The Gift, Susan Boyle's sophomore album, presents the listener with another set of masterful performances by an artist who shows herself to be in complete command of her instrument. Every song is superbly crafted to showcase Boyle's satiny soprano to absolute perfection.
Once again, as with her blockbuster debut I Dreamed A Dream, a somewhat eclectic mix of songs has been assembled, offering Boyle the chance to transform unexpected selections with her unique interpretations. Each song is delivered with delicacy and emotion. Boyle always manages to find the emotional core of her material, whether it be a pop classic like Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah or an oft-recorded Christmas standard. She is a master at eliciting an emotional response from her listeners that mirrors the feelings she expresses in song. Steve Mac, who produced both albums, understands that her voice should be the focal point of every song, and as with her debut he gives her the ideal setting to showcase her skills. The result is an album replete with songs polished to gem-like perfection.
Boyle's version of Lou Reed's Perfect Day is another stunning reinterpretation along the lines of Wild Horses from her first album. Her sensitive and nuanced vocals elicit both the joy of remembered happiness and the melancholy longing for lost love. To the three pop songs offered - Perfect Day, Hallelujah and Don't Dream It's Over - she brings depth, subtle power and unexpected passion. The rich instrumental and choral accompaniment provide the base above which Boyle's sweet soprano soars. She builds to the climax of every song through intense yet controlled emotion. Boyle understands, as many do not, that the power of a performance can come as readily from a singer's expression of the complex emotions a song evokes as it can from the raw power of her voice.
Even on what must be the millionth cover of Cohen's Hallelujah, Boyle manages to bring a surprising freshness. It is another song of love and loss, and her vocals are suffused with a regret that is tinged with anger. The result is an achingly beautiful rendition, the equal of any who has gone before her. Don't Dream It's Over is a more hopeful song, delivered with sensitivity. It is worth remarking that at the end the line, "We know they won't win," is repeated several times, as if to emphasize the singer's own determination to triumph in spite of the bullies and the critics who at times have tormented her. Just as with her version of Madonna's You'll See, Don't Dream It's Over is an affirmation that she has proven her detractors wrong, but in place of the former's angry intensity there is quiet assurance.
The other songs in the collection are for the most part Christmas classics. All of them are sung with a lovely reverence. O Holy Night and Away In A Manger are a standouts. Boyle's crystalline voice soars to worshipful heights, sweet and pure without being cloying. A traditional Scottish version of Auld Lang Syne offers a beautiful new interpretation that reinvigorates the Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) standard. The album ends on a grace note with an utterly beautiful rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful. To sum up, in The Gift Susan Boyle offers us a captivating album that provides a feast for both the senses and the soul.
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