Faryl

Faryl Smith (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 5, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0023GAJ14
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,633 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Faryl Smith, December 2008

"When people come up to me and say `oh, your singing made me cry', it's nice to realize that you're making other people happy. But I don't know how I do it, I just sing."

Product Description

Produced and arranged by Jon Cohen, Faryl consists of an eclectic mix of 12 stunning tracks ranging from such signature classics as Amazing Grace to the lesser known Welsh hymn Calon Lan , taught lovingly to Faryl over the phone by her Grandfather. The album features Faryl s signature song Ave Maria her choice of talent show audition song which has now become synonymous with the youngster, gaining standing ovations whenever she performs it. River of Light has been written by Ivor Novello winning writer Frank Musker and is based on The Blue Danube by John Strauss one of the most popular tunes of all time. The melody is loved around the world but no one has ever heard it like this before. No doubt one of the album s hidden gems is The Way Old Friends Do written by Abba s Bjon Ulvaeus and taken from their 1980 classic Super Trouper album. Bjorn personally changed the lyrics to suit the young star. ...ordinarily Abba are very strict and never sanction lyric changes, but with Faryl, Bjorn offered to change the words personally (Tom Lewis - UCJ) Adding a new dimension to the album is Annie s Song Faryl s rendition of US country star John Denver s number 1 track from 1974. The haunting ballad highlights Faryl s varied vocal range and further showcases the young singers diversity Faryl sings with precision, emotion and power throughout each of the album s 12 tracks. A testament to her ability, Faryl proves that the young girl from Kettering has a glittering career ahead of her. Every singer dreams of recording their own album, but to have this chance at my age was amazing said Faryl. The recording was a challenge - I had to fit it around my school work and so ended up recording right through my Christmas holidays, but I loved every minute of it!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Transcendent Debut, June 4, 2009

By 

J. Michael Click (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faryl (Audio CD)

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What a lovely, lovely voice Faryl Smith possesses! I was caught completely off-guard by the extraordinary purity, the exceptional timbre, and especially the dynamic range of her soprano instrument - a combination which is rarely found in any vocal artist, much less one who is (barely) a teenager.

Her self-titled debut CD could not be a better showcase for her remarkable talent. Faryl performs an impressive variety of selections that span many musical genres, including sacred ("Amazing Grace"), pop ("Annie's Song"), classical ("Brahms' Lullaby"), American traditional ("Shenandoah"), and Broadway ("Somewhere" from West Side Story) music - and she excels at each of them. I found her interpretations to be transcendent; even when she sang familiar songs by other artists (such as an adaptation of ABBA's "The Way Old Friends Do"), she was able to make them completely her own.

The CD includes her 'signature' song, "Ave Maria" - a notoriously difficult selection because of the demands it makes on the performer's range and breathing - and she nails it effortlessly. However, I was most impressed by the exquisite "Mother of God, Here I Stand", a track without lyrics in which Faryl's voice becomes the predominant instrument of the London Session Orchestra; her performance of this selection put a lump in my throat the size of a baseball.

It goes without saying that Faryl Smith won't be everyone's cup of tea; no artist ever is. However, if you're a fan of outstanding vocal performances, of easy listening, or even of pop music performed with a classical twist, you will definitely want to add this phenomenal CD to your music library. Most highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Faryl's Incredible Voice, June 11, 2009

By 

Tim Drake "Author and Journalist" (Saint Joseph, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faryl (Audio CD)

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First discovered by "Britain's Got Talent", Faryl Smith's album is full of enjoyable surprises. Smith looks like a brunette Cameron Diaz, but her voice reminds me of a cross between a classically-trained Broadway singer and ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

The album has something for everyone. There's a Celtic number - "Calon Lan," and a Broadway showtune, "Somewhere."

I enjoyed both her classical and religious numbers, such as "Amazing Grace," her signature "Ave Maria," and her lyric-less "Mother of God, Here I Stand," but was also very pleasantly surprised by her take on more modern fare, such as "Shenandoah," "Annie's Song," and my personal favorite, "How Can I Keep from Singing."

Her "The Way Old Friends Do" (by ABBA's Benny Andersson) would make a great song for high school or college graduations or reunions.

Faryl has an enormously listenable voice. It's music that you can put on in the background while you're carrying out a task, a conversation, or enjoying dinner. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of soprano/mezzo-soprana style female vocalists. You can't go wrong with this CD.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Voice, Needs Better Arrangements for More Interest, June 1, 2009

By 

Burgmicester (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Faryl (Audio CD)

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Faryl shows a very strong refreshing voice. It was made for religious songs with her strongest songs of the album Ave Maria and then Amazing Grace.

Annie's Song was a good example of her singing ability, but the arrangement was nothing special.

Mother of God, Here I Stand was a particularly beautiful rendition and even though she doesn't sing a word, her voice accompaniment was pleasure.

I found The River of Light (Blue Danube) to be somewhat odd for inclusion in this grouping of songs.

The songs are very plain and they do allow her to be the center of attention, but it would have been nice to hear some different arrangements on this hosting of long time favorites.

Shenandoah as well as A Nightingale in Berkeley Square come across as you would expect show tune style songs to do. Her voice is so strong that without a correspondingly aggressive background, she has a tendency to be a Broadway voice in these songs. Although, with Faryl singing, there is nothing particularly wrong with that. But it feels too commercial at times.

How Can I Keep From Singing is a "Enya"-like song, but there isn't the depth and interest to compete with that style. However, her voice is certainly capable.

I am a sucker for anyone singing "Somewhere", even Barbara Streisand. But this one falls flat without the chills that I normally get. I was disappointed with this one; I just wasn't as engaged as I can be.

The Way Old Friends Do was a good start to having something different.

Everyone sings Brahm's Lullaby, but there was nothing new on this one.

With the arrangements so plain, I'm not sure that this CD will be the one that you play over and over again to hear. And that is a disappointment, as Faryl's voice and carry is exceptional. She deserves more from the production of her music. Faryl's singing gets a "5", the background and production get a "3" giving the overall rating a "4".