Annie Haslam

About 30 seconds into the album opener, "Some Enchanted Evening," one starts to realize the ramifications of what this collection is: that voice -- that beautiful soprano siren from the legendary Renaissance -- is singing +South Pacific. More traditionally associated with prog rock, neo-classical pieces, or even new wave music, Annie Haslam has never done an album of standards before -- let alone a live album that sounds like it captured a very regal, dignified affair. The album is very theatrical in its design -- there is even an instrumental interlude halfway through the album in "Gymnopédie 2+." And Haslam certainly hasn't forgotten her fan base -- "One Day" mines the "turning classical works into bravado pop vocal performances" franchise that Haslam created and artists like Sarah Brightman and Charlotte Church have mined ever since. But to hear the great Annie singing musical theater -- whether it's more +South Pacific ("Bali H'ai") or classic +West Side Story ("One Hand, One Heart") -- is indeed a revelation. Her take is far different than most interpretations of standards or numbers from musicals -- Haslam doesn't so much act the numbers (the way Streisand or Midler would). Instead, she performs the heck out them, delivering them in that inimitable voice that for many has made her a contender for greatest female vocalist of all time. Haslam is still playing in territory similar to Sarah Brightman (courting the international audiences with "Lascia Chio Pianga" and "Dank Sie Dei Herr"), but -- much like Brightman -- Haslam likes to mix it up and deliver a few more contemporary flourishes, like her solid performance of "Nature Boy" (recently re-popularized by Moulin Rouge). By the time she reinvents the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home" with minimal accompaniment, the half-minute of thunderous applause that follows is all that is needed to recognize Haslam hasn't lost one iota of her talent in over 30 years. And that is -- indeed -- truly enchanted. ~ Tomas Mureika, All Music Guide