Album review: Susan Boyle's 'I Dreamed a Dream'

Since she first raised her arms in what now seems like a blessing on the talent show "Britain's Got Talent," revealing herself as the new queen of pop's Island of Misfit Toys, Susan Boyle has come to mean several things to her fans: hope, the triumph of the ordinary, the reality-television embodiment of the Euro-American Dream. As a singer, though, she offers something else: relief.

Boyle's clear but warm tone and stolid phrasing turns everything it touches into a more songful version of New Age music. It's relaxing to listen to those drawn-out syllables, gradually building toward a gentle, wavelike climax. Boyle possesses neither an impulse to swing nor an ounce of the blues; whether she's covering the Monkees, the Rolling Stones or Madonna, Boyle sings like she's in a place of worship, surrounded by white walls and soft light, cooking up some chicken soup for the soul.

Her unearthly calm and gently piercing timbre are her best qualities. It's what makes her version of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" so touching. Instead of Mick Jagger's moaning, slightly derisive take on heartache, hers is truly resigned, the sound of someone who really understands and accepts life's limitations.

Maybe that's why the sadder songs on her album are the best. Boyle taps into the melancholy, if not the sexy languor, of Julie London on "Cry Me a River" and gives a beautiful reading of Skeeter Davis' heartbreakingly polite "The End of the World." There's a lonesomeness to these versions that's almost startling, especially compared with the overwrought emotionalism of many younger pop stars.

The same mood doesn't work on "Daydream Believer," which should have more pep, or the more current (and blander) compositions "Who I Was Born to Be" and "Proud."

Boyle is perfectly comfortable singing actual hymns like "Amazing Grace," though her take on them is pretty much on a level with any local church's choir star. She's at her worst when she pushes harder; she doesn't know how to build drama, and her throat seems to constrict as she reaches for bigger notes.

While the material on this collection provides some interest, other possibilities for Boyle's particular gift tantalize. What would David Lynch, whose films (and soundtracks) always find the strange underbelly of the seemingly bland, do with her? Boyle seems up for new challenges. I'd like to see her take a trip up Mulholland Drive.

-- Ann Powers

Susan Boyle
"I Dreamed a Dream"
(Syco Music/Columbia)
Two stars (Out of four)

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Comments

[carol]

"Proud" and "Who I Was Born to Be" are bland??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lord, I hate to think of what you consider to have some punch.

[Grace]

What a beautiful read. I feel Ms. Powers gets it. What a relief. I loved "Cry Me a River" and "The End of the World". The others choices of songs in this collection are just too diverse. Still, I am pleased to get to hear more singing from Ms. Boyle. I hope she finds her niche. I look forward to whatever is next.

[Corkie]

Ms. Powers, were we listening to the same album? The first time I heard Who I was Born to Be and Proud, I played them over and over again. They both blew my mind. Bland???? I also felt Susan's take on You'll See was far better than Madonna's. The material in this album provides more than "some interest". You rated it far too low. I think you need to listen again.

[Jay L]

How can you not have mentioned "Up to the Mountain"? This is a gospel song with a gospel choir and is about the biggest surprise on the album!

I also thought "Daydream Believer" was an excellent rendition. It had always struck me as too bouncy to be believable, and her version smooths that out. I very much enjoyed her take on "Proud" and on "Who I Was Born to Be."

I'm thinking that this is Susan's "safe" album--we'll see more expansion of her talents on the next one.

[Marilyn Speights]

You are outstanding goodluck on your new career and
know I salute you to wish you well in the coming years.
A fan that adores you.
Stay beautiful! :O)

Marilyn Speights
Las Vegas Nevada

[Lauren]

After listening to this "brilliant" album it was hard to decide which song I loved the most -- after hours and hours of playing IDAD over and over, I went into prayer and decided that "Proud" and "Who I Was Born to Be" were the winners. Each to their taste. That's what makes the world go around. Susan Boyle is the greatest singer, in my opinion, in the world today, maybe ever. She has a quality and mystery and spirituality in her voice that cannot be explained with words. Millions and Millions of fans feel the same way around the world and that is why she has already made history in preorders on Amazon--and "there's more to come".

[Jenne]

I'm a dyed in the wool SuBo fan..and I find this review right on the money, I've seen other reviews that try to play pop psychologist or social forecaster rather than focus solely on the music. I too, was dissappointed with Daydream Believer, which was too slow for my tastes. But I adored Wild Horses far better than the Rolling Stones version.. as there is much more depth to it here.

[Aram]

The Scottish singing sensation has become synonymous with Success! I wish this success doesn't take the chip off her shoulder! She sounds amazing rendering pathos mood! Success to you Susan!

Regds
Aram

[Steven James Scott]

The David Lynch thing is a great idea. Somebody call their agents.

[Lynn Sargeant]

I purchased this album this morning and I cannot stop playing it. Susan is outstanding. Every song Susan sings on this album is stunning. This will be No 1 all over Christmas. It will take something pretty special to top this album for the Christmas No 1 spot.

[Levinson Axelrod]

I'm really excited for Susan Boyle. She was the ultimate underdog, and now she's made it into the big time music industry! What a story. And honestly, her music isn't too shabby. Way to go Susan!

[Bill Franklin]

An excellent review for what it is.

Do we know if the singer is trained or this is a natural talent?

