Dreams Can Come True, Greatest Hits Volume 1; was a Greatest hits album which was released in 2001 by the British Pop artist Gabrielle. The album was a huge success and was one of the best selling albums to be released in 2001 and achieved 4 Platinum awards. The tracks on the album are a mix of upbeat R&B and Soul songs which were recorded between 1993-2001; many of the tracks being number 1 hits. Gabrielle was born in Hackney, London in 1970 and her first debut single was released in 1993. Since her first single Gabrielle has achieved a few more number one hits as well as some platinum awards; and winning the BRIT awards as well.

Dreams Can Come True is a very good album which boasts a great mixture of songs from the Brit Pop Artist. Some CD's which are released by Pop Artists feature quite a lot of weak songs which are quite pitiful, but with this particular album the range of songs is excellent and there doesn't seem to be any weak links whatsoever. However this is just my opinion and many others might disagree with me because different people have different likes and dislikes especially when its music. All of the tracks on this CD are ones which are quite well known, there are a few earlier tracks from the beginning of Gabrielle's music career as well as a few others which were released later on in her music career when she was more well known.

The very first song on the album is Dreams which was Gabrielle's first ever single to be released in 1993;Dreams was a huge success for Gabrielle especially as it was her first ever single and it proved to be a real winner achieving a number one slot in the UK charts for three weeks in June 1993. I really like the song Dreams as it is slightly upbeat and has a quite a catchy chorus. Basically this song is all about dreams coming true, in a relationship point of view and meeting the man/woman of your dreams and all the emotions and feelings which you experience when you are really happy and have exactly what you want. Dreams is one of my favourite songs on the album and the song lasts for just under four minutes.

The second track on the album is another upbeat song with a good melody which compliments track number 1 Dreams. Going Nowhere isn't one of the better songs on the album in comparison to Dreams and Rise; but nonetheless it is still an enjoyable song to listen to. Going Nowhere was Gabrielle's second single which was released in the same year as Dreams however it wasn't as successful as Dreams and only reached number 9 in the UK singles chart. I would describe Going Nowhere as being a soulful love song which is details the emotions and feelings of being insecure and too scared to enter into a committed relationship in the fear of getting hurt. Going Nowhere is another song on the album which lasts for approximately 3minutes 45 seconds, around the same length of time as Dreams does.

Track number three on the album was Gabrielle's third single to be released in the UK, like the previous two songs on the album this song is also quite upbeat and soulful and boasts quite a good and melodic tune as well as good lyrics. I Wish is about wishing a loved one is there beside you and how you feel about them. I would say that this song is actually a lot better than Going Nowhere as the lyrics and melody are a lot better, however in the UK charts I Wish didn't achieve a top ten position like the previous two songs on the album. I wish only achieved a 26th position in the UK Singles charts. I Wish is one of the longer songs on the album and lasts for nearly five minutes in total ($ minutes 49seconds)

Track four on the album was Gabrielle fourth single to be released in the UK; as you may have already guessed all of the songs on this album are arranged in chronological order with her earlier songs being at the beginning of the album and her latter and more famous and well known songs being near the end of the album. . This particular song is another one of m favourites because of the lyrics and slightly upbeat nature of the song. The melody is rather good as well although it is a little more laid back and subdued compared to the melodies of some of her other songs; but nonetheless this is another really good song which was slightly more popular than the previous song I wish. Because of you didn't get a top ten position in the charts but it did rank higher than I wish and bagged a position at number 24. Because of you is more of a Soul song and lasts for approximately 3 minutes and 49 seconds.

Track five on the album is another really good track which is as good as Gabrielle's first single Dreams, Give me A Little More Time proved to be a really good track and put Gabrielle back in the top ten position in the UK charts. Give Me A Little More Time is a slightly sadder song which has a slightly slower tempo compared to the previous songs in this album, and sounds more like a soulful song. This particular song bagged Gabrielle a slot in the UK top ten charts and was number 5, but it managed to stay in the top twenty for over eight weeks. The success of this track put Gabrielle's musical career back on the map so to speak. This particular track lasts for 4 minutes 19 seconds and is a song which I could listen to over and over again.

Forget About the World wasn't a successful song for Gabrielle either and it only managed to get to number 23 in the UK Singles Chart. I think that this is one of the sadder songs on the album and the main message in this particular song is to forget about what people think and what's going on around you and to concentrate on yourself and your family. The melody for this song is actually quite weak as well and it explains why this song wasn't really successful, if the melody had been more upbeat I think that the song would have been slightly more successful. This track is another one of the slightly longer ones on the album and lasts for over four minutes 18 seconds.

If You Ever is an excellent song and is one of the more successful and popular songs by Gabrielle. This particular song is a duet and features the boy band East 17, even although this song was popular it didn't reach number 1 in the UK chart singles, it did however manage to get number two which is really good. This song is another slightly more upbeat R&B track which has a really laid back but slightly upbeat melody as well as a really good chorus. This song is all about getting hurt in a previous relationship and contemplating falling in love again, but there is also a message about not making a mistake and being sure that whom ever you fall in love with is really the person you want to be with. This is a slightly shorter song on the album and lasts for just over three minutes 8 seconds.

