Odyssey (Special Edition) - Hayley Westenra

...certainly won me over. Overall, Odyssey is a very good mix, with something for everyone : there's a track (May it Be) from Lord of the Rings ; a new take on an old folk tune (Scarborough Fair) which, while good, is not quite up to the standard of Simon & Garfunkel's version ; a very good cover version of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now ; a couple of other easy listening tracks ; and a selection of classical tracks, including a duet with Andrea Bocelli ...
...entirely sympathise, but please don't be put off - it's actually quite good and certainly doesn't spoil the album as I had suspected it might). Perhaps the most familiar track will be "The Water is Wide", which has had a fair bit of air play. This is the track which first attracted me to Hayley Westenra, and to this album. It really ought not to work for me - I normally strongly dislike hymn tunes being used for secular songs - but her ... more

There are many great female singers (my own current favourites tend to be Norah Jones and Katie Melua), but it's rare to come across such a pure voice as Hayley Westenra's. This is a music genre which wouldn't normally appeal to me - a bit too classical for my taste, even with its pop leanings - but this has certainly won me over. Overall, Odyssey is a very good mix, with something for everyone : there's a track (May it Be) from Lord of the Rings ; a new take on an old folk tune (Scarborough Fair) which, while good, is not quite up to the standard of Simon & Garfunkel's version ; a very good cover version of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now ; a couple of other easy listening tracks ; and a selection of classical tracks, including a duet with Andrea Bocelli (if you're not a fan of Andrea Bocelli, I can entirely sympathise, but please don't be put off - it's actually quite good and certainly doesn't spoil the album as I had suspected it might). Perhaps the most familiar track will be "The Water is Wide", which has had a fair bit of air play. This is the track which first attracted me to Hayley Westenra, and to this album. It really ought not to work for me - I normally strongly dislike hymn tunes being used for secular songs - but her voice is so pure, the tune so striking and the overall effect so haunting that it just blew me away. Obviously, musical taste is a very personal thing, and I'm sure others will see things very differently. If you're a fan of this kind of music, I'm sure you'll like it. But if this isn't normally your cup of tea, and you're prepared to give it a chance, I suspect you won't be disappointed either. 

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