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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sing, sing, sweet Charlotte!, January 11, 2003
Maybe playing on her home turf got rid of the stage fright and nervousness that plagued her in her Jerusalem concert video. It could also be that she's gotten more confidence with age. Anyway, this is a marked improvement over her previous concert. She's at her most beautiful so far, has more confidence and poise, flashes that winning smile of hers, and singing in top form. She still has some of that nervousness, only this time, she isn't speaking to the audience at Warp 8000 like she did before. She's slowed down considerably--to Warp 1000. Just kidding--she speaks okay here. And she still says "Thank you" with the second word at a higher register, like "Thankyip!" A brief orchestral medley comprising of "Tonight" and "Somewhere" from West Side Story is played by the National Orchestra of Wales under the guidance of Arnie Roth. Charlotte sweeps on stage in a white gown, singing "Tonight", the first song from her third album Enchantment. In fact she sings all songs from Enchantment except for "The Flower Duet" and "The Laughing Song". "If I Loved You", from Carousel, turns out to be her grandmother's favourite song, so she does that, followed by "The Water Is Wide", and do we get a real sample of her vocal talents here! Then there's "Bali Ha'i" from South Pacific. During this song, the lights go magenta and there are specks of light, such as would come from a mirror ball. Before going into the Celtic-sounding "Carrickfergus" with those exotic Uilleann pipes, the best song from Enchantment, she says that she's really nervous. The orchestral backing really helps here and from her emotive high notes, it's clear she loves this song with a capital L. So do I! Costume change, with black trousers, blouse, and a beaded lace wrap, with which she sings "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" from Porgie And Bess, and "A Bit Of Earth". With her second guest, a Welsh harpist, she performs two Welsh songs from Voice Of An Angel: "Suo Gan" and that mystical magical song "My Lagan Love". Josh Groban pops up for two duets. First is "Somewhere", from West Side Story, the second is "The Prayer", their rendition of the Celine Dion/Andrea Bocelli duet. Break time, and Roth and his orchestra do a quick burst of Carmen while the stage is lit red. before Charlotte comes back on stage dressed in a red dress, with her hair in a bun. Then comes Jesse Cook and Kevin, two musicians on guitar, who take Charlotte from "The Little Horses", "From My First Moment", and "Habanera." This latter song features some bongo players as rhythm. Another costume change, this time a black dress with straps. Before singing "Papa Can You Hear Me" she remarks that Streisand sang this before her and that she would never top that. Wrong, Charlotte--you do it better than Streisand. Her voice is at her best when singing the next song, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and boy does she hit that high note without flubbing it. She's got range! She does justice to a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine", dedicating it to the people who died in the 11 September attacks, and to follow up, she does "Amazing Grace", which she also did on Voice Of An Angel. The show ends with her guest stars bringing her bouquets. Well done, sweet Charlotte! At 82 minutes, quite a good show, with lots of songs. Now if she would maintain the same poise that she did in her next concert, she'll be well on her way to the top.
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