A wonderful surprise!by Fabian_fan_americaine

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February 11, 2009: After reading other reviews of this CD, I bought it with low expectations. It is, in fact, a treasure! Each track invites the listener into Lara Fabian's world to experience human emotions through her fabulous vocal interpretations. Ms. Fabian continues to be a huge talent who has been scandalously overlooked in the US. I just don't understand it. Ms Fabian runs the gamut here from bitter ("No Big Deal") to vulnerable ("I've Cried Enough")to hopeful ("Intoxicated"). I would recommend this CD to anyone. Lara Fabian reminds us here that it is indeed a wonderful life, and well worth the bumps we encounter along the way.

This review was written about the CD Canadian Import edition.

I Also Recommend: Lara Fabian [Sony/Columbia].

Not Good Enoughby Anonymous

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January 06, 2005: As a devoted Lara fan, I was disappointed in this album. To begin, two of the songs, "I've Cried Enough" and "Silence," are merely English versions of songs from her latest French album "Nue." That leaves 10 ostensibly "new" selections which are clearly aimed at the American pop audience. Unfortunately, the material here is both trite and weak in construction, forcing Lara into the same monotonous-sounding musical grooves on a number of the offerings. As opposed to the majority of songs in her French albums on which she is a co-writer, for her English albums she enlists the skills of American and English writers with a track record for success. Unfortuantely, the budget for this CD must have been halved from her debut American CD because the quality of those who participated has dipped. I point to the unremarkable contributions of former Take That member, Gary Barlow, as one example. Whatever the reason, with only a few exceptions, most of the results contain what might be termed "catchy hooks," but are so contrived that they have very little substance or depth. Having said that, Lara is such a good singer that she nonetheless does pretty well with what she has been given. "No Big Deal" is one of the catchy tunes to which I just referred, but at least it provides an opportunity for Lara's lively phrasing. Yet, she is forced to swim upstream on much of the rest. In particular and most offensively, "The Last Goodbye" is just too desperate an attempt to include something that has a hint of Nashville (as if she needs to be country-sounding!) Perhaps my favorite out of this not-so astounding bevy of medicority is "Walk Away." It's a tender, rubato ballad where Lara is typically at her best: she sings it with only guitar accompaniment, and, free of elaborate over-production, her superb voice wanders creatively while her classic emotion is allowed to come shining through. Regrettably though, there's little else on this collection worth mentioning. Normally I would unequivocally recommend a Lara album. But this time I'd have to say go back to something she's released before. This CD just isn't up to her usually impeccably high standard and doesn't do her justice. A Wonderful Life it is not.

This review was written about the CD Canadian Import edition.