Hayley Westenra: Pure

Pure represents the initial international, read US, CD release of Hayley Westenra. Other albums had been released outside of the US market, but Pure is an excellent cross-section of the wide ranging vocal talent of a sixteen year old New Zealand Popera. This is a must have CD for fans of pitch perfect singers. Her signature piece is Pokarekare Ana. This album has two versions: a basic and extended version. I recommend listening while looking at the CD cover photo. It is amazing to me that such a voice comes out of such a wonderfully talented young woman. If you fall in love with the album and the artist, you will have to have the DVD Hayley Westenra, Live from New Zealand. She is seventeen in it. She takes chances as demonstrated on the cut Wuthering Heights. Hayley has the voice of an angel and probably is one. Highly recommended as the first of many Hayley Westenra albums

I had heard a few songs from this collection and really liked them. She's young but I would like to see how she matures as an artist.

I would have given this 5 stars, except for the execrable "Wuthering Heights" track, which she starts by emitting a note that could only be described as shrieky. I literally jumped the first time I heard it, and it's still unpleasant. Didn't anybody listen to that track before the CD was released? It sounds like a siren (a police siren, I mean), and I don't mean to be nasty because I think she's good, but it sounded as if she was struggling to hit that note, and there was no need for it. She could have taken it down a half-tone and the effect would not have been alarming, the way it is now.

She should also work a bit on her enunciation. For the longest time, when I listened to "Across a Universe of Time" I kept hearing "tell me your vision OF SUNNY DELITE" (instead if "a story begun") She isn't helped in that department by overwrought arrangements. Whoever's arranging the music should work with her fragile voice.

But I'm looking forward to her development as an artist. Just stop screaming, Hayley!

I first discovered Hayley Westenra on Celtic Woman. Then, I heard the song "Wuthering Heights." Contrary to popular opinion, or so it seems, I think this song is amazing, even in her younger years. It's amazing that she can hit the notes, let alone make them beautiful and moving. (Of course, it helps if you've read the book and understand everything behind them...)

I agree that a few of her songs are just a liiiitle too generic, but she definately makes up for it in 90% of her songs, which is more than most artists can say. She only gets better as the years go on, and it is definately worth getting her later CDs as well.


Enjoy!!!

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll say upfront that I'm a huge fan of Hayley's. Pure serves as her debut album for most of the world, and she's an amazing young woman. She has one of the most naturally beautiful voices I've ever heard, and I think it's almost genetically impossible for her to sing anything that doesn't come out lovely. As a singer and music teacher, I also appreciate her technique and near-flawless diction. (She realizes that words have final consonants that should be pronounced even when singing! What a concept!!) Everything I say in this review is in the overall context of noting that Pure is a CD that I listen to over and over.

There are 13 tracks in the US version, with a mix of familiar ("Amazing Grace"), classical ("In Trutina" from Orff's Carmina Burana), and other pieces. Of special note are two Maori songs (Pokarekare Ana and Hine e Hine) whose simple melodies showcase Hayley's admirable lyricism.

This isn't a perfect album. Hayley's taste at this point in her career seems to favor flowing melodies, medium tempos, and sustained lines that show off her voice wonderfully, and the sentiments often are not particularly deep. (She seems to be a very mature teenager, but she is still very young, and the song choices reflect that). As a result, there's a certain sameness to many of the songs that can leave one craving a little more variety. (This is solved on her second album, Odyssey.) An exception to the sameness is "Heaven," an upbeat calypso-inspired ditty about untimely death(!)

And then there's the last track, "Wuthering Heights." Hayley's been quoted as saying this is one of her favorite songs. It contradicts everything else I've said in this review. She shrieks, she swoops, she screeches, she's often unintelligible (thank goodness for the lyrics in the CD insert!). This is Hayley-tries-rock-music and Hayley-goes-wild. It was probably fun to sing. Maybe she needed to get it out of her system. To me, it's just strange.

But there are 12 other tracks that make this remarkable CD well worth having.

Just recently discovering Hayley Westenra I have become an 81 year old fan. I think her voice is outstanding and her selections great. She sang a duet on her 2004 DVD with a Teddy Tahu Rhodes who I'm trying to get his CD's. It's great to have another Sarah Brightman.