Il Divo - Il Divo
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Free Music Notes for Il Divo
Free Music Review: Il Divo - A musical chocolate bar
Hit: 5 Stars
Il Divo, Simon Cowell's latest brainchild, was put together through a two year search of singers from around the world. The group is comprised of David Miller (US), Carlos Marin (Spain), Urs Buhler (Switzerland) and Sebastien Izambard (France). David, Carlos and Urs are all classically trained, while Sebastien is self-taught. David was seen on Broadway a couple of years ago in <strong>La Boheme</strong>. Carlos has done several musicals and operas, notable roles including The Beast in Disney's <strong>Beauty & the Beast</strong> and Marius in <strong>Les Miserables</strong>. Sebastien appeared in <strong>Le Petit Prince</strong> in France.
Their talent is very evident on this album. Whether the lyric is in English, Spanish or Italian, these men have a great ability to express emotion through the songs, especially Carlos. Considering his stage experience, this is not surprising.
Their voices blend well together and it does not sound as if they are competing with each other.
The album is mostly mild ballads, but with varied lyrical content.
<strong>Nella Fantasia</strong> is about dreaming of a world that is just, where souls fly free .
<strong>Passera</strong> has a very interesting lyric about how songs help us through pain in life, pain that will pass.
<strong>Dentro Un Altro Si</strong> speaks of finding love again after a loss.
<strong>Regresa A Mi</strong>, a Spanish translation of Toni Braxton's <strong>UnBreak My Heart</strong>, is even better than the original.
<strong>The Man You Love</strong> is one of the most beautiful tracks, co-written by Steve Mac (<strong>Flying Without Wings</strong>).
<strong>Feelings</strong> and <strong>My Way</strong> are two of the weaker selections. They don't quite have the depth of the majority of the songs.
<strong>Unchained Melody (Senza Catene)</strong> was added for the US release of the album and it is a pleasant surprise. Rather than just use this song as another overblown ballad, it begins simply with a single voice, Sebastien, and a harp and then progresses into a beautiful crescendo.
The arrangements and orchestrations are lush and a joy to the ears. The album never seems rushed and flows very nicely.
There is nothing musically ground-breaking or astounding about it. It is simply a collection of beautiful songs, sung by beautiful voices.
It is the musical equivalent of a chocolate bar. It is rich and comforting. Sometimes that chocolate bar is infinitely more satisfying than an entire meal.
For those of us who had to import the album for a pretty penny last year, the US release is somewhat bittersweet. But it is great that these talented men are reaching a larger audience. Having already sold over 3,000,000 copies in Europe, they are already a success. American exposure will certainly only further that success.
As dinner background music, roadtrip material or a de-stress tool, this album will be a great addition to any collection.
Free Music Review: Get romantic! Get sensual! Get happy!
Hit: 5 Stars
Oh my gosh! I love this album. Normally I am averse to opera or opera-like music, even though I regularly enjoy classical. But Il Divo is diametrically different and highly unique from what I have heard concerning opera/classical crossovers. Now I must confess, I bought the album the most artificial way possible, namely finding the Il Divo page by a cross link on The Agony and the Ecstasy page right here on Amazon.com. And besides that, when I first listened to the audio samples out of sheer curiosity, I hated the group, the music, and the lyrics because I then had not realized they were not in English. (Give them a chance.) After doing some research, I came back to the Il Divo page and ultimately purchased the album, recognizing the guys sound pretty good together. They sound great as solos as well, of course that took some getting used to as I listened to the brief Amazon audio clips everyday until the Cd arrived in the mail. Since then, I think I have played Il Divo for an unhealthy amount of hours! Even though I am unable to understand a word of the Spanish or Italian, I still find the music and the singing incredible. It sets the mood for becoming romantic and sensual, and it is awesome music to which to just chill, very conducive to being happy!:
Regresa A Mi is sultry and sweet. However, if the lyrics are faithful to the original Unbreak My Heart, then it is also amusing to have a bunch of men sing this song. It would be so pathetic then. Mama is also sweet. Nella Fantasia has somewhat haunting and wistful music, but I like the air of mystery it exudes. Passera has an awesome tune. Senza Catene, I think, is better than the original Unchained Melody; there is so much power behind this version of it. Every Time I Look at You is charmingly sappy, but that is very useful when composing poetry or just writing in general. Te Amero, oh my gosh, I could listen to this song a hundred times and not get tired of it; I imagine it is my favorite track. It has a great melody, really superb harmony toward the end, and moving instrumentation. I am not crazy about Dontro Un Altro Si so it is okay. The Man You Love is also very sappy but touching all the same, very romantic. Feelings, that being the only English word and hence the only word I can understand, conjures up the potency of human emotions, and that can be quite energizing, or exhausting, depending how you look at it. Hoy Que Ya No Estas Aqui is, for me, okay but not one of the best. However without it, the album would not be complete so I am glad it is included. Sei Parte Ormai Di Me has got to be my second favorite song. You just have to be enchanted by the dramatic instrumentation with the violin, piano, and castanets. And again, the harmony is just awesome. And finally A Mi Manera (My Way) is nice, too.
All in all, this album is the best musical investment you can venture in your personal record library at home. And, as a qualifier, I am blind so I like Il Divo strictly for their music, although I know perfectly well all four are nothing less than 21st century Apollos.
Free Music Review: For the young men of Il Divo, Love is still a many splendored thing!
Hit: 5 Stars
It took two years for Simon Cowell and his team to assemble and ready the four men of the group now known as Il Divo. David, Carlos, Urs and Sebastien are highly talented performers with rich, vibrant voices that impart a sense of singular beauty and majesty. On this album, simply titled Il Divo, the men perform with aplomb and after they did the work we got the payoff!
