Lara Fabian [Sony/Columbia]

1	Adagio 4:28
2	Part of Me 4:31
3	Givin' up on You 4:36
4	You Are My Heart 4:10
5	I Am Who I Am 3:47
6	To Love Again (Si Tu M'Aimes) 3:46
7	You're Not from Here 4:49
8	Till I Get over You 3:45
9	Love by Grace 4:09
10	Yeliel (My Angel) 5:02
11	I Will Love Again 3:45
12	Broken Vow 5:16
13	Adagio Italian 4:28

Barnes & Noble

Born in Belgium, raised in Italy, Lara Fabian is now ready to conquer the world from her current perch in Montreal. Indeed, she's already topped the six-million mark in sales in the French-speaking world, and it's easy to see why on LARA FABIAN, the young singer's commanding English language debut. Her passion-fueled vocal pop traces its roots not only to another French-speaking diva, Celine Dion, but back to the root: the soulful, stylized gushings of Barbra Streisand. Fabian isn't afraid to charge each breath and note with all-cards-on-the-table emotion, her booming, cathartic voice soaring above clean, studio-bred arrangements that effortlessly fuse keys, strings, and rock-based elements. As if to show that she's a serious vocalist, Fabian begins the album with an interpretation of the familiar classical theme "Adagio" and closes with an even more sumptuous Italian version that will leave goosebumps on your neck as she surges toward -- and captures -- the high notes. Fabian flirts with the contemporary R&B world on the slinky "Till I Get Over You," produced with help from ex-Color Me Badd member Sam Watters, and the punchy, resolute "I Am Who I Am," which could be her anthem. Piano accompaniment and a sax run lend "Part of Me" a light-jazz sensibility, but the lush choir backing Fabian on the resounding final chorus makes it big enough to fill a stadium. Another show-stealer is the dramatic "To Love Again," which could go head-to-head with Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" if it weren't for the bombastic guitar solo stealing some of Fabian's thunder. This singer doesn't need such studio flourishes to make her point -- her voice does all the work for her. This may be the first you hear from Lara Fabian, but it certainly won't be the last. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

Like Celine Dion, Lara Fabian started her professional career in Quebec, singing in French, and crossed over to popular success in France before turning to the English-language market under the auspices of Sony. With Dion declaring at least a temporary retirement, it's no surprise that Sony has thrown its considerable weight behind the effort to make Fabian an international superstar. And there's no mistaking that effort on her self-titled English debut (not to be confused with her self-titled debut of 1991, which was sung in French). All the accoutrements of major-label largesse are present, especially in the total of ten credited producers, who include Patrick Leonard (Madonna), Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey), and Brian Rawling, who produced Cher's comeback hit "Believe." Working closely with Fabian, who is a songwriter as well, these heavy hitters have created widescreen power ballads with the occasional dance song thrown in. The lyrics are the usual generalized depictions of the joys and turmoil of romance, with the music almost invariably swelling portentously halfway through the track so the singer can take off on an overwrought tear. Fabian has the pipes to handle such material and is actually better at singing in English than Dion, who always had trouble with her phrasing. She doesn't do herself any favors as a songwriter, but that isn't very important on this kind of record. As in a big-budget summer movie, it's the stars and special effects that matter, not the plot. It's easy to see this album making Lara Fabian a star in the English-speaking world, but it took even Dion a couple of albums to crack that market, and she was a hard worker. Fabian has her work cut out for her, but she's taken a big step toward filling Dion's shoes with this album. William Ruhlmann