Taking Chances

by

Céline Dion

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Celine Dion has returned to the recording studio and this is her first English studio album in over four years.

It is supposed to re-launch her career and to mark her re-birth and the beginning of a new era : a total makeover in music and in looks, like a calculated attempt to capture new listeners.

That is the meaning of the title, I assume, one simple, quick look at the CD's scary front cover is enough to understand what she is up to.

"Taking Chances" sees Dion teaming up with a host of internationally renowned songwriters and top, most expensive producers that have produced some of the biggest pop hits in the last five, ten years to produce yet another album of her signature over-the-top ballads.

Amongst the list of luminaries who twiddle a knob, knock out a lyric or strum a guitar for her are the all-conquering Timbaland, king of R'n'B balladry R Kelly, ex-Evanescence axe wielder Ben Moody, Christina Aguilera and Pink co-writer Linda Perry... and the always entertaining Dave Stewart, whose influence stretches cheekily so far that there's even a lyrical snip of The Eurythmics' "Here Comes The Rain Again" woven into the title track The Ultimate Collection

Returning from her self-imposed recording exile in Las Vegas, and after such a long time she has disappeared from the pop charts, she wastes no time in taking on the pretender divas who have sprung up in her absence, yodelling like Shakira on "Eyes On Me" and indulging in some robust caterwauling in the vein of Pink and Kelly Clarkson on the title track, written by Dave Stewart .

The album begins in surprisingly restrained fashion, with Dion crooning softly over a near-acoustic musical backdrop, but the soft rock bombast kicks in soon enough.

She doesn't have the sensitive, raw touch to pull off her cover of "Heart's Alone" and to match the emotional and unparalleled version by Ann Wilson but she enters into the gutsy rhythm'n'blues feel of "That's Just the Woman in Me".

Elsewhere, Dion sticks to her bombastic power-ballad comfort zone, warbling away in the upper echelons of her range, smashing and crashing with her superpowerful pipes -- unnecessarily fully unleashed -- all the small feelings and emotions and nuances out of her songs, and riding those key changes with that air of barely suppressed insanity and tasteless, hystrionic record-setting vocalism which she and Mariah Carey have made all their own.

"Taking Chances" doesn't quite do what the title suggests, it's pretty predictable, overpolished and overdone (the perfume sample in the deluxe collector's edition is simply soooooo cheesy and tasteless).

One thing you can say for the Canadian balladeer is that you can always tell it's her. Mainly because of that cold, hard gargling noise she emits at the end of notes, making her sound like she's trying to swallow an ice cube. In her latest series of unconvincing over-emotings, the woman who gave us the theme song to "Titanic" Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition) again proves the singing equivalent of a capsized iceberg: 90 per cent on the surface, 10 per cent beneath it.

My overall impression of this CD is that she is trying hard, but not succeding.

The album gets three stars from me. The extra star is because, well, it's because...I liked her first two or three CDs...who remind me of the years of my youth.

Essential Heart

Hear Celine sound like Kelly Clarkson!

Hear Celine channel the late Janis Joplin or is it Bonnie Raitt.

Hear Celine sing what sounds like an Irish Saloon song.

Celine's Voice is great with it's rock edge. Too many producers contributing some rather lame songs. There are probably 6 very good songs on this CD and you should run to download them. Don't buy the whole CD and reward some of this lame songwriting work with royalties.

Despite the rise in downloads we still see artists giving disk space to writers and producers that will not drive the total project. WHAT A SHAME!

Tickets went on sale Monday November 19th in South Florida for Celine's upcoming January 2009 concert dates. Well you can count me out for spending my money one year in advance to hear some of this dribble. I plan on taking that money and buy a ticket to the Las Vegas show before it closes. By the way it will be my 4th time to Vegas as well as many times to her other concerts.

Rock On Celine .....but the next time just "Say No" to those who want to make a buck by being on your CD. They all know it will sell millions and make some money even if their contribution is not a selected single from the CD.

Strong memorable songs make for a great CD.

See you all at the cut out bin for this one.