Search - Russell Watson, Leonard Bernstein, Eduardo di Capua :: Encore

Awesome! Really different.

petepereira | WA United States | 11/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Russell Watson a few weeks ago when he was featured as the closing artist for the Larry King Live show one evening on CNN (Oct 02). The song was "Va, pensiero" from his album Encore. As the song began my first impressions were "hmmm, pretty good tenor voice." But then, mid-song, Russell's switch to his operatic tenor voice literally made me hold my breath and made the hair stand up on the back of my neck (not to mention the tear in my eye). It wasn't just the tenor voice (I've heard other powerful tenors) but Russell's ability to switch back and forth from a pop vocalist to an operatic tenor is what struck me as absolutely incredible.I had never before heard anyone do that, so I made a note of the name of his album "Encore" and a few days later got online to see what he was all about. I found a great many reviewers who raved on about how good Russell Watson is, but I was also intrigued by the vicious remarks made by some online reviewers (though I noted that those negative reviews were largely unsubstantiated with specifics).I decided to buy it anyway, together with his first album "The Voice." I'm not disappointed in the least. If anything, hearing "Va Pensiero" again rekindled my appreciation of his voice. Now, I am not a great "traditional" opera expert in the least and have never heard an "original" operatic rendition of Va Pensiero, so I can't compare Russell to a traditional "pure" operatic voice. Do I care? NO! I wasn't looking for a traditional operatic tenor when I stumbled across Russell. I have heard what I consider the beauty and diversity in Russell's voice and I like it. Period. If I like the combination of classical and contemporary voice that Russell brings, so be it. That combination may be heresy to a classical purist, but hey it's what I like, so frankly, I don't give a damn about what the true classical operatic voice should sound like... it's NOT what I'm looking for."

Superb Second CD

01/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Watson here proves every bit as fascinating as on his first CD, "The Voice". Again he gives us a mix of classical/operatic and pop and it is quite irresistible. The first offering, Va Pensiero, is really stunning, beginning with the soft "pop" voice and then suddenly soaring into the beautiful, powerful tenor that is so unusual. I particularly like the operatic arias such as Che Gelida Manina but the duets with Lulu and Lionel Ritchie are also beautiful. Every number is lovely in its own way and this CD can be played over and over without becoming tiring."

More of the same please

P. Hunter | IL, USA | 10/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had never heard of Russell Watson until the show Enterprise. His voice is superb. I have now heard all of his albums and enjoy each one but believe this is, by far, his greatest. His voice becomes part of the music, joining with his fellow artists' in the duets, and leads to a true appreciation for the new classical music. At the end of the day I want nothing more than to relax, to find peace in a crazy world, thank you Russell Watson for giving that to me."