Customer Reviews

In Deep

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I had already bought her previous CD, (called Don't Ask) which I absolutely loved. When I found out she had made another CD(she does not get played on American Radio)while searching, I made sure I went ahead and ordered it from Amazon.

At first I listened and thought I did not like it as much as the first CD. Then I listened to it again while at work, and then again at home, and then some more in the car and couldn't help but love this CD. She seems to put such feeling into the songs that you know exactly what she means.

Her songs sound so honest and true like she has actually felt and lived the songs and while the listenter is right there appreciating every note and lyric.

All I can say is if you enjoy good vocals, good songwriting and and an excellent album then you should own this CD and the one before it.

Her music is a mixture of Pop, Country, Soul and Gospel that is hard to describe. (That description is as close as I could get.) She uses arrangements that remind you of country music while having background singers harmonizing like a choir, while her voice has soulful sound that most singers on the radio (Teenybopper mouse club alumni) wish they had as they are just mouthing words someone made up for them about feelings they never had and they sing so insincerely.

I really hope she gets a breakthrough hit and gets to make a video or some other medium that let's her truly get known here in the states. She really deserves it.

Anyone who thinks this CD is not that good should play it again without any bias and just listen to the music. Everyone can find themselves on this album

P.S. On this album she has a duet with Marc Anthony that makes him sound even better than he does on his own album. A really epic-sounding kind of love song.

Tina Arena's obscurity is a tragedy. She leaves Celine for dead! This album is truly magnificent and yielded 4 singles in Australia. The first, "Burn" is a great track showcasing Tina's awesome vocal range. "If I didn't love you" is a great pop song represents the hardships of love. "Now I can dance" is my favourite and has a great chorus and meaningful lyrics. Its an inspirational song about achieving your goals. Even in Australia, this album was underdone. It DID still reach number 1 which is great. In the US however, radio turned its back on her preferring the meaningless pop dominating the airwaves. Her duet with Marc Anthony should be released in the US again. Its amazing. Its a shame that Tina had to resort to singing in French to get some recognition

Buy this album and support real aussie music

I remember seeing Tina on VH1 2 years ago performing "chains". I was working in my home and I heard this voice. From that day on, she was "DIVA". I found out about her latest CD by accident. One of the local radio stations mentioned it. They also mentioned the fact that she was an incredible singer that did not take off in the U.S. and what a shame that was. It's ironic however, everyone I've played her music for has asked, "who is she, where is she and why don't I hear more of her". I purchased it about a month ago. From the first sound of her voice I knew, "yep, she's still DIVA". The mood it different, almost reflective with a sense of recovery from something. It's obvious from this CD, life has been very intense for this young lady. In this country, as everywhere I suppose, problems exist. It is unfortunate so many in the U.S. shy away from truth and honesty. Her music speaks of the core instead of touching on the surface and just looking at the pretty parts. I recently found an online music site that had a bio of her. I felt a true sense of pride knowing how well her music has been received in other countries. I've been performer since childhood. The world is missing out on true artists and the contributions they can make to the human spirit. TO TINA: As was said to me by someone in the audience one night when I "didn't" get a time slot after a live local(dive) Blues night club audition; "Chin up", he said: "Not everyone is blind to the artist's intent or deaf to their symphony". I laughed. Then opened in his club the next week which was on the main strip in Nashville, Tennessee. Thanks Tina, its been a long time since I've been able to turn on the music and find my life in someone else's words. If the day comes she doesn't sell her recordings in the US, I'd buy a ticket to Australia just to get them for myself. A Rose To The DIVA.

Randall Waters Nashville, Tennessee USA

It's just amazing how wonderful does she is on this album!!
Her voiece is unforgettable and all the tracks are really irresistable!!
It'll catch your heart and soul as well as your ears!!!
Don't waste time, Buy it!!

"In Deep" showcases all of this Austrailian songbirds talent, charm, strength, desire, heart, and love. She shows her desire in the song "Burn", her strength in "No Shame" and her faith and love in my personal favorite, "Unsung Hero". She has a voice of an angel with a looks of a model. I personally own all of her CDs, and she keeps improving with each album. I only wish she would come to the States and perform. I consider myself one of her biggest fans and supporters because unlike many "musicians" in the industry, Tina is a quiet, classy lady that lets her music, and only her music speak for her. She is not given to sleazy, pyro-filled concerts and half-rate albums that only attract to the pre-teens that thrive on sleaze for money and fame. Therefore, to anybody that is tired of the mainstream "pop" music that makes you sick to your stomach after the first 5 times, I strongly recommend Tina Arena's "In Deep". I promise you, you will not tire of Tina.