The CD boasts some truly beautiful ballads that highlight the talents and skills of the four man group. "Regresa a mi (Unbreak My Heart)," is a strong yet sensitive start for the song set. The group also sings in English and Italian. For example, there is the touching honesty in the next song, "Mama." The men sing of how a person knows (only once they're older) that they weren't always easy to raise when they were growing up as a child. The song is also a type of prayer that "(hopes their mama is) happy with my life/At peace with every choice I made/How I've changed/Along the way...And I owe it all to you, mama." Some people may believe that it's lacking in style or substance or strength; but I think it's sweet. They also sing in Italian with songs like "Nella Fantasia" and the beautifully cascading "Passera."
Whether they are singing in English ("Mama"), Italian ("Nella Fantasia"), or Spanish ("Hoy que ya no estas aqui"), their voices blend very well and the musical arrangements are consistently lush. Although the lyrics are typical of pop songs, there is simultaneously a classical or even a dramatic operatic "feel" to the album that won't bore you even if you don't like classical music or opera!
The quality of the sound is excellent and the liner notes give all the lyrics and credits for the songs. There are some nice photos of the group as well. My only complaint, albeit a minor one, is that the songs in Spanish and Italian are not translated into English in the liner notes. I am obviously fluent in English; and I understood the Spanish as well. However, when they sang in Italian, I only knew that it was a song or a ballad about love or romance; I simply did not know precisely what they were singing about as the song progressed. This may bother some people but for others it will not be anything negative. It did bother me; so I am taking off one half of a star to make this a 4.5 star review. I simply couldn't enjoy the Italian songs in quite the same way as I could the others.
Overall, despite my giving this CD 4.5 stars instead of the full five stars, this excellent album displays the strong talents of Il Divo. I recommend this CD for fans of Il Divo (obviously), pop vocals, and people who just might enjoy a classical/pop twist to their music. You know, all the stars were in all the right places for this group of four men to be found and then for them to come together and record this incredible album. We are much better off for having Il Divo on the scene. Enjoy them--to life!
Free Music Review: Magical
Hit: 5 Stars
I have never written a review on amazon before but I am now. I understand that everyone has different tastes and opinions but I don't see why the few negative reviews get so nasty and personal.
My opinion: These are four extremely talented and gorgeous young men who each contribute their own unique talent and personality then come together with their magical voices to entertain whoever has the priviledge to hear them. Nowhere does it say that they wrote the lyrics. They acknowledge their source material and give credit where credit is due.
Music is very personal. It's passed down from generation to generation and through those years there are different renditions of songs. Does it matter that they sing Regressa differently than Toni Braxton? Does that diminish her in any way? Is Frank Sinatra turning over in his grave trying to get out because IL Divo is singing My Way? To me, IL Divo honors Frank Sinatra by choosing to sing My Way, one of Sinatra's most well known songs.Has anyone heard Paul Anka groaning and moaning over it? I think not! Morricone...one can say no more except..IL Divo does him proud! One reviewer wrote: "nothing sillier sounding than male opera singers trying to wrap their over-trained vocal chords around simple pop songs".You are certainly entitled to your opinion. However,one might ask, for example, if the reviewer ever heard of Mario Lanza, a classically trained opera "singer" who had one of the most gorgeous voices ever heard and who also chose to sing some "pop" as well as act in movies. Does the reviewer condemn him for his choices other than classical opera?
No one is presuming that IL Divo are trying to convert fans of classical music to pop. I don't know about anyone else but I love all kinds of music, i.e., Classic Opera to Musical "pop" opera, The 3 "B's, to the Beatles, to Sinatra, to U2 and many, many more.
Having said all that...Last I heard we all have right to choose what we like and don't like...so..if you like them, listen to them. if you don't, then don't! While you are deciding, I am going to listen yet again to Il Divo because to me they are truly magical. You don't yet understand what you are missing.
Free Music Review: Classical ideal of beauty, updated
Hit: 5 Stars
First of all, I think the music is beautiful - almost heart-stoppingly so at times. (Those reviewers that have panned this album seem to hate the genre - I suppose I'd have the same negativity if I were reviewing rap or country-western. "Crossover" refers to a sort of mix where classical meets pop; the beauty of the former with the accessibility, or radio-familiar sound, of the latter. You either like it or you don't, but I do not understand how anyone can suggest that these guys - or Josh Groban, or especially Andrea Bocelli - cannot sing. It would be helpful if those critiquers hinted at what they considered a "good" voice - are they annoyed that these singers are more formally trained than the typical voice on the radio? Or are they annoyed because these singers sing in a style that is more "popular" than an opera singer proper?)
The one other critical comment I'd refute is the suggestion that these guys are somehow like the Monkees. As near as I can tell, the producers figured out - finally! thank you! - that people who like "crossover" music would buy more of it if only more were available, and set about trying to find the best voices they could. This is what they did *right*.
Here's what they did *wrong* (and if anyone associated with making this type of music happens upon this review, please take note!). There seems to be a rule in "crossover" music that says at least two of the songs must be ripped directly off the last crossover album released. To give Il Divo credit, their "Nella Fantasia" and "Senza Catene" are both really beautiful. But why are they singing Forever Amici's songs? Or did Forever Amici rip off them? I don't know, and I don't care. What I do know is I'm really beginning to find the practice annoying. If Il Divo is going to do the songs already done by Forever Amici, who are going to do the songs already done by Josh Groban, who is going to do songs already done by Andrea Bocelli, the net result is that I'm paying seventeen bucks for an album and instead of getting fresh original material, I've got a collection of the same songs - songs that thus begin to sound awfully tiresome.