star Cd.

The runaway "Defying Gravity" is a take-no-prisoners rallying cry for empowerment, and Ellis and producer Brian May (Queen) give it an all-out delivery. The problem is that the rest of Anthems takes the same cookie-cutter approach: Broadway-bluster vocals, Brian May's layered guitar leads, and very little nuance anywhere. From the spiritual "You Have to Be There" to the darker "Diamonds Are Forever" cover, they're all anthems, but in the heat of the battle, an occasional moment of silence can be much more profound.

Kerry have a great voice and the sound quality was very good, however this album really did nothing for me. It was lifeless and at the end of the first and second listen I just sat back and said, it did nothing for me.

I am a bit dissapointed in this cd. I thought the cd was too short and repeated a bunch of songs from her other cd. But I must say the new songs on this CD is fantastic.

I'm a huge fan of Kerry Ellis and have been waiting for this release. I saw her in Wicked in London 7 times while I worked/lived there. I wish I could do it all over again. She has an amazing presence and voice. These selections are wonderful. Of course I love the selections from Wicked in this mix, but they are all powerful! I especially liked You Have To Be There. I hope there will be more of her music available in the near future.

With soaring pop vocals and anthemic orchestra-meets-rock arrangements, Kerry Ellis makes an unforgettable statement with her debut album, Anthems. I'm a huge fan of classical crossover music (i.e. Sarah Brightman) and have a fairly extensive collection of solo albums from various theater stars. Anthems is a standout project in both categories. Ellis is perhaps best known as the longest-running British actress to play Elphaba in the musical Wicked, playing the role on both the West End and Broadway stage. Many times when theater stars put out albums, they choose to record fairly straightforward versions of musical theater standards, not so with Ellis. Partnered with Brian May, lead guitarist from Queen, Anthems is an inspired fusion of rock-orchestra melodies paired with Ellis's soaring, passionate vocals. The album opens with the exotic Brian May-penned track "Dangerland," reminiscent of "Fleurs Du Mal" from Sarah Brightman's rock-inspired Symphony album, with a distinctive Middle Eastern vibe. Ellis then moves on to a soaring, rock-tinged version of "Anthem" from the musical Chess - her voice soars, and the blistering guitar solos transform the track into an arena-ready anthem. Two tracks from Wicked make appearances with fantastic new arrangements. "Defying Gravity" is transformed into a rousing, rock-driven anthem of empowerment, while "I'm Not That Girl" is an absolute showstopper, one of my favorite tracks on the album. Ellis's powerful pop voice shines on this song, simultaneously both poignant and hopeful. Another favorite track of mine is a cover of the Brit group The Feeling's "Love It When You Call," which is given a rocking "girl group" sound. I absolutely LOVE Ellis's interpretation of "Diamonds Are Forever" - it's great to see a classic James Bond theme revisited. Shirley Bassey owns this song, but Ellis fearlessly takes it on and makes it her own. The album ends with a pair of Brian May-penned tracks - a gorgeous, powerful rendition of Queen's "No One But You (Only the Good Die Young)" and the beautiful and poignant "I Loved a Butterfly." Kerry Ellis's debut is a standout. The press release in the product description section of Amazon states that "Broadway's about to get a little bit grittier" with Ellis's debut - and to that all I can say is more, please. Kerry's powerhouse vocals married to musical theater-meets-rock-orchestra-fusion is an addictive combination.