Bianca Ryan

Bianca Ryan

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: November 14, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000IZJZK8
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,101 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Pop > Teen Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

America's got talent, sure, but nobody who tuned in to that Simon Cowell-produced TV show could have guessed it was quite so pure and unblemished. Bianca Ryan, like LeAnn Rimes before her, is an absolute baffler--a voice this big and expressive shouldn't belong to a 12-year-old. As anybody who watched the apple-cheeked starlet make her way across the "Talent" stage knows, though, it does--there's no dismissing this slam-dunk of a debut on studio wizardry (note to skeptics and naysayers: take it somewhere else). Part Celine Dion, part Christina Aguilera, and part untapped country crooner, Bianca inhabits each of these songs with the kind of vocal dexterity pop hopefuls twice her age take pokes at but never quite nail; she's all past-her-years wisewoman on the pretty "I Wish That," a Diane Warren composition, and all skillful but lighthearted chanteuse on "Pray for a Better Day," a David Foster and Kara DioGuardi number. Sad movie lovers and moms will want to scoop her up and hug her for "The Rose," "You Light Up My Life," and "I Believe I Can Fly," but her seventh-grade peers will skip straight to the sugary "Superstar," the Simpson-sisters-esque "Pure and Simple," and "Why Couldn't It Be Christmas Every Day," a joyful carol that, come December, could elevate her to the superstar orbit of her idol, Hilary Duff. --Tammy La Gorce

Product Description

Hailing from Philadelphia, 12 year-old Bianca Ryan is the winner of NBC's summer hit series America's Got Talent. "Bianca Ryan is potentially one of the best singers I have ever heard in my life," said Simon Cowell, executive producer of the show. Bianca Ryan showcases her incredible vocal ability on her self-titled debut album, which features such covers as "The Rose," "I Believe I Can Fly," and "You Light Up My Life." The album also boasts original songs written and produced by the best in the business, including the very catchy "Why Couldn't It Be Christmas Everyday?"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A constant delight, November 19, 2006

By	S. J. Bockett (Wellington New Zealand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

The fact that I purchased Bianca Ryan's CD is a measure of how impressed I am with her:I usually buy classical (intrumental) and avoid pop music like the plague - especially anything involving a young voice that's yet to mature. But Bianca Ryan is in a league of her own. I came across her on YouTube quite by chance and was stunned by the power of her performance. What grabbed my attention was that a (then) eleven-year-old child could project such amazing depth into a song. That's the thing: there are more mature (and perhaps better) voices that leave me cold. Bianca Ryan's melts the heart. She's got that extra something, and I don't think it comes from her vocal chords alone.

Those who compare this recording unfavourably with Bianca's appearances on "America's Got Talent" haven't taken into account the difference between a live performance (especially with friends and family present) and the commercialised product of a recording studio - performed in musical isolation. Even experienced adults find the latter a challenge. At only twelve years of age, Bianca Ryan handles this like a pro, especially in "And I am telling you" - no melodic cues whatsoever in the dissonant accompaniment. No mean feat for a grown-up, let alone a kid! As for not understanding the words - performers (like writers) hardly experience everything they sing (or write) about. And for those who say "too loud" - that's what equalizer and volume controls are all about. Essential for such a wide range of musical material.

I am glad it isn't all sweet stuff - replete with bland notes. New Zealand's Haley Westenra (another singer launched in her pre-teens) has a voice like a silver flute, but all the sweetness in her songs gets tiring. The fact that Bianca Ryan's style has been compared with Minnelli's and Joplin's says something for her musical prowess. My copy of her CD could well go alongside my collection of Bach (a swinger for his day.) If he were alive today, he just might write a melody for her.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bianca's Fabulous (Five Stars), but the Mixing is HORRID (One Star), December 19, 2006

By	Diane Kistner (Georgia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This "little girl" deserved a much better mixing and mastering job than she got. The CD is so overly compressed--the musical equivalent of TYPING EVERYTHING IN ALL CAPS SO THE DYNAMICS ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND EVERYTHING JUST SOUNDS ALL-THE-SAME-LOUD AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOUR EARS HURT AND SO DOES YOUR HEAD AND YOU'VE GOT TO TURN IT OFF--that one gets the impression that Bianca is having to scream over the background that should have been, but was decidedly not, relegated to the background.

The song choices for Ms. Ryan are excellent, balanced and suggestive of what she's capable of. But why did the CD producers have to BURY her like that? Whatever were they thinking? They ruined the work of the other artists, too; for example, the arrangement of the bonus track "Groovin'" could have been extraordinary had it not been for the beat overwhelming everything else. Halfway through the song, I felt like I was listening to some nondescript rap song blasted through all the windows of a car beside which I'm stuck in traffic. This is NOT the artists' fault. It is errors in judgment at the mixing level, which can make or break an album.

Bianca Ryan is sheer brilliance, and just looking at her photos in the liner notes makes me happy as I remember how she blew us all away during America's Got Talent. But this CD does not begin to show her off; no, it detracts from her amazing talent, depth, and range. There is no way to repair the damage with equalization. I'm glad I bought the CD because I think it will be collectible one day and I want Bianca to be encouraged in her career. She is definitely a powerhouse, but I doubt I'm going to want to listen to this debut CD very much due to the mixing and compression issues.

I hope they'll remix "Bianca Ryan" and re-release it so her debut album truly does her justice. (A remix would be easier to do, I expect, than a remake of the butchered/abbreviated mess of a movie Fox made from another young prodigy's impressive work, Christopher Paolini's "Eragon.")

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She Connects!!!, November 17, 2006

By	Edward N. Ryan Jr. (Merritt Island, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This young lady connects with her audience even through the faceless medium of a CD. I've read reviews that say she is like "Streisand or Celine Dion." I would submit to you that she is not like those singers at all. Streisand and Dion are great...But they don't revive the human spirit the way this young lady does. She doesn't sing; she sculpts her voice in the much manner of a fine instrument played by a master. When I heard this CD I had the feeling like she was showing me her very heart and soul. I think what we are seeing is debut of what will be one of the best vocal entertainers of this centry. Superior entertainment!