Customer Reviews

Winter Magic

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hayley Westenra has the voice of an angel; her fans have known that, since the beginning. But, what we truly discover with this recording is that she is also a Christmas angel. If at the time of listening to this recording the listener is not yet in the Christmas spirit, this CD will do the trick. It is a diamond that, once owned, will be cherished and I dare anyone to not be reluctant to loan it out to friends and family.

Many vocalists the world over put out Christmas CDs that, while perhaps very beautiful, are stale in song choice. Not so here. It is on Hayley's Christmas CD that we hear the rarer, more solemn spectrum of the holidays as in such the spine-tingling, introspective Veni Veni Emmanuel (sung entirely in Latin) and The Coventry Carol. Also, Hayley's voice soars in her rendition of Carol of The Bells and enchants in the Corpus Christi Carol. Not without its playful charm, included are also Sleigh Ride and a stirring The Little Drummer Boy. Hayley also covers the popular song River with much heart and puts her soul into it. And, last but not least, there is a gem called Christmas Morning which the singer wrote herself which has the great infectiousness to bring a smile and the keen yearning for snow, family and everything involving Christmas celebration.

If you haven't bought this CD yet, what are you waiting for? Stick it in the stereo, curl up in front of a roaring fire or brightly-lit Christmas tree with a cup of cocoa while the snow falls softly outside and drift off into bliss.

In this recording Hayley shows a softer side of her voice. Christmas is a time of displaying gentle love to all humanity and true to her artistic form she has captured the essence of the season. Christmas is about "a light that has shown through the darkness." Winter Magic does this in a beautiful way. Hayley does not simply sing the songs, she caresses them with love. She pours herself into every song to bring us hope, which is summed up in her original "Peace Shall Come".
In our Northern Hemisphere these are the darkest and longest nights of our year. We are blessed that this young woman of the Southern Hemisphere, who for the first 15 years of her life only experienced Christmas in the summer, has granted to us this essence of light from her homeland. She has brought to our northern nights a glimpse of the Southern Cross. Her choice of songs and musical arrangements has brought to our hearts a wish of peace, love and hope.
Additional note: Kudos to the songwriting team of Hayley Westenra and Jeff Franzel - Three wonderful songs!
J.F. Glenn

Hayley's new album will surely lift your Christmas spirit like never before. Beautiful vocals, creative arrangements, and incredibly well-written brand new songs are all put together to make this album very special and different from all the other Christmas albums. Hayley presents some popular seasonal songs such as 'Silent Night,' 'Sleigh Ride,' 'Carol of the Bells,' and 'The Little Drummer Boy,' but the wonderful thing is that these songs don't sound like your typical Christmas song on the radio. In addition to these songs, Hayley sings the soft, emotional 'River,' which is sure to send chills down your spine. And her version of the lesser heard song 'The Little Road to Bethlehem' is just so fantastic and cheerful! Hayley also co-wrote three songs, 'Christmas Morning,' 'All with You,' and 'Peace Shall Come'. I've always been a little apprehensive about newly-written Christmas songs, but these songs are easily the very best on the album. My personal favourite is 'Peace Shall Come'--I've never heard a more perfect song. I'm sure you will think so too. ;) So leave alone the traditional, same old singers you hear every winter and buy this beautiful, magical album.

I'm a big Hayley Westenra fan, so I would have bought this latest CD anyway. The Amazon package with Winter Magic arrived as I was racing out the door, so I opened it on my way to my car. From the moment I inserted the CD into my CD player, I was mesmerized, captivated, filled with the joy and merriment of the Christmas season. For that to happen while negotiating Southern California traffic is really saying something! Unable to part with the object of my Christmas cheer, I pulled the CD from the player upon my arrival at work and shared it with everyone in the office. They too were in awe. We all agree that this album offers a freshness and unique song selection too often missing in other Christmas CDs. Of course, Hayley's beautiful voice would make any song better, but this CD is something special.

Hayley Westenra has the most beautiful voice I have heard in years. She is smart and with her soft voice and perfect pitch she will be successful in whatever she does. I have been involved in music for 70 years and know that Hayley will be in demand for many years to come. She is my number one singer and I will continue to listen to her as long as I can.

Winter Magic truly is a "magical" album, with a wonderful mixture of seasonal songs. When I first saw the track listing, I was a little disappointed at the lack of familiar carols that I had been hoping to hear Hayley sing. However, I am anything but disappointed with this album. If you love Hayley Westenra, you will love this album, too.

With Winter Magic, Hayley didn't just record a collection of all the usual Christmas carols, as most artists do. She has said that she's been planning this album for some time, and that she wanted it to be one that could be enjoyed all season, not just at Christmas time. It is very original, the work of a true artist. She put a lot of thought into the songs, and even wrote 3 of them herself. The musical arrangements are excellent, not to mention her gorgeous vocals. The whole album has a magical, wintry atmosphere.