Do we know if the performance modifications the reviewer sees and I see also were attempted to have been resolved before or during the construction of the debut album by someone as equally talented as the reviewer?

Kate Smith and Ethel Merman come to mind as a set of full bodied and throated women similar to Miss Boyle who have made sounds that cannot be manufactured by those of slim stature.

I wish Miss Boyle the best.

If she gets the kind of fame I hope for her, I also hope this comes in a measured way, like a soft warm rain and does not further advance the hurts she has endured.

May God's blessings help her advance her career and us in our appreciation of what seems to be most of the time an effortless relaxed enjoyable talent.

[Rich]

I'm a sap for Susan Boyle's story and songs. So forgive me if I don't agree with what I see is a shallow review. Perhaps the author is young and inexperienced or caught up in the Hollywood reality show life style. Susan Boyle is earthy and her tones are from deep in the soul. She reaches us because she feels what she sings and sings what she feels. Can there be a purer form of singing? Perhaps those that worship at the altar of celebrity should take a deep breath and look for and enjoy real talent. It might change their life.

[markiejoe]

"Susan Boyle is the greatest singer, in my opinion, in the world today, maybe ever. "

Pardon me while I go and barf.

Or laugh myself sick.

[Julianne]

Well, Ann, I can now give a legitimate response to your article. I have listened to Susan's cd quite a bit. I must say, she did not disappoint in the least. I was relieved that "Cry Me a River". "I Dreamed a Dream", and "Wild Horses" were in this first project of hers. I was very moved to hear "How Great Thou Art", as it is a personal favorite of mine, and "Up to the Mountain" was a pleasant surprise. All In all, I liked every track on the album, with the exception of "Silent Night". I just have heard that carol one time too many.

It was really cool to hear Susan change her vocal style with the different genres of songs. She's just been a gem that has finally been "found" Thank goodness.

[KathyM]

I'm amazed at Susan's versatility, she seems to be able to sing just about any style of music, and sing them all well.
Up To The Mountain was a real shocker, she sounds like she's lived in the hills all of her life.
Proud and Who I Was Born to Be are, in my opinion, fantastic. Bland?? I think not.
I just heard her version of Wings To Fly on YouTube, the song on the Japanese CD, and it's stunning. I had to listen to it twice before I was sure it was even Susan Boyle.
I think this woman is just beginning a long and brilliant career.

[FreethinkerNY]

"Pardon me while I go and barf.

Or laugh myself sick."

Try barfing while lying down on your back.

[emm305]

I'm just happy that thanks to Susan's exposure on "Talent", kids are getting exposed to something other than the caterwauling that seems so prevalent today (I am an old Sinatra, Streisand, Clapton, heavy metal fan).

The purity and strength of her delivery demonstrates what singing is all about. And, it ain't whining.

[Billy]

Apparently we were listening to different artists and different albums!!!! Bland??? I've never heard ANY of these songs done any better than this; in fact, I will say that most are the best I have heard!

[SusanBoyleFan]

Susan Boyle does not possess an ounce of the blues? "She's at her worst when she pushes harder; she doesn't know how to build drama, and her throat seems to constrict as she reaches for bigger notes." What are you talking about? Susan Boyle possesses more than an ounce of blues and what you call "constricting" when she reaches for higher notes are what I love best about her voice. It is at those points in the songs when she brings out the most emotion in me and what I will be hoping for from her in future albums. I can't even believe what I am hearing when I listen to Susan Boyle sing. And she's a phenomenal human being to boot. She is a perfect example of what any human being should strive to be. A very remarkable lady on all counts.

Your critique is very confusing. One minute you seem to be singing her praises and the next you seem to be saying she is some amateur with no talent. A perfect example of why the public should not listen to critics and just listen to Susan's music and decide for themselves.

[Wayne]

It sounds/feels overproduced to me. The enunciation of the the t in "How great thou art" is very annoying. Part of what I like about Susan is her cheekiness on stage and that is completely removed here. I also feel that some of the songs sufer from too slow a tempo. Only 1 star out of 4 from me, I expected much more.

[Brian Lund]

You missed, Ann Powers. Bland- constrict-without drama-descriptions that music lovers all over the world disagree with. Two out of 4 stars? That's crap.

[Becky Watson]

I don't think Susan's singing is bland at all. I also think she is one of the most interesting celebrities of our times. I think it's a good study of how record companies can start to produce cds that actually sell. The documentary about her that airs on TV Guide looks like it will go into some of these interesting points about her life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C1MYzoOuOE

[Mariusz]

Ms. Powers seems to be yet another journalist for whom anything not pervert is ''bland'' and ''ordinary''. Her acrid comments testify more to her jealousy than to the quality of singing on the album.

So hard to see that people are moved more by the natural, sincere, and pure, rather than by the vacuous and sleazy? I take Susan Boyle -- ''bland'' and ''ordinary" -- according to Ms. Powers, over ''sexy langour'' she misses.

[The Watcher]

I RATHER NOT SAY ANYTHING I FEEL LIKE THROWING UP.

GO AND WATCH FOR YOURSELF WHEN SHE PERFORMED IN TODAY SHOW - YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE DIDN'T EVEN CLAP THAT MUCH.

ITS SEEMS THEY WERE SHOCKED ON WHAT THEY HEAR JUST SAD.

IT ALL HYPE WITH THE HELP OF THE MARKETING MACHINE OF MR. COWELL.