Before joining this site I’d not actually known much
about Amici Forever, I had heard of them but that was as far as it got.
After reading people’s posts on how good they are, I thought I’d search
round and buy the debut album.
At the time of the album
Amici was a five-piece group. Jo Appleby, Nick Garrett, David Habbin,
Geoff Sewell and Tsakane Valentine. I don’t really know much about them
and I don’t know whose face goes with which voice. But by listening to
the album I do know that all the different voices (soprano, tenor etc)
really go well together. At first I thought I might not be too keen as
I’m not a great lover of the soprano voice (too high for me) but yeah
they really do blend well together.
Anyway review of the songs on the album with score out of five.
1) Prayer In The Night (4/5)
I
don’t think I’d ever heard this song before and to be honest I haven’t
a clue what they are singing about, but it is a lovely soft song, very
easy to listen to, and I liked it very much. All the voices really do
blend together (in a nice way)
2) Senza Catene (4/5)
This
is unchained melody but in Italian. Il Divo have recently done this on
their Ancora anthem. Il Divo’s version is more powerful, but I think
Amici’s version sounds more romantic, especially with the girls
singing. Would be nice if it was in English, but then again it wouldn’t
be an opera album if it were.
3) Whisper of Angels (4/5)
When
I first heard this I thought ‘oh this is just the girls singing’ and
that I’m not going to like it. But the male voices soon join in. But
even without the male voices the song sounds so beautiful and I do like
it. Again haven’t a clue what they’re singing though.
4) The Pearl Fishers (5/5)
I
love this song. I have grown to know it through Russell Watson singing
the duet with himself, so was wondering how well Amici would do it. It
is just as beautiful, perhaps even more so with the female voices
harmonising in the background.
5) Soave Sia Il Vento (2/5)
Oh! Too much soprano going on here, sorry.
6) Vita Mia (5/5)
I LOVE this Song. It is So Beautiful. A modern classic in the making. I find myself singing along to this one. Very romantic.
7) Nimrod: (3/5)
Unfortunately
I only know this song as Russell’s We Will Stand Together. So I am
finding myself singing those words and not listening to what these guys
are singing. To me it sounded just like they were harmonising which
does sound nice, but the CD booklet has words so they are singing. Hmm
8) Song To The Moon (3/5)
This
is mainly sung by the girls, (I think I can hear the 3 guys harmonising
in the background). It has a beautiful tune but because of my personal
preference of male classical voices over females, this wasn’t my cup of
tea.
9) Band of Brothers (5/5)
Ow wow,
the words to this are so moving. Originally the theme to the TV show
Band Of Brothers, Amici have made it their own. You can even hear a bit
of emotion in their voices on this one
10) Canto Alla Vita (5/5)
I’ve
heard this one before, can’t remember who by though. Anyway this is an
up-tempo song, which I think really suits all the voices and livens up
the album more. (as it has all been quite samey- in a nice easy
listening way)
11) Zadok the Priest (4/5)
After
over a minute intro I was wondering if they were going to actually
sing. Looking at the song title I didn’t think I actually knew this
song, but hey I do. I think it’s been used for some sports event or
something. Anyway it is Another harmonising of the voices song, and it
works well. (they know they on to a good thing with the harmonising).
12) Nessun Dorma (5/5)
This
song has become a classical crossover staple. Everybody is singing it
haha. But seriously it is a beautiful song which (again) together with
the mix of voices works really well, and is another one where you hear
a bit of the emotion in their voices.
13) Adeste Fidelis (3/5)
This is O Come all ye Faithful. I’m not a big fan of this song, but it works well on the album
14) Olympia: Eternal Flame (3/5)
Another
more upbeat track on the album. I think it would probably be better
suited more towards the middle of the album to liven it up a bit. But
as it’s the bonus track it’s stuck at the end.
Overall score 55 /70
This
is a very pleasant easy listening album. At times the songs can sound
very samey, as Amici tend to like the harmonising. There are some very
good songs which made me stop what I was doing to listen to them but in
most part (for me) this is an album to point on to listen to whilst
you’re doing something else.
Inside the CD Booklet under
each song it gives a quick low-down of what the song is about and then
the lyrics in whichever foreign language the song is in. But I would
also have liked the words in English. (guess I have been spoilt with
that from Russell’s albums).
This was an enjoyable first album, and I can see why many people have become fans of Amici Forever.
