Customer Reviews

Sweet Is the Melody

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

One of the reasons I was trying to get my hands on this album was because her image gave me hope. With the Britney's, Christina's and even Jessica's each trying to out-slut each other, I was getting extremely sad for the younger generation. I mean, eventually, we are going to turn the world over to them and ask them to carry the ball in the game of life. Aselin is a wholesome young girl who has been influenced by the folk songs she sings. The pictures in this album are very cute, and reflect her values very well.

Let me tell you, Aselin does not disappoint. For someone who is liking folk-type music more and more (and the more Celtic influences, the better) Aselin's voice is a musical breath of fresh air. She's not another Charlotte Church or another anything. She is in her own right, an excellent singer, and from here she can only come into her own voice and get better.

My favorite tracks on this CD are Sweet is the Melody, The Dance You Choose, Driftwood, and It's Getting Dark Again. The other songs are excellent as well. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I have.

I actually got this CD at a bookstore when I was going through the Irish/Celtic section of the store. My eyes turned jumped to the label that she was 12 years old. Of course, me getting in to folk music of various cultures in my college classes made it even more interesting for me, so I decided to get it.

Aselin just blew me away. There were sections of the CD that were very beautiful. The song "Rise Again" particularly caught my attention. It caught my attention, not because of the technical difficulty like such pieces as The Queen of the Night Arias from "The Magic Flute," but it was because of the atmosphere she created and the age at which she was able to do so. The CD mentions that she has had strong influence of Country and Popular music, and you can definitely hear that. However, you cannot really label the music as either one. There is strong Celtic influence, and one person mentioned that some parts even sound like square dancing numbers.

I really think that it is ridiculous that some people are labeling her as the "next" Celine Dion. First of all, in my opinion, when Celine Dion goes up into the high notes, she can be absolutely obnoxious sounding. Some people may like that kind of singing, but, for me, it gets old after a while. Aselin seems to like to go into falsetto in the high notes. Indeed, this is something she probably will not do once her voice fully matures, but you get a sweet, innocent feeling from her voice, which is very refreshing. You cannot really compare her to Charlotte Church either. In fact, this may surprise people; I can listen to both of them without any problem whatsoever. While Charlotte is very traditional in her approach, Aselin incorporates many different styles and ideas into her singing that Charlotte does not. Hence, it makes both of them very interesting to hear.

The only real oddity in the CD is the arrangement of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World." It is very up-tempo and rhythmic. If you have only heard the original recordings by Judy Garland and Louis Armstrong, then it will take you a few times listening to understand the arrangement. It is also probably the most challenging as far as range goes and she is often stretching for notes. However, overall, she does a fairly decent job, and hence, it did not really bother me.

Track #2 "The Dance You Choose" brought a smile to my face. It is very rhythmic in places, but not excessively. I found it to be a very upbeat and happy song. It is also very impressive that she was a co-writer on this track. This is one of my favorites on the CD. However, it is tracks like track #1 "Sweet is the Melody," and track #6 "Out of the Woods" that really make her unique. These songs are very simply constructed, almost like folk songs, yet Aselin brings a kind of innocence and childlike simplicity to them that has the potential to bring tears to tears to people's eyes, as she has done many times.

Something must also be said for her image. The vast majority of teen music celebrities have a bad girl image. From the minute I got the CD opened, I realized this was not the case with Aselin. The CD is yellow colored with red flowers on it. The pictures of her in the CD are pictures of her walking and sitting on a beach of stones wearing a white sweater and long red skirt, holding a dog, smiling and laying in a haystall, and wearing a straw hat. Hence, the image she gives is much like that of her music: sweet, innocent, and charming. There is no tight clothing, no fowl language, no "rebel mentality," and no sexual content whatsoever. Other teens like Brittany Spears and Christina Agulera rely almost solely on some of these things to sell CDs. I really respect Aselin for not doing this. I hope she keeps this sweet girl mentality throughout her career, and that people will encourage her to do so. I would rather spend my money on someone like Aselin then on someone like Brittany, because Aselin has demonstrated that she is concerned with music, and that is the mode she is going to use to sell CD's, and not the bad girl mentality. Now I have not met the girl, so I do not know if she is really like this, but you have to wonder when you hear more about Brittany Spears' failed marriage and Jennifer Lopez's breakups and marriage, and hear next to nothing about this girl until you accidentally stumble across her CD in the folk music section of a bookstore.

As for her talent, the sky's the limit. Sony Classical has produced artists such as Yo Yo Ma, and Joshua Bell. She is not even 15, and she has already given a performance in Carnegie Hall. The scary part is she will only get better.

Aselin Debison has a pop perspective but a down-home sense about her. The young Glace Bay native from Cape Breton, NS, who entered the recording studio and her teens at about the same time, has a pure, clear voice with a strength beyond her years.

There's no question Aselin has the voice of a teen, and yet she lacks the saccharine quality so common among some of her peers. If she sticks to her current path, she could easily straddle the boundary between pop and Cape Breton folk and find some commercial success while staying true to her roots. Let's hope so!

