Customer Reviews

One Voice

5 star:		(145)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I first heard Billy Gilman in what seems to be a typical way - while bored on a Saturday I paused while flipping on CMT to figure out why a kid was singing on a school bus. The images were haunting, but much less than Billy's voice. I'm not a country fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I ended up buying the CD from Amazon.

What an album! It is funny and touching and reminds me of being younger and not knowing about so many of the issues and problems of adult life. I have a tendency to listen an album to death until I can't stand it anymore, but 2 months later I still pop it in. That is as long as any of my nearly 200 CDs have made it. Some of the songs are a little too cutesy and highlight the fact that Billy's voice hasn't changed yet more than I would like, which is why I only gave 4 stars (Little Bitty Pretty One is the worst), but I was mostly amazed that he could transmit the complex emotions that went with the lyrics in One Voice, What's Forever For, and Oklahoma.

How can any 11 (now 12) year old possibly have such a handle on his voice and his emotions, and still come off to be a normal kid?

I must say that I am proud to stick One Voice in among my normal tastes of jazz and classical, and I even put up with snide comments from friends for having some boy's cute album in my collection. I wish Billy luck as he continues his career, hopefully his voice will change well and he will not lose all of the innocence that is so obvious (and appealing) in his first work. Basically, if you even begin to like One Voice, buy the CD, you won't be disappointed. I wasn't.

I must admit I am not a country music fan. So to rate this CD with 5 stars, it MUST be exceptional, and it really IS EXCEPTIONAL. It is very rare for me to find a CD where I actually like ALL of the songs, but Billy sings each song so beautifully, that I really enjoy every one. While Billy has become well known for his amazing rendition of "One voice", there are several other songs that are amazingly good, that I only hope will get air time on the radio. Songs like "Oklahoma" (not related to the musical) and "There's a hero"; are truely great songs that are worth getting the CD just to hear them. Billy brings also brings new meaning to old favorites like "Whats Forever For". If you are a country music fan, you will love this CD. If you are not a country music fan, you will still love this CD. Either way, you cant lose. I can only hope that Billy Gilman will continue to bring us the great music that he has on this alblum. I look foreward to hearing a lot more great music from him.

I never cry.

Ever.

And yet, when I first heard Billy Gilman's "Oklahoma," there were tears streaming down my face.

I don't really know why I am writing this review. If you like it the music, you'll buy it, and if you don't, you won't, and I know not many of you reading this are going to buy this CD just because of ME, but hey, what the heck. I can give it a shot.

Well, where do I begin? Well, let's see... I first saw Mr. Gilman on GAC. I was mainly channel surfing, once in awhle stopping on MTV or TLC (My usual channels). My dad and little brother were in the room watching with me. As I passed by GAC, (One of my dad's favorite channels,) I saw a young boy riding in a bus. Without pausing, I quickly changed the channel. My dad: "Oh, Katie! Stop! You'll like this video!" I rolled my eyes and groaned. "I doubt it." I said. I HATE country. Just to humor him, I flipped back to GAC. A small boy was gazing out the bus window. A young mother was holding her child. A man and woman arguing. A voice was singing in the background. The camera turned back to the small boy. I was then alarmed to see the boy's mouth moving to the words. I quickly glanced back at my dad. What kind of video was this? A little boy lip-syncing to a woman's voice? Wha-? I sat there, very confused, watching the rest of the video. A beautiful song, yes, but I couldn't figure out what kind of video this was supposed to be. Then it occured to me (Yes, I am blonde), that THE BOY was singing! Again, wha-? As I continued to watch, I grew more and more aware of how great this kid was. He had the tone and ability of someone who had been singing decades longer than him. And what a beautiful song! There was so much emotion in the boy's voice, and at the same time, it didn't seem to scare him in the least as his voice soared. The song quickly ended, and I was left dazed, staring at the sceen, jaw dropped. Of course, what else could my little brother do but ruin the moment; "He sounds like a girl," he said, and walked away. Typical.

Well, anyways, from that moment, I was hooked. Who was this Kid? I ran out to the store and bought his CD, much to my embarrassment. I had never before owned a country CD, and I was afraid to let my friends find out that I listed to COUNTRY, God forbid! :) Well, I popped it into my CD player. Of course, I listened to One Voice first, it was the only one I knew. I saw a song called "Oklahoma" on the CD. I though it sounded like a real country type song, so I listened to it next, to get it over with. Remember, I HATE country.

"Suitcase packed with all his things.."

Billy's voice was even more beautiful than on "One Voice." I thought hey, this song isn't so bad.

