Susan Boyle's debut album really is a 'Dream'
Photo credit: AP | Fashionistas may cringe at Susan Boyle, but music fans adore her. Here she sings "Wild Horses" and "Cry Me a River" during her appearance on the NBC's "Today" show in Rockefeller Center Plaza. The 2009 runner-up in "Britain's Got Talent" was in Manhattan to celebrate the launch of her album "I Dreamed a Dream." (Nov. 23, 2009)
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Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle is the real deal.
That such an extraordinary voice is housed in an ordinary, 48-year-old woman makes her story all the more compelling, which, in turn, deepens her emotional connection with her fans. And her debut, "I Dreamed a Dream" (Syco / Columbia), proves that her story, with its tales of spinsterhood and heartbreak, is truly felt and not some Simon Cowell concoction.
When Boyle connects, whether it's on the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" or Madonna's post-breakup anthem "You'll See," she delivers the song with a clarity and a rawness that's impossible to fake. She does it time and again, especially with versions of Skeeter Davis' "The End of the World" and Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain."
Boyle's only real misstep is a somber version of The Monkees' "Daydream Believer"; tackling well-worn standards like "Amazing Grace" and "Silent Night" hurts the album, too. Nevertheless, "I Dreamed a Dream" is a glorious start to a much-deserved career.
SUSAN BOYLE
"I Dreamed a Dream"
GRADE A-
BOTTOM LINE Poignant ballads sung heartbreakingly well
