Taking Chances

Celine Dion

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 13, 2007)
• Original Release Date: November 13, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000VI5CF4
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (206 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,842 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Taking Chances is not without its daring moments--we'll get to those--but the first order of business in any review of this much-hyped record, on which Celine Dion is said to have slunk away from her songbird instincts in favor of embracing her inner rock & roll wild child, should be fan reassurance. Therefore: fear not. Taking Chances has its share of poignant, pretty ballads (both "A Song for You" and "Right Next to the Right One" are goosebump-raisers) and love songs (the hopeful, heartfelt title track, which unfolds into an anthemic power ballad midway through, may be the best one). As far as standard Celine fare goes, in fact, Chances is likely her strongest non-French outing since 2002's A New Day Has Come; nobody unfolds a lyric with more care or nuance. And, as the subtle "My Love" deftly proves, any early-career instincts to over-sing have gone poof along with her '90s-era, sweet-natured-kook persona. Because it's a generous 16 songs long, it may even be possible to ignore the non-Celine-like moments on Taking Chances and just enjoy the more fan-faithful tracks. But that wouldn't be any fun, would it? There are songs here--"Can't Fight the Feelin'," "Fade Away," "That's Just the Woman In Me"--that will astound diehards and make fans of those who've dissed her for more than a decade. If you didn't think the diva behind Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" had it in her to screech from the bottom of her soul, a la Janis Joplin, flip to track 15 and guess again. --Tammy La Gorce

Celine Dion Photos

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Product Description

Brand new 14-song studio album featuring such songwriters and producers as John Shanks, Ben Moody (formerly of Evanescence), Linda Perry, and Ne-Yo.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A total makeover for the greatest American Idol of all times...?., November 12, 2007

By	modern jazz - See all my reviews

Celine Dion has returned to the recording studio and this is her first English studio album in over four years.
It is supposed to re-launch her career and to mark her re-birth and the beginning of a new era : a total makeover in music and in looks, like a calculated attempt to capture new listeners.
That is the meaning of the title, I assume, one simple, quick look at the CD's scary front cover is enough to understand what she is up to.
"Taking Chances" sees Dion teaming up with a host of internationally renowned songwriters and top, most expensive producers that have produced some of the biggest pop hits in the last five, ten years to produce yet another album of her signature over-the-top ballads.
Amongst the list of luminaries who twiddle a knob, knock out a lyric or strum a guitar for her are the all-conquering Timbaland, king of R'n'B balladry R Kelly, ex-Evanescence axe wielder Ben Moody, Christina Aguilera and Pink co-writer Linda Perry... and the always entertaining Dave Stewart, whose influence stretches cheekily so far that there's even a lyrical snip of The Eurythmics' "Here Comes The Rain Again" woven into the title track The Ultimate Collection
Returning from her self-imposed recording exile in Las Vegas, and after such a long time she has disappeared from the pop charts, she wastes no time in taking on the pretender divas who have sprung up in her absence, yodelling like Shakira on "Eyes On Me" and indulging in some robust caterwauling in the vein of Pink and Kelly Clarkson on the title track, written by Dave Stewart .
The album begins in surprisingly restrained fashion, with Dion crooning softly over a near-acoustic musical backdrop, but the soft rock bombast kicks in soon enough.
She doesn't have the sensitive, raw touch to pull off her cover of "Heart's Alone" and to match the emotional and unparalleled version by Ann Wilson but she enters into the gutsy rhythm'n'blues feel of "That's Just the Woman in Me".
Elsewhere, Dion sticks to her bombastic power-ballad comfort zone, warbling away in the upper echelons of her range, smashing and crashing with her superpowerful pipes -- unnecessarily fully unleashed -- all the small feelings and emotions and nuances out of her songs, and riding those key changes with that air of barely suppressed insanity and tasteless, hystrionic record-setting vocalism which she and Mariah Carey have made all their own.
"Taking Chances" doesn't quite do what the title suggests, it's pretty predictable, overpolished and overdone (the perfume sample in the deluxe collector's edition is simply soooooo cheesy and tasteless).
One thing you can say for the Canadian balladeer is that you can always tell it's her. Mainly because of that cold, hard gargling noise she emits at the end of notes, making her sound like she's trying to swallow an ice cube. In her latest series of unconvincing over-emotings, the woman who gave us the theme song to "Titanic" Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition) again proves the singing equivalent of a capsized iceberg: 90 per cent on the surface, 10 per cent beneath it.
My overall impression of this CD is that she is trying hard, but not succeding.
The album gets three stars from me. The extra star is because, well, it's because...I liked her first two or three CDs...who remind me of the years of my youth.

Essential Heart

97 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So, so Celine, November 21, 2007

By	J. Edwards (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Taking Chances? Not really. This album is just the essence of what Celine has been doing in English for a long, long while. No that new, not that good, not that bad...just a remarkable but over produced voice. After hearing the album several times it seems that I still feel a little bit tired of her singing style.

127 of 150 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Taking Chances with some bad songs and too many producers, November 20, 2007

By	Joseph Griffin (west palm beach, florida USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hear Celine sound like Kelly Clarkson!
Hear Celine channel the late Janis Joplin or is it Bonnie Raitt.
Hear Celine sing what sounds like an Irish Saloon song.

Celine's Voice is great with it's rock edge. Too many producers contributing some rather lame songs. There are probably 6 very good songs on this CD and you should run to download them. Don't buy the whole CD and reward some of this lame songwriting work with royalties.

Despite the rise in downloads we still see artists giving disk space to writers and producers that will not drive the total project. WHAT A SHAME!

Tickets went on sale Monday November 19th in South Florida for Celine's upcoming January 2009 concert dates. Well you can count me out for spending my money one year in advance to hear some of this dribble. I plan on taking that money and buy a ticket to the Las Vegas show before it closes. By the way it will be my 4th time to Vegas as well as many times to her other concerts.

Rock On Celine .....but the next time just "Say No" to those who want to make a buck by being on your CD. They all know it will sell millions and make some money even if their contribution is not a selected single from the CD.

Strong memorable songs make for a great CD.

See you all at the cut out bin for this one.