Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent crossover artist!, August 19, 2007
Lea Salonga is a captivating Broadway singer-actress with a wonderful vocal gift for ballads. It's however nice to hear her perform covers of pop songs well beyond her usual theater genre. Few crossover artists have such an ease of transition, of which only a few notable come to mind including Anthony Warlow, Patti Lupone and Sarah Brightman. This album features lush melodies, beautiful score and topnotch arrangement. Salonga may not be as prolific as other artists, but every album that she records is a vocal masterpiece worth keeping and listening to for ages.
|
|
|
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lea Has Done It Again!, August 2, 2007
I'm just writing this off the top of my head, but I had to say something. I've been a fan of Lea Salonga's since her KCET Les Miserables concert... about 12(?) years ago. I had recently seen the play locally and the wonderful music from that play was still bouncing around in my head and I was just flipping channels when I ran across this TV special. Up pops this character with a voice that immediately brought tears to my eyes. So good, sooooo VERY great. Lea brought the house down...blew the doors out as no other performer in the cast did. (Man, this is just like remembering my first date.)
Everything she's ever done since then has had that effect on me. I have to listen to her CDs half a dozen times before I can put away the kleenex box (THIS CD is very much included). Yeah, go ahead and laugh (and you who have never heard her would laugh and those who HAVE will understand and maybe smile a little), but her work, her songs, her interpretations, to me, are just that beautiful.
This woman is the real deal. Maybe the best female ballad and broadway singer in a generation. New records from her have been hard to find for awhile (no wonder: getting married, doing plays in Manila, and staring in her own concert in Carnegie Hall when she was 8 months pregnant, then having a daughter and just being a mother). But she's back and all here in this CD. I don't care if this thing cost me $30.00, I'd pay twice that. Frankly, I can't understand why there are only 3 reviews here--there should be about 800!
For you Lea fans, I don't have to say anything more. For you who have never heard her: fall in love with life again. Get this CD and listen to one of the purest and most beautiful singing voices on the planet. Because you'll fall in love with more than life, you'll fall in love with her tallent and everything she puts into a song. You will, as so many of her fans have done, fall in love with her.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful!, January 9, 2009
Here's my take on "Inspired." I love the fact that Lea is famous for her beautiful renditions of songs that have been rearranged to suit her style. A great example is her "When October Goes" (from her Stage L.A. concert tribute to Mercer) which is a complete departure from the original Barry Manilow version. I guess the audience wasn't expecting such soft melodius and emotional rendition that she received the biggest ovation among other Broadway veteran performers at that concert. Since then, I have been hoping for a new album with that song but arranged by her brother, Gerard Salonga be released. Finally, "Inspired" was released. A perfect parting gift to her fans before she took the reign of the doomed Fantine in Les Miserables on Broadway in 2006. Not the expected Broadway selection but this time, a tribute to popular classic and jazz songs.
Let me start with "Two Words" (did you know this was her actual wedding vow?). The introduction is new as compared to the last official recording and live performances. The sweeping orchestral movement was beautiful. It's mesmerizing and one can only admire the genius of Gerard Salonga who is indeed a master of his craft. This artiste deserves an award for the entire album or the least for this song. Lea's version of Beverley Craven's "Promise Me" is personally, a better arrangement and vocal style. It's also refreshing to hear Sergio Mendez' s classic "Waiting for Love". Reminiscent of smokey jazz bars from the 50's, I thought Lea did a splendid job in "Who Are You?" and "Foolish Heart." "Do You Hear It" is something I would like to listen to when I just want to relax. Now, straight from the 80's, I didn't know that the melody from the tv movie Brian's Song had lyrics. It's a nice retrospective of that era with a nice pop touch to it. "When Winter's Gone" is a refreshing epilogue to a more emotional "When October Goes." This version of October has a jazzier upbeat as compared to her very emotional Mercer song yet Gerard still managed to keep the beautiful signature "Falling Leaves" melody intact. Overall, this is her best non-Broadway album to date. It is a beautiful timeless recording that I can listen to over and over again. I highly recommend it to everyone.
PS. This album was "repackaged" in 2007 with 2 new additional songs "If You're Not Here" and "Of All The Things". Well worth the second purchase just for the 2 new songs.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by Lea Salonga 