Most of Arena's albums are very heartfelt and "In Deep" is no different. I can classify the album in the so-called "Diva" stakes. Much better than Barbra, Mariah, Whitney or Celine. It is because the songs in this collection are very carefully calculated not to distract the audience from the emotional momentum yet different paintings of soul-scenarios are all poured through every song efficiently and effortlessly. That is Arena at her best. Tracks such as (Burn, If I Was A River, No Shame, Sixteen Years, If I Didn't Love You) shows Arena's vocal prowess and unbelievably, all the notes are high and was reached impressively!!! "I Want To Know What Love Is" is a great revival, even better than the "Foreigner" version and the soundtrack to "The Mask Of Zorro", "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You" is a treat that anyone can't resist! A very haunting ballad! One of the finest vocalist in the world. Arena's "In Deep" is definitely well written and the quality is unmatched. It also shows her skillful songwriting talent to the full. Arena will surely leave a landmark in the music world. AUSTRALIA, BE PROUD! YOU HAVE A TALENT WITH BEAUTY AND BRAINS IN YOUR HANDS! GUYS! GRAB "IN DEEP". YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!

IN DEEP picks up where her past album DONT ASK left off. This one is a bit more ballad heavy, not to say there is no uptempos, because this features some of her most exciting uptempo songs yet! The album opens up with the love devotion ballad "Burn" (which was later covered by country singer Jo Dee Messina), which is just one of the songs here which show of her range. The album continues with the power ballad of the CD, written by Diane Warren, "If I was A River", one of the best songs on this disc, a great ballad about love. "Sixteen Years" is a truly beautiful song about lost love, Tina really shows her emotional depth and ability to convey real true emotions in a song, in this song. "Flashback" is a fun uptempo song, about remembering past love, and wanting it back. "In Command" is a self-affirming song about knowing who you are and knowing who's in command. "Unsung Hero" is a really inspiring beautiful song (later covered by country singer Terri Clark) about a humble hero. "Now I Can Dance" is a latin flavored song about finally being free. As well she covers Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is" extremely well, its a great cover song. The album closes with the gothic like ballad, "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You", which is a duet with Marc Anthony. Their voices blend well together and are both very strong, very complimentary of each other. The song has a great sound, due to the production done by Jim Steinman. Overall IN DEEP is an excellent album filled with great songs, so do yourself a favor, and pick this up! If you don't know Tina Arena, this is your wake up call! Excellent cd!

It was on the strength of only one song- 'Chains', from the 'Don't Ask' CD that I bought that disk. It was probably one of the best investments I've ever made. It immediately became one of the CD's that never got taken out of the CD player! Her voice is an amazing instrument that is both powerful and fragile. 'In Deep' followed quickly in its predecessors footsteps. I play this CD constantly, and have in fact bought the Australian version of this disk as well because it features a quiet, torchy rendition of the cut 'Burn' that will make you weep. Tina's music fits any mood, any time and any occasion. It goes with me from home, to the office, and back again. Comparisons to other female vocalists will disappear after you listen to a track or two. Buy this CD right now! You will not regret it. I PROMISE!!!

I was never a big Tina Arena fan. When "Chains" got some minimal airtime back when I was younger, I bought the CD single and that was it. Then, I saw her singing "Whistle Down The Wind" at Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th Birthday Celebration. That performance alone was enough for me to buy that video tape and the Whistle Down the Wind pop soundtrack (it in itself is a masterpiece). The best songs on the album are her ballads, songs where she can let that voice go. "If I Was A River" is not only a masterpiece of singing, but whoever wrote that song needs to win an award. The same could be said for "Burn" which Jo Dee Messinah has now released as a country song (that doesn't even compare to Tina's version). Of course "I Want to Know What Love Is" will always be a masterpiece, Tina only brings it up to that next level. She also does some amazing work on the upbeat stuff. "Now I Can Dance" is nothing short of masterful as she weaves together various song parts into a whole, amazing piece of vocal work. "Flashback" is the most upbeat song on the album, but it seems to fall back and draw from the '80s a little too much, and the keyboard/synthesizers drown out Tina's amazing voice. Tina also throws us some big blues-inspired songs, like "No Shame" and "Sixteen Years." Both songs fullfill you totally and you are not lacking for anything. The only downside to the album maybe that Tina seems to occasionally get bogged down in some very slow stuff. (If you've heard "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You" with Marc Anthony you know what I'm talking about). And Tina doesn't just shine on this album. "Whistle Down the Wind", the play by Andrew Lloyd Webber has Tina singing the title song, and she doesn't just sing it, she blows it out of the water. "Love's Funny That Way" from the "One Fine Day" soundtrack has proven to be the best (and only) reason to buy that album. And, "The Flame" from Sydney absolutely eptomized the spirit of the Olympics. Tina doesn't just shine, she "Burns." Almost every song on this album is amazing. The only reason not to give it a five-star rating would be because of the presence of way-too-slow "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You" and the way-too-retro "Flashback."

Unfortunately, this album will not have any commerical impact on the US. Sad, because this album has been worked and reworked according to certain markets(ie, France had 2 french recordings, UK had "Whistle Down The Wind".) So even though the US just got a standard simplistic version of it does not mean that anyone who buys this album is cheated. This album is chock full of potential hit singles(actually, 6 of the 12 songs on this album were released as singles). "Burn" is simply amazing, "If I Was A River" shines, "Now I Can Dance" is a touching love letter to her friends. Her voice more than makes up for the overproduction that was put on this late release, as compared to the early Australian version which had more of a "liquid" feel to it. This is a very beautiful album that one should cherish like a good luck charm.