Real Emotional Girl

Patricia O'Callaghan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 20, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B00004TG66
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,087 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hallelujah

2. Better Man

3. Real Emotional Girl

4. Johnny Johnson: Captain Valentine's Tango

5. Je Reve De Toi

6. I'm Your Man

7. Joan Of Arc

8. Nanna's Song

9. Lucky To Be Me

10. Like A Rolling Stone

11. Attendez Que Ma Joie Revienne

12. Stay Well

13. Take This Waltz

14. Mon Manege A Moi

15. A Singer Must Die

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On balance, a thumbs up effort., April 12, 2001

By 

G. D. Geiss (Harrisburg, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Real Emotional Girl (Audio CD)

This elfin young Canadian has a beautiful voice: clear and pure and cultured. From the opening lines of the opening song you can hear her classical training, but, perhaps because of the material, I think she'll put you more in mind of a slightly dusky Julie Andrews rather than Cecilia Bartoli. The singing here is definitely worth the price of admission. The material, though, is not easily labeled. It's not jazz. It's not pop. I've seen it called cabaret. Whatever you call it, it certainly is eclectic. Represented, are three French songs (in French, of course), songs (and show tunes) from Kurt Weil, Randy Newman (the title track), Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam fame).

Leaving aside the three songs in French, which I can't speak to, except to say her accent sounds good, there are a couple of uneven spots in the material and the attempt to apply this lovely, cultured voice to Dylan just doesn't work. As against that, however, there is also some outstanding material here. Ms. O'Callaghan neatly turns the usually dark Leonard Cohen into cheeky fun on "I'm Your Man". Her "A Singer Must Die" and "Take This Waltz" are wonderfully tender yet powerful; "Stay Well" is poignant and stunning; and "Hallelujah" and "Joan of Arc" are given about as perfect a rendering as any Leonard Cohen songs are ever going to get. They are so emotionally well wrought that you could almost cry with the longing and the loss. She bares the emotion at the heart of his poetry with control, precision, and just the right amount of detachment. Just absolutely superb!

I think that this young lady is destined for greatness. This disc, on balance, is a thumbs up effort. I look forward to more from her and can recommend that you give this one a listen.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ambitious album from a singer whose voice gleams, February 21, 2004

By 

LA Love (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Emotional Girl (Audio CD)

Thank goodness Patricia O'Callaghan's talents aren't hidden away at some expensive opera house for only a few to hear, though her style and technique would certainly be appreciated in such a setting. Instead, this bad-ass chanteuse has chosen the bold path of Cabaret Singer.
So, as on this album, she immerses herself in good, but not typical songs: Leonard Cohen, Kurt Weill, and Pearl Jam. And here's a rare talent: she actually GETS the lyrics and the music. She wraps her voice around the songs with appropriately intense dynamics and phrasing.
"Real Emotional Girl" is an album for those who don't need preset labels for their music: when great songs, great singing, and interesting arrangements are enough. It's a real treat. Patricia O'Callaghan is a singer with a strong, beautifully clear voice and heck of a lot of grit.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Emotional Girl, May 31, 2001

By 

Fenwick R. Small (Hendersonville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real Emotional Girl (Audio CD)

Outstanding voice and good music. A real winner. Hope she does more soon.