"One last turn he held his breath.."

Oh, gosh, this song is sad, I thought.

"And all at once the tears came rolling in"

That's exactly what happened. Billy's voice and the amazing words were just too much. I wiped the tears from my eyes as the song finished. How does this kid do it?

Wow... umm.. Why am I telling you all this? I don't know. Jeeze, I bet you didn't want to know all that. I'm long winded, yes.

As for recommending this album to all you out there: Well, I personally give it five stars; as it is my favorite album. I love every single track, and Billy does an amazing job on everyone, from the upbeat "Little Things" to "Till I Can Make it on my Own." As for those who think these songs are too mature for one as young as Billy, it would be a boring CD indeed if every track were "The Snake Song" and "I Think She Likes Me," although there is nothing wrong with those songs; I love them all. I just woudn't want them all to be the same. And, yes, I will admit it, he DOES sound like a girl, but what 12-year-old boy doesn't? His voice is incredible for his age; and for any age. Now I'm not going to say "You won't be dissapointed if you buy this album," because I don't know if you will or won't. I'm just telling you how I feel, and ou can decide for yourself.

Well, I HAVE written enough, haven't I? Thank you for reading!

Saw this kid on the AMC awards show for the first time and was really impressed with his showmanship. Then they started playing this ONE VOICE video on CMT. I loved the song and remembered that it was the kid on the awards show. I could'nt wait for the CD to come out to hear what else he could sing. I have to admit I was really suprised. He has so much depth in his vocal training that you can not hear by just listening to the single. Best song on the album in my opinion is "Spend Another Night". It talks about falling in love maybe for the first time and holding that girl in your dreams until the day that it is right to be together forever. Best showcase of his vocal talent. Awesome Song. "Oklahoma" will put tears in your eyes if you have a heart. "Whats Forever For" puts a hole new meaning to this song being sung from a child's point of view of the world around him. "I Want To Get To Ya" is a great upbeat song about being attracted to the opposite sex at any age. "There's a Hero" is a song about great inspiration that is available to everyone's heart. Overall the "PASSION" that this kid sings with would make Anthony Robbins "Proud" And to see him sing it on TV programs shows his entertainment skills that are way beyond his years. Awesome Kid with an innocent heart and Awesome CD. Can't wait to hear more. And when his voice changes he will only get better.

A smooth marketing move with such a bargain price. I mustadmit I bought it for the price, and the samples I heard right here onAmazon...Billy has a gifted voice and delivery. At 11 years old, I truly hope that he grows into his personal vocal stylings and not be overprodu$ed singing crud like "you light up my life" like some falling star we all know.

My favorite track is the Michael McDonald cover of "What's forever for". It took a whole new meaning coming from the eyes and voice of a child. I stopped at that track and played it over and over when I first got the CD.

I look forward to hearing his wonderful talent grow into the future.

Don't let it go to your head Billy and you'll be a legend someday.

From the moment I first heard One Voice, I knew this album was extra special. Now, five months later, it easily ranks among my top four albums of all time! Billy Gilman's talent and product transcends age and musical genre and makes this an album for the ages. I have never heard a voice more perfect. In listening closely to his well trained voice, I am convinced that even as he grows older, he will continue to have a flawless voice. But for now, treat yourself to this outstanding album. There is not one weak song on it. On a disc of eleven diamonds, three gems sparkle even brighter than the others. "One Voice" is Billy's breakout number one single, and much has been written about it and its praise is well deserved. "Oklahoma" is the second single from the album, and if its touching message doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you should check your pulse. My favorite song on One Voice is Billy's flawless rendition of Tammy Wynette's classic song, "'Til I Can Make It On My Own." Turn out the lights, close your eyes, crank up the stereo, and you will hear musical perfection. Although the subject is probably not a life experience for someone his age, who cares? This is a beautiful song and I find myself listening to it almost every day. I even bought Tammy Wynette's original version, and with all due respect to the late, great queen of country music, I can't imagine anyone singing this song better than Billy Gilman.

You'll love two upbeat songs in particular, "I Think She Likes Me" (a great song for a 12 year old) and "I Wanna Get To Ya." "The Snake Song" is just for fun, and Billy breathes new life into "Little Bitty Pretty One" and Bobby Goldsboro's "Little Things." "What's Forever For" is another country classic expertly interpreted by Billy. I think the only reason I don't rank "There's A Hero" higher is that it comes between my two favorite songs on the album and I find myself skipping it occasionally. My mistake, because this is a good song too.

