Description

I know that all of Cilla's fans will be thrilled that she's back in the studio and recording again; I guess it's just a shame that they'll be in a small minority. There's no doubting that the Liverpool lass has legions of fans who have made her one of the most enduring and popular TV celebrities in the UK over the past thirty five years. Equally, there can be no argument either that back in the 1960's she was one of the most successful female singers of the era, chalking up over twenty hits, including two number one singles. But when the hits dried up in the early seventies, she was wise to focusmore… more on her TV career. A few albums were sporadically released in the 70's and 80's with the occasional flop single to match, but her last venture into the recording studio was as long ago as 1993 with a one-off album to celebrate her thirty years in the biz. In the meantime, to keep all the fans happy, her vast back catalogue has been issued on CD. Over and over and over again. And again. There have been two 3 CD box sets alone released in the past couple of years, one just three months ago. And yet, her much heralded "new" album is in fact another re-issue project which seems very unfair to her hardcore fans who've been waiting so long for something new. What there is of the new material is mainly cover versions of other peoples hits (always a Cilla habit) and it's of a very mixed standard. My problem with Ms. Black is that she has never found a range that suits her limited vocal talents. It's not fair to say that she can't sing, but it's perfectly true that there's an awful lot she shouldn't try to sing. And amazingly, after 40 years of trying, she still doesn't seem to know what that material is. "Beautiful goodbye" is far and away the standout track here and is a great example of a rhythm and range that works very well with her talents. Rocky, raunchy and very hip, it really is a great vehicle for the famous "big" voice and (since there's a video already recorded this is probably a given) would make a great single with the potential for a big hit. "This kiss" and "Photograph" are also suitable choices of tracks, but alas, that's about it. "My man" has to be the most painful track she's ever committed to disc. The octave is so out of touch for Cilla that you wonder why she even attempted it. "Imagine" and "Kiss you all over" are both way too breathy and soft for Cilla to handle them well. The three 2003 versions of her earlier hits also disappoint hugely. The remix of "Step inside love" (hidden as the uncredited 21st track) is very lame and could have been so much better. I know Cilla fans will be aghast at such blasphemy. Ah well. The potential is here; it's just such a shame it's been missed. Hopefully it will be another 10 years before we have to go through it all again.

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

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Cover Info:

Title:

Cilla Black - Beginnings...: Greatest Hits and New Songs (2003) Retail CD

Part:

CD

Dimensions:

1428 x 1444 px

Size:

168 KB

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Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

15/06/07 by rabthescot

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