Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it.. (Winston Churchill)
Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it.. (Winston Churchill)
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There is nothing new about manufactured bands. The Monkees were criticized from their debut in 1966 onwards for the fact they were assembled purposefully for the television show. Over the past few years there has been an influx in the manufacture of bands with the introduction of pop idol, ex-factor and pop stars.
Il Divo is a manufactured boy band with a slight difference. Their introduction as a new international operatic vocal group did little to raise public interest. Yet Il Divo ‘s debut on Parkinson, 18th September 2004, singing their newly released single “Regressa Mi”, hit the British music market by storm (including me): the album, released by S Records on 1st November 2004, selling 130,00 copies in its first week, knocking Robbie Williams off the number one slot.
So who are and what is Il Divo?
A Vocal
Group: The idea for the group was conceived in 2001. After a worldwide search lasting for two years, Il Divo was born. Translated as Divine performer, Il Divo consists of four good-looking young men with heavenly voices. Each of the four take the lead singing role for different tracks combining to deliver powerful and harmonious choruses.
Two tenors and a baritone (and a vox populi): Three members of the group have classically trained voices, evident in their delivery. David Miller, an American tenor, graduated with a BA in Vocal Performance and a Masters in Opera Theatre. Urs Buhler, a Swiss tenor, studied Voice at the Lucerne Academy for School and Church Music and the Amsterdam Conservatory. Carlos Marin, a Spanish baritone, attended vocal master classes. Sebastien Izambard completes the group. Although, he is the only self-taught singer within the group, the frenchman is also an accomplished songwriter and plays guitar and piano.
A debut Album containing 12 tracks: Unbreak My Heart (Regresa A Mi); Mama; Nella Fantasia; Passera; Everytime I Look At You’; Ti Amero Dentro Un Altro Si; The Man You Love; Feelings; Hoy Que Ya No Est As Aqui; Sei Parte Ormai De Mei; My Way (A Mi Manera)
Multi National: Reflecting the international flavour of the group, the album is comprised of songs performed in English, Spanish and Italian. The single and opening song “Regressa Mi” is a Spanish Version of Toni Braxton’s R & B hit “Unbreak my Heart” (this is screened quite regularly on classic fm tv) with wonderful climatic choruses as all four voices join together in harmony. Passera and Sei Parte Ormai De Mei are sung in Italian whilst (here stating the obvious) “Everytime I look at you” and “The man that you love” are I English.
Romance: Each of the songs have a common theme! Romance! Il Divo sing the lyrics with a convincing passion enough to seduce even the most steadfast heart.Pop and Opera: Like many recent classical artistes, Il Divo (the group) perform a blend of popular and classical pieces bridging the gap between the genres. This blending is often referred to as “crossover”: the covering of classical pieces in a pop manner and pop songs performed in a classical manner. Among the operatic arias performed in a pop flavour are “Hoy Que Ya No Estas Aqui” (As Far As Any Man Can See) and “Sei Parte Ormai Di Me”.
To end the album is possibly the most popular song on the album “A Mi Manera”: a Spanish rendition of “My Way”. Il Divo do sing it their way, in Spanish with a classical feel as all four member combining to give a powerful chorus.
The highlight of the album for me were “Nella Fantasia”, the music composed by Ennio Morrione for the film, "The Mission". The lyrics were then added by Chiara Ferrau at a later date. Translated as Its my fantasy – David’s voice can carry you away into a fantasy.
The Album retails at £8.99 and is available from most good record shops, supermarkets and the internet. Contained within the album are the lyrics to the tracks. You can sing along if you wish – personally I’ll just listen.
The Operatic Boy Band’s debut album is well worth a listen. Their delivery is technically good, powerful and entertaining.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I can't remember the name of the one I tend to drool over. Am going to see them in a few weeks time. I'm sure the view will be as good as the sounds! x
Advantages: Stunning vocals, superb orchestral score Disadvantages: If you like to sing along, then you will need to brush up on your Italian and Spanish!
nikkiroymarsh 22.02.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
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