Angel
Operatic Pop, 1998

Sarah Brightman is a woman you either dislike or consider “the most beautiful voice in the world”. Well, she is the only woman I know who can sing about a dolphin rescuing and bonding with her (Captain Nemo from Dive) without me collapsing into fits of laughter.

Eden sounds suspiciously like a Time to Say Goodbye rehash if you ask me. She does covers of old favorites as well as some new songs. As usual, her voice remains a clear, angelic soprano, shining in songs like Paradiso and Bailero. Yes, the album is technically flawless, but I do find it rather… unexciting. Somehow this time around I don’t feel any chills up my spine. The music doesn’t really hold any surprises for me at all. I miss the kooky woman who sings of diving into the sea and befriending a whale named Nemo. I miss the woman who sings about falling in love with the Phantom of the Opera, her beautiful voice soaring high as she calls his name. As it is, Eden is good, polished. Yet ultimately it seems to run out of ideas halfway through; the pointless though pleasant cover of that Titanic song (surely you know which one!) done in Italian, Il Mio Cuore Va seems to only reinforce this notion.

The one bright gem is Nella Fantasia, a gentle lullaby-like song hummed so beautifully that it makes me feel as if I’m running in a beautiful garden, chasing butterflies and dancing with fairies and pixies under toadstools. It is here that the dream-spinner that Ms Brightman can be shines bright.

Bring back dolphins and flights to the moon! I miss that Sarah Brightman!