All My Loving - Dowlands

Advantages: A new take on John Dowland by our modern minstrel
Disadvantages: None, I can think of

...I am not an unconditional lover of Sting, but I do love John Dowland unconditionally, so I was intrigued to listen to this new album by The Geordie One. I was trained classically in voice, cello and piano and sang in a major amateur choir here in the UK for two years so I'm not unacquainted with classical music or sixteenth century noise. I have to say I have always thought Sting could pull off the whole troubadour thing after hearing 'Fields of Gold' years ago, and now I realise he wasn't just posturing and perhaps the odd literary reference was real rather than imagined. The ex-English teacher has proven to me good and proper that he truly understands this music, and it is lovely to hear his unpretentious and breathy voice mouthing the beautifully worded lyrics with the diction so evident in all his other recordings. I always used... Read review

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Advantages: Bonney's gorgeous voice; intelligent singing; great selection of songs
Disadvantages: No translations included

...When you think of female opera singers, chances are you get an image in your head of a 20 stone monster wearing a Viking helmet and shattering glass as she screeches a note only audible to the neighbourhood cats. But luckily this stereotype is becoming very outdated as singers like Barbara Bonney bring a fresh sound to classical singing. Bonney has a refreshing lightness and silvery tone to her soprano voice, but unlike singers like Emma Kirkby who specialise in early music, her voice possesses a lovely warmth. For anyone unfamiliar with Classical vocal music, Bonney’s voice provides the perfect introduction, with her light and clear tone, simplicity and absence of wide vibrato making her easily accessible to those unfamiliar with the genre, as well as being incredibly pleasing to classical lovers. There are few singers who can... Read review

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Advantages: Over two hours of music
Disadvantages: Unneccesary mixes

...This is a great album. The first disc is my favourite, and it contains some amazing vocals and such classics as 'Saving All My Love For You' (my favourite!), 'I Will Always Love You' and 'The Greatest Love Of All'. Almost every track is brilliant, and out of the new ones included on this disc my favourite is 'Could I Have This Kiss Forever', a fantastic Latino duet with Enrique Iglesias. On disc two, there are some classic Whitney songs, but not as many - 'My Love Is Your Love', 'I'm Every Woman', 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)'. There's four mixes of some of her biggest hits at the end of this disc, which I think is a bit unnecassary, not just because I hate remixes. The packaging of this CD is great though, and with over two hours of music, it's a fantastic greatest hits collection!... Read review

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