Susan Boyle

Sweet Memories
$18.98
This album does what it promises, i.e., showcasing Elaine Paige's immense repertoire, developed over a lengthy career in London. Perhaps unknown to many on this side of the Atlantic until Scotland's Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent introduced her own amazing voice by saying she aspired to a career like Elaine's, this album is a great way to get acquainted with Elaine's talent. I've also ordered Susan Boyle's debut album I Dreamed A Dream and salute Nana Mouskouri The Romance of Nana Mouskouri as another world diva whose amazing voice and multi-lingual song stylings deserve a fan base here in the U.S. Sweet Memories is a wonderful addition to any music library.

I Dreamed a Dream
$16.49
I had not bought a CD in years. Well, Susan Boyle captured my heart with her BGT performances and I gave in. The CD certainly is easily an album I will treasure for a long time. Just can't get enough of that voice. As others have said, Susan could sing the phone book and I would buy it. Strange thing is, that probably is true!

My Christmas
$18.98
Loved Andrea Bocelli's singing, but just didn't care of a couple of of the songs (Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jingle Bells (just plain sick of it) and Blue Christmas). But, of course, that's just me. But, other than that, this is a great CD.

For Your Entertainment
$13.98
Adam Lambert is no doubt an extraordinary talent. His voice is suburb and he shows flair for song arrangement as his version of "Ring Of Fire" proved. Now comes the debut album after much anticipation.

The first thing that greets you is the album cover, which is so high on the camp scale that it is hard not to laugh. My first impression was that this was a bold mistake and most certainly not the direction I would have promoted but it has got a lot of people talking. Album cover aside, it really is the music that matters. So how is it?

I for one am disappointed. In fact as a whole, the compositions and production have essentially stripped Adam Lambert's voice of its uniqueness. This could have been sung by anyone with a digital studio and tech-wizard engineer.

The desire to go in the unashamedly pop direction has assured this album it's short moment of popular recognition and not any lasting affection. Maybe it is the rush for Christmas sales but more time should have been taken to write real and memorable songs.

The album is over-produced to the point of distraction. There is no sense of "Live" or "impromptu", which is a real shame.

I for one would have taken the popular Rock route and tried to find or compose songs in the tradition of "Aerosmith", "Bon Jovi" with some of "Them Crooked Vultures" and "Eva Cassidy" thrown in.

The songs on this album are unfortunately forgettable, trashy and too overtly aimed at the instant gratification of the pop charts.

Adam Lambert has made a blunder here, which I would have assumed he would have been intelligent enough not to make. Surely he knows a good song from a bad one? He has only made it harder for himself when the second album beckons.

I am sure Adam Lambert will continue releasing work, even if he ends up as a Las Vegas balladeer but I would have liked him to form a band and release a simple album of rocking greatness but that was not to be.