This is Aselin Debison's second album, but the first with a major label (part of a 5-record Sony deal). Her first album "The Littlest Angel" showcased her hauntingly beautiful young voice, and was on at our house throughout the Christmas season. Now, at age 12, Aselin's voice is maturing, as is her depth of artistry. "Sweet is the Melody" always flirts with a Celtic tone, but can be described as a combination of folk/country and pop.

Hers is a natural voice, not a trained one. Some expecting to hear another Charlotte Church may be initially disappointed -- until they sit down and listen to all of "Sweet is the Melody" and begin to understand how moving her performances are, and how rare a gift her voice is. "Once in Every Life", "Rise Again", "Love So Rare", or even the unofficial Cape Breton anthem "The Island" are likely to bring on tears. "The Gift", though a simple Christmas folk song, dominated radio requests in areas where it got airplay this Christmas. Rousing songs like "The Dance You Choose" are fun and touching at the same time (my son loves that one). From breathy expression to full-voiced power, Aselin has the ability to communicate far more than one would expect from a girl her age. Just get this album!

The music matches the voice and is inspiringly beautiful. If you hear a song from this CD you wouldn't know that this performer was only 12 when she recorded this album. With songs written by Sineah Lohan and Sean McCann of Great Big Sea, you can understand why this music is appealing to all ages. Aselin is sure to attract a wide audience and should in no way be categorized as Bubble Gum Pop. She's no Brittany or Christina and be thankful for that. Let's hope her singing progresses as she gets older into one of a solid folk-edged singer.

As one reviewer mentioned, talent like this is all over Canada. It's beautiful that some of our kids are getting this kind of recognition, but if you go to any school concert across the nation you'll hear some amazing stuff from the young vocalists. The key to this particular performer is the Nova Scotia background. Trills and lilting melodies are a part of the life's blood of the east coast, and it's always a thrill to get to hear some of this music and let it just seep into your soul. Great CD, definitely worth the $12.

I first knowingly heard Aselin Debison's voice about a week ago on the sound system of a local bookstore. I was not particularly paying attention, as generally one does not pay particular attention to the piped music in a bookstore.

But the voice and the songs, some of which I was familiar with, (for I like Celtic and East Coast Canadian material) kept stealing my attention.

I didn't at all realize that it was a child's voice (probably because the singing was too good), only that it was a little thin and shrill on occasion, though no more so than that of some other successful professional recording artists. But a rendition of "Over the Rainbow" with changed melody did feel odd.

Upon walking up to the the second floor, I found that I had not been listening to a recording but to the audio from a live concert in the bookstore.

I ended up buying both the CD and the video.

I have played both again and again.

Some earlier reviews here have suggested that neither the songs on the CD nor Aselin's voice are particularly special.

This may be a just assessment.

Perhaps Aselin is sometimes straining and missing what she is aiming for, or perhaps not.

For the songs all work wonderfully to me as she sings them, not because of the novelty of the singer being so young, but because they are excellently rendered in a distinctive voice.

I found, at least by the third listen, that, for me anyway, her renditions on the CD of tunes that I was familiar with were as valid and as definitive as any interpretation I could recall. She certainly knows how to sing.

Even the odd falsetto and slightly blue-note reworking of "Over the Rainbow", while of course not a replacement for the Garland version, is in part because of its novelty and extra edge and unfamiliarity, even more enjoyable.

Is it perhaps ia harmony voice for an arrangement of "Over the Rainbow" which Aselin is singing as a melody in its own right?

Nothing seems forced. The singing just flows from her, sometimes in pure, clear notes, sometimes with a slight jazz-voice style roughness, always perfectly appropriate, with the beautiful and natural folk music blue-note edge that technical voice training so often destroys. Ah! Cape Breton!

The music of the small backing orchestra is also superb, especially the fiddles in the Celtic numbers.

I want more.

Since we bought this CD, we have played it over and over and over. We just don't seem to get tired of it. Aselin has an incredible, natural voice that seems effortless in its ability to express both joy and depth. It is sweet, but not syrupy. She sings beautiful ballads, and catchy, upbeat reels. Whatever our mood, it brightens when we hear this CD. All of us, including our young daughters, 2 and 6, sing along when it's playing.

For some reason, she reminds me of Kate Rusby, a British singer you might also want to hear. Both of these artists - and they are artists in the greatest sense - bring their own special sound to their respective, wonderful songs.

The producers Peter Asher and George Massenburg should also be given credit for making sure this talented singer is supported by talented musicians, wonderful arrangements, and skillful blending of all elements. Great producers are often unsung heroes.

And if there are singers with Aselin's talent in schools all across Canada, as one reviewer here suggested, I would be very surprised. Her fresh voice may sound simple and 'untrained,' but it's certainly not something common - it is something very special!

If you liked the medley of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World," there is an even better version sung by Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole. It is found in the album "Facing Future."

I love Aselin Debison and can't wait for another CD to come out. Her songs are so different from what is usually heard. My favorite songs were "Dance You Choose", "Moonlight Shadow", and "Getting Dark Again".
The only song that I can't stand to listen to is the medley of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World. However, I think that this is only because it is hard to compare to Judy Garland and What a Wonderful World irritates me.
Overall, this CD is worth the money.