If You Really Cared is a sad soul song about getting hurt in a relationship, the main message in this song is the fact that if the person really cared they wouldn't have done what they did to hurt you. The tempo is really downbeat and the melody is quite subdued and laidback at the beginning however when the song reaches the latter part of the chorus it slightly picks up speed and the melody is slightly better and a little more vibrant. This song wasn't a huge success either and only managed to reach number 15 in the UK Singles Chart. If You Really Cared is another one of the longer length tracks on the CD and lasts for nearly five minutes in total. (4 minutes 52 seconds)

Walk On By was a track which was previously a hit for singer Dionne Warwick, however Gabrielle did the song justice and I think that Gabrielle's version of the track was a lot better than Dionne Warwick's, mainly because of the slightly huskier, deeper and more soulful sound of Gabrielle's voice. Walk On By was another hit for Gabrielle which proved quite popular in the UK Singles Chart by managing to get into the top ten position. Walk On By Managed to get to number 7 in the UK Singles Chart, again this song is another of the slightly shorter tracks which lasts for little over three minutes and 20 seconds.

Sunshine has to be one of the best songs on the album and one of the most upbeat and catchier tracks. This track was released shortly after Gabrielle gave birth to her son, the lyrics in this song give you the impression that Gabrielle is singing about her son and explaining that he is like a ray of sunshine in her life and that he is her little shining star. The lyrics and melody in this song and really upbeat and enjoyable to listen to and I think that this is probably one of the best Gabrielle tracks on the album.. Sunshine is more of a brit pop style track which lasts for just over 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Sunshine also proved quite popular as well and managed to get to number 9 in the UK Singles Chart.

Rise is also one of the better songs on the album which ranks up top along side with Dreams and Sunshine. Even although this song is quite soulful and sad, it explains a lot about being hurt and sad about a relationship breakdown and all the feelings and emotions in which you go through. I'm sure that many of us can relate to this song in one way or another because we have all bee hurt and sad at one point when a relationship has broken down, but basically this song tells us that even although we are sad and hurt you get over it and rise again and bounce back better than ever. I absolutely love this song, the melody and lyrics are really good and Gabrielle's voice just puts the icing on the cake. Rise was also a successful track and managed to get into the number 1 position in the UK Singles charts.

When A Woman is a fantastic upbeat pop song which has the feel good factor to it, the song starts of extremely upbeat at the beginning and retains this upbeat and catchy nature throughout the whole of the song. The main message in this song is that if you want your man you will do anything you can to get him. Even although this song didn't manage to bag a number one slot on the charts it still managed to stay in the top ten position at number 6. I think that this is one of the catchiest of all Gabrielle songs and a song which you find yourself singing along to unawares. When A Woman is another slightly shorter, but really enjoyable son which lasts for just little over three minutes and twelve seconds.

Should I Stay is a really depressing and slightly moody song on the album, and the depressed and moody nature is reflected in the melody and lyrics and Gabrielle's voice in this song is slightly more deeper and soulful. The melody is very basic and minimal however Gabrielle's powerful voice seems to make up for the lack of lyrics to create a nice and enjoyable song even although it is slightly depressing. Should I stay managed to get to number 13 in the UK Singles Chart. This song lasts for just under four minutes ( Three minutes 56 seconds)

Out Of reach is another one of the more well known Gabrielle tracks mainly because it was the soundtrack for the 2001 film Bridget Jones Diary. Out Of reach managed to get a number 1 slot in the UK singles chart and stayed in the top twenty for more than twenty weeks. Out Of reach Is love song which reflects the same sort of feeling and emotion you would go through at the end of a relationship breakdown, by blaming yourself for the relationship breaking down, asking yourself if it was your fault etc. I really like this song and have listened to this track more than the others on the album. The melody is quite laid back but then it speeds up slightly more near the chorus. This is a fantastic track which lasts for approximately three minutes and eighteen seconds.

Don't Need The Sun To Shine To Make Me Smile is another really good track which proved to be quite popular by managing to get a place in the top ten singles chart at number 9. The tempo and melody are again slightly upbeat similar to that of Sunshine although this track isn't as good and catchy as Sunshine. Basically this song is like a dedication to a loved one by telling them that you don't need anything to make you smile and happy because all you need is the love from your loved one to make you happy and smiley. I like this song and it is one of my favourites alongside Sunshine, Dreams, out of reach and Rise. This track lasts for approximately three minutes and twenty eight seconds.

I really love this album because it boasts a great compilation of songs which vary in style, you have your love songs, happy songs and feel good songs. This is a must have album which has its feel good factor as well as some of the more sadder and depressing love songs which are full of emotion and sadness. If you haven't already listened to this album before I highly recommend that you do as as I'm sure that there are a lot of songs which you will enjoy listening to. This album can be bought from most retailers such as Woolworths and WHSmith as well as a number of online retailers as well although the price may vary depending on where you purchase It from. The prices for this alum range between £4-£12, I bought my copy from Woolworths a year or so ago for the price of £3.99 because I lost my first copy of the album when I was moving house.

TRACK LISTING

1 Dreams
2 Going Nowhere
3 I Wish
4 Because Of You
5 Give Me A Little More Time
6 Forget About The World
7 If You Ever
8 If You Really Cared
9 Walk On By
10 Sunshine
11 Rise
12 When A Woman
13 Should I Stay
14 Out Of Reach
15 Don't Need The Sun To Shine To Make Me Smile
16 If I Walked Away

Thanks for reading
:O) Lisa xx

© just.bcoz
2008