I saw on AOL chat that Billy likes amazon.com, so Billy, if you read this, thank you for sharing your amazing talent with us. You are an incredible performer and I cannot praise you enough. I'd love to someday meet you and tell you this in person. To everyone else reading this, BUY THIS ALBUM! (and Classic Christmas too.) You won't be disappointed. It is easily the album of the year for 2000, and a great way to start the 21st Century!

"One Voice Was Heard". And no wonder. It was the unforgetable voice of Billy Gilman. When I listen to him sing and try to imagine that voice coming from a fairly typical looking 11-year-old boy, my mind balks. His voice is anything but typical! The power, beauty, tenderness and emotion of his singing is truly amazing. And wonderful. If Billy singing "Oklahoma" does not move you, better check yourself for a pulse.

If I were stranded on a desert island with only one CD to listen to? This would be the one.

I just heard and saw Billy perform the title song, "One Voice Was Heard," on Rosie O'Donnell's show. He is an incredible singer for his young age. The strength in his singing is amazing. Consequently, I needed to get the CD to listen to more of his songs.

CD Review After recording his first single "One Voice," Billy Gilman the 12 year old country singer made, critics of all types, immediately fell in love with him. This young singer is so talented and his voice just sweeps you away. When listening to his music, which most of them are oldies from other singers, you can't believe that someone so small has such a beautiful voice. The song "Oklahoma," a boys' tale of meeting his father for the first time brings tears to your eyes. The only thing that I would have to say I do not like about Billy Gilman is the fact that some of his songs were not written for someone of his age. This is not his fault, but the producers of the CD should not be having a 12 year old singing songs about being together forever, and all of that love stuff. Even though the songs don't fit his age category, he sings them in such a way and with such emotion that you cant help but love every song. With half of these songs being done by other people in previous times:I would have to say that he has sung all of them better than anyone.

First off, I just want to thank Billy for everything. This CD has gotten me through some very tough times in my life, and he's only 12 (in this CD, that is). One Voice has fun, fast songs like: Little Things, I Think She Likes Me, Little Bitty Pretty One, and I Wanna Get To Ya. But then, he moves onto a more MATURE power in singing with One Voice and Oklahoma. One Voice, for those that don't know, is about a kid (who is Billy in the video--der) on a school bus, and he's coming home from middle school, and he sees all the violence in the world (in the video, he sees a mom and dad fighting, a kid getting arrested), and he sees these two boys exchange a gun, and then Billy prays that the violence will stop, and at the end of the song, Billy sees the little boy throw the gun into the river, and then he knows that his prayer was answered. And coming from a 12 year old...that is really deep. I mean...REALLY deep.

A few years ago, my dance instructor's son was diagnosed with brain cancer. She was in and out, but she was mainly with her son. This just so happened to be in the spring of 2000, a few months after Billy came out with the album, One Voice. At our recital that May, the teachers came out, while our instructor was thanking everyone for coming and what not. They said "To show how much we love you, a few of the teachers and the seniors got together and made a special dance for you." By now, our instructor was crying, and since I was in the opening act, I had known about it, but not muttered a word to her. So the lights dim, I'm giving my instructor a hug, and she's wiping her eyes, and the music starts. It's Billy's "There's A Hero." I had known that there was going to be a "special dance", but I didn't know that it was to this particular song. My grandmother had passed away the previous November, and I listened to this to cope with my saddness. So while the teachers and seniors were dancing, I felt a tear or two slip down my cheek. This song was written for the Special Olympics, but a more personal reason that Billy doesn't state that much is that his own grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, so his managers and songwriters wrote There's A Hero.

Even if you don't like Billy's songs (which there isn't a reason to hate his songs), you should at least like him for who he is. He is currently a 15 year old, about to be 16, and he is the current MDA National Youth Chairman. He was on the MDA marathon on Labor day weekend, and he sang a few songs off of Music Through Heartsongs. He donates money and his time to St. Judes hospital, and hearing him in person is beyond the extreme. Sure, he'll maybe hit a few off-key notes, but it's the emotion behind it. I went to a concert once, and he sang, "Crying" by Roy Orbison (sp?), and it was just a beautiful rendition of it, allowing him to belt out at the end. Let me tell you right here and now, there wasn't a dry eye in the place, and there was a large crowd.

Billy always shows such emotion in his songs, whether it is about a foster child finally meeting his birthfather, or expressing heartache, or love at first sight. Billy has a genuine personality, and a God-given voice that has been used to the greatest. Thank you Billy.