SITE RATING: 2/10
SITE
REVIEW: If you've
always wanted to hear Handel's Messiah
recast as MOR pop/rock, then this is the album
for you. Recorded in Dublin, Ireland, and
featuring one of the more baffling line-ups of
soloists (Chaka Kahn? Roger Daltrey?)
this album was painful to listen to - from the
synthesized string section to the choir who
was severely out-of-tune and seemingly
fighting off sleep during the choruses, the
only truly bright points were Jeffrey
Osbourne, whose silky tenor managed to
out-class pretty much everyone else, and
Gladys Knight, who infuses a touch of smoky
gospel into her readings. Conductor
Frank McNamera fights a losing battle with the
other soloists, with Roger Daltrey sounding as
if he's singing about Tommy
rather than Jesus, and Chaka Kahn entirely out
of her depth. But its the choir and
orchestra who are the Achilles Heel of this
recording; they're terrible - the choir is
contantly flat - the insipid, Muzak-inspired
orchestra lacks power and tonal color,
sounding plastic and pale. Why anyone
would choose this tweaky, annoying, and
uninspired Messiah
over the real thing is beyond my
comprehension.
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