Voice of an Angel

Those leery and weary of tasteless crossover need not shudder at the sight of this disc, which has sold over half a million copies in Europe. There's none of the softcore kiddie porn that came with Vanessa-Mae or the heavily packaged faux romanticism of Andrea Bocelli. (That of course doesn't necessarily mean that you'll want Voice of an Angel.) This 12-year-old Welsh soprano is so uncloyingly cute and has such an appealing personality (with just enough touch of cheek) that you'd almost rather have her as a dinner guest than on your CD player. Her small, attractive, sometimes unstable but always sincere soprano perhaps went to the top of the British charts because it clicks into the boy-soprano choir tradition so prevalent there, especially since many of the selections are sacred items such as "The Lord's Prayer" and "Ave Maria." And Church may pick up some fans thanks to the tail end of Celtic chic, with the Welsh folk songs and the rendition of "Danny Boy." But this promises to be yet another short-lived media phenomenon, rather than the beginning of a lengthy career. --David Patrick Stearns Amazon.com

I am divided between sadness and appreciation

She is a natural talent that we will not likely hear from again. Unfortunately, Church was discovered too young, and rather than protecting the precious, amazing talent, it was used to make a quick buck. I'm sure that's what she thought she wanted, but now, several years later, her voice is showing evidence of the damage caused by the unrealistic strain put on her developing larynx and vocal folds.

I hope that she is able to come back. I hope that with rest and decent training, we find an artist that comes into her own and brings a whole new generation of vocalists and music lovers into an appreciation for classical singing.

The song selection was excellent for what it was... an album introducing the young diva to the public. A great selection of well-known as well as a few lesser known gems. Most of the text is in English, allowing the listener to relate better than if the text was in a foreign language.

Her pure voice is often so perfect and light. At times, there is a pushing into the "forte" dynamic that is unnatural and damaging for her voice. Overall, it is an amazing sound. August 21, 2008

STILL THE BEST OF HER ALBUMS

This is the first of Charlotte Church's recordings, recorded back when she was still a normal, unspoiled 12-year-old Welsh girl. I first fell in love with her voice when I heard her singing "I Vow Thee My Country" on the radio about 8 years ago, and was blown away to find out that she was only 12 years of age!

I bought the CD shortly after that and have listened to it a bazillion times. Just recently, I decided to pull it out again and found myself enjoying it just as much now as I did then. She was probably in her best vocal form in this CD, before her voice became "overtrained," and eventually, ruined by her "Crazy Chick" habits.

Among the standouts -- besides "I Vow Thee My Country" -- are "Amazing Grace," "Ave Maria," "3 Welsh Bird Songs," "My Lagan Love," "Suo-Gan," "A Lullaby" and, of course, her signature song, "Pie Jesu." At the time, I thought she had the potential of becoming one of the greatest sopranos of all time once she reached adulthood. Sadly, this has not been the case, and her latest album, "Tissues and Issues," is a reflection of how far she has fallen both vocally and in her personal life.

If you buy only one Charlotte Church album, this would definitely be it. May 3, 2007

We are reviewing his talent, not his toughts

This CD is excellent, I can't believe N Arey put one star because of this issue.
What a shame. April 25, 2007

The Best from Charlotte Church that You Will Ever Hear!

This CD is simply amazing! I can honestly tell you that this is the best from Charlotte Church that you will ever hear! Her voice in this stage in her career is so mezmerizing and well-trained! Soon after her second album, which was self-titled, her voice began to deteriorate, probably because of her constant smoking and drinking. Now, we've reached a low point in Charlotte's career, in which she has now been donned the "Crazy Chick", and her latest CD, entitled TISSUES and ISSUES, is a major flop. More recently, Charlote mocked the Catholic Church, calling the Pope a "Nazi". She currently has her own television show, and in one episode, Church pretended to be a nun, and got "high" on Communion Waffers that were stamped with a smiley face, which resembles the drug ecstacy. She also broke open a statue to find Communion Wine, and placed her gum on a model of the baby Jesus. Honestly, you cannot find blame with the 12-year old Charlotte, for I'm sure that she never would do such an offensive thing! (My best advice for getting back at her is not buying her new album).

Anyways, back to the album. Charlotte's first four tracks are amazing! "Pie Jesu" was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, originally for his wife, Sarah Brightman. I prefer Charlotte's version of Sarah's because Charlotte's voice does not show too much vibrato. If you listen to Sarah's version with Paul Miles Kingston, the boy soprano, from THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER COLLECTION VOL.1, you'll hear the difference! "Panis Angelicus" is amazing, and Church even sang it to the Pope! (Not the recent Pope, but the Late Pope John Paul the II). The third track, "In Trutina" - which means "In Balance", is from Bizet's Carmen, which is beautiful. Compared to Brightman's version, Charlotte has much less vibrato. "The Lord's Prayer" is simply beautiful! Jerusalem is also a magnificent work. "Ave Maria" is amazing, with soaring vocals. I don't prefer this version of "Ave Maria" because it's "Ave Maria, Ave Maria, Ave Maria" over and over again. I much prefer the "Ave Maria" by Schubert, which Brightman sings very well. However, this version is still in my favorites. "Psalm 23" is beautiful! "I Vow to Thee, My Country" is a sort of dragged-out piece, but I still enjoy listening to it. I don't prefer it because the song stays in the same key and the same notes are sung all the time! The next piece is "Danny Boy", which is OK. To me, it seems as though Charlotte and the orchestra are always out of sync, but I'm not sure. Plus, this piece is in minor! I'm not too happy about that. "My Lagan Love" is a beautiful piece, with clear vocals and lyrics. "Suo-Gan" is an awesome piece. In fact, a choir that I was once enrolled in sang this song, although it was in English. "Amazing Grace" speeks its title, which is AMAZING! The next three tracks are from "Three Welsh Bird Songs". They're in a foreign language, and I have no clue what they say, but they are wonderful all the same. The last piece, "When At Night I Go to Sleep" is beautiful, but I find it too short!

Overall, this album is great. Besides a few tracks that aren't my favorite, I'm sure that any loyal Charlotte Church fan will buy this CD and will stick it in his/her collection. Please - boycott against TISSUES and ISSUES - It isn't the greatest album anyways, with drawn-out yuckie ballads and too-hyped up pop tunes.

Charlotte, I hope you can read this! I loved you when you were a Classical singer, but now, I can't stand to look at your music! God gave you a gift, Charlotte, and you kicked Him in the face! Just remember this when your record sales for TISSUES and ISSUES flop! November 28, 2006

Charlotte church is the best

This is the beginning of Charlotte Church. It came out like in '99. I was so amazed by her voice that I had to go and get the cd. Wow, her voice is amazing and always will be in my opinion. Even, though she has a pop album out I still like it. Also plan on buying it too. There are so many good songs on the cd. It's hard to choose because her voice is angelic. For some people who think she has a kind of boy/girl voice- don't know what their talking about. Listen closely the next time you play it. I'm starting out in singing opera and Charlotte is my role model. There is no voice like her yet, even Hayley Westerna, who also has a beautiful voice...can't be in Charlotte Church's shoes. Hopefully, she'll go back to her classical music or just do both. August 14, 2006

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