Her voice sounds just the way it should for every song. When the songs are light and cheery, so is her voice. The choral pieces contain strong, pure vocals. Her voice is NOT weak. As she's grown older, her voice has grown too. With every album, her voice sounds a tiny bit different, but always contains outstanding beauty and purity.

The Little Road to Bethlehem is one I didn't know. It's a very pleasant, happy song.

The whole arrangement of Carol of the Bells is excellent. She starts off softly, but gets stronger as the song builds in excitement. I especially love the way she harmonizes with herself in certain parts.

I've never been crazy about The Christmas Song, but Hayley sings it beautifully, and makes me like it anyway.

Veni Veni Emmanuel is absolutely stunning. Her vocals are pure and strong. I love the way she lilts on the word "Davidica" in the 3rd verse. Then the intensity of the music following the refrain in this section is so thrilling.

Silent Night is very pretty. It is warm and soft, almost like a lullaby, but her voice is still as strong and pure as ever. Her vocals here are far better than the recording on My Gift to You, one of her first New Zealand releases.

Christmas Morning, one that Hayley wrote, delightfully conjures up images of the delights of childhood Christmases. Her voice is so pretty, and seems to twinkle with the music.

Sleigh Ride is very nice. I think belting out this song would've made it sound overdone. I think it's fine the way she did it.

In River, Hayley's wistful emotion convinces you that she is "selfish and sad", though in reality she is nothing of the sort.

The Little Drummer Boy is simply sung with the lovely vocals typical of Hayley.

Corpus Christi Carol is another one unfamiliar to me. It's a Middle English carol telling the story of Christ in a symbolic manner. Hayley's haunting, pure vocals right at the end are the highlight of this song.

All With You is another one written by Hayley, and is now one of my all-time favorite Hayley songs. The melody is wonderful, and her voice is gorgeous. It rivals her Summer Rain from Treasure.

The haunting Coventry Carol is new to me, but now one of my favorites from the album. It's about Herod's slaying of infants in effort to kill the newborn King. The vocals are stunning and impressive, by both Hayley and the young choir.

Winter's Dream is full of winter magic. I love the children's vocals throughout the song.

The album ends triumphantly with Peace Shall Come, also written by Hayley. I find it to be a song of joy and hope. It is what Christmas is all about.

Hayley's latest effort, "Winter Magic" is a Christmas themed album that further reinforces her dominance as a leading classical crossover artist. Her perfect pitch voice absolutely sparkles with clarity in this very appealing collection of holiday music. Along with some traditional and favourite Christmas music are three self-penned songs; "All With You, Christmas Morning, and the pop style "Peace Will Come". Once again, Hayley has demonstrated that she is a credible songwriter as well as a versatile vocal artist. "Winter Magic" will be a fine addition to anyones music collection and possibly the centre of it.

When artists release Christmas albums, they often have a tendency to make them sentimental and gooey for the season, which completely ruins it. Hayley's newest album does not fall into that category thankfully. I admit, I was not impressed by the original samples until I listened to the entire album on[...]. After that, I was hooked and have been ever since.

Hayley is a wonderful singer who puts life and emotion into everything she things, and it definitely shows on this album. She doesn't reach many high notes or have power like on previous albums, which I've noticed some fans don't like, but her voice is still lovely. The only exception is "Carol of the Bells," which feels lifeless, a rarity for Hayley, and "The Christmas Song," which is lovely yet sounds like she had a cold while singing it.

The entire album has the Christmas- winter feeling without being sentimental, and I enjoyed seeing more of Hayley's songwriting skills in "Christmas Morning", "All with You", and "Peace Shall Come". The album is varied with a nice selection of sounds ranging from the gentle "Silent Night" to the lively "Sleigh Ride" to the Anuna-esque "Coventry Carol" and the haunting "Corpus Christi".

In my opinion, this is the best Christmas album I've ever heard.

As always Hayley's voice is haunting in its purity, and the arrangements of seasonal songs are impeccable. BUT if you can find it, buy the European version which has a 15TH TRACK. Titled IT'S ONLY CHRISTMAS, it is a duet with European star Roanan Keating. The two voices meld in a way that is very special and this Keating-penned lament for winter's lost love is as poignant and moving as any song I have heard in a long time. Do yourself a favor and find it, or a very special treat will be left out of your Christmas music stocking!

I particularly enjoyed listening to Silent Night because I compare it to Hayley's recording of Silent Night in her Pure CD (UK edition). They're both outstanding, but it shows how Hayley has grown: she has better control, her voice sounds smoother, she has more confidence while still remaining brilliant.

Hayley's Winter Magic captures the peaceful, joyful and spiritual message of the Christmas season. Incredible songs, incredible arrangement, incredible voice...it's...MAGIC.