Pure

Hayley Westenra (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 6, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0001IXTIG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,589 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #15 in Music > Classical > Sacred & Religious > General

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Popular Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 6-APR-2004

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crystal Clear, June 27, 2004

By 

D. Cootey (Utopia, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pure (Audio CD)

Hayley Westenra, the 17 year old songstress from New Zealand, has put together a debut album for America that is sure to please classical crossover fans. With a diverse selection of music from classical to folk to easy listening, all the songs fit together as a whole due to their orchestrated arrangements. Perhaps most notable in Hayley's voice is the absence of the operatic vibrato that many classical crossover artists utilize in their performances, such as Charlotte Church who most people will draw immediate comparisons to. Instead, Hayley is more like Streisand in how she holds the note crystal clear with slight vibrato towards the end. Hayley's range is quite high for a young woman and, unlike her earlier releases in New Zealand, her pitch is truly perfect. However, her music is not sterile by any means, showing room for improvement as her voice matures, but bringing a warm personality to the performances that pleases the ears and soothes the soul.

Highlights for me off this album are:
? Never Say Goodbye - So high and steady is her voice at one point you will mistake it for a violin. Soothing, not screechy.
? Across the Universe of Time - Haunting chorus as she sings with herself. Melancholy yet beautiful.
? Dark Waltz - A beautiful classical arrangement compliments this melancholy tune. Hayley's voice is angelic throughout the chorus.
? Heaven - More pop than the other tracks, but still more classical than mainstream. Lilting tune. Lilting voice.
? Wuthering Heights - Perhaps an unfamiliar tune to those not aware of the delightful Kate Bush, Hayley adds her own personality to this arrangement, even outshining the same cover she did for the UK release. With more dramatic strings and accompaniment than the UK edition behind her, Hayley's voice soars into the higher octaves effortlessly. Very different than Kate Bush's original falsetto version or the rerecorded version from 1985.

I highly recommend this album. It is a wonderful panacea to the blather currently blaring on pop radio.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Took me by surprise!, May 21, 2004

By 

Jake Reynolds (Parsippany, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pure (Audio CD)

At the ripe old age of 50 I thought I'd heard everything worth listening to by now. Then a commercial for Pure ran and I was completely speechless! I'm saying to myself, what are they FEEDING this gal ... ambrosia and nectar from the gods? Nobody gets a voice like this! Nobody!

Hayley has a divine gift. That's the deal, plain and simple. Buy this album or steal it from a friend who already has five copies. Get it by all means and rejoice in the purity and glory of songs so delicious you won't believe your ears.

If we're naming favorites, I'd start with River of Dreams, Dark Waltz, Benedictus, Amazing Grace and Across The Universe Of Time, but the list really includes everything. No clunkers, only some more heavenly than others if you know what I mean. Wuthering Heights is so different it feels like it belongs on another album but I appreciate every crazy note of it. The guitar solo at the end was a nice touch for us old rockers.

In summary: Pure is a total knockout! Get it or miss out!

44 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stepping Out Into the Limelight, April 7, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Pure (Audio CD)

I have mixed feelings about Hayley Westenra. She is gifted with a beautiful voice, which has yet to fully mature. The work on this album complements her range perfectly. She is attractive and bright in her appearances. Indeed, it's hard to find a material complaint about her. I just wish she would slow down a bit.

A fine voice is a fragile thing, and a quick visit to her website reveals that a great deal over effort is being put into the making of a Hayley into a 'phenomenon. Today she has the seemingly endless energy of a young woman at the age of sixteen. Hopefully her voice will be given a chance to mature and bloom. Right now, she reminds me a bit of the young Sarah Brightman, and so is worth respect and attention.

Avuncular musings aside, this is a very auspicious international debut. As I've mentioned, the songs are well chosen, varying from Maori folks songs to rewritten classical melodies. Her previous albums, which are less orchestral over-productions, are more genuine expressions of her voice, which has been strained to its limits on this album. Unfortunately, they have limited distribution outside of New Zealand. If you can find them, they are also excellent purchases.

The overall styling is a bit 'lavender,' with some sameness in arrangement and expression. But the core quality is excellent with outstanding moments (Heaven, Hine E Hine, and Who Painted the Moon Black). Pokarekare Ana is a close runner-up, but lacks the depth displayed in the others. Wuthering Heights is just a bit out of her grasp, although it won't be in a few years. By all means pick this up - it's as pleasant a piece of pop music as I've heard this year.