39 replies to this topic

[zoe marie]

celinekat, on Apr 6 2008, 11:36 PM, said:

i dont mean to sound stupid but who is Chuck?

Chuck is a critic for Billboard
Hope this helps you

[celinekat]

thanks for the info

[celínico_sin_remedio]

Chuck,now you're here!!
Can u answer our question in this topic??

[nystrele]

hahaha, you guys are hilarious!

I DON'T KNOW! when i first started writing about "taking chances," i was invited to sony to hear the album and i wrote notes about every song i heard. when the actual disc materialized, it was song by song exactly what was played for me. and... no timbaland.

the great difference between now and the time i wrote about ANDHC, where rene played tracks for me, is that billboard was offered a very early exclusive on the project, so they were still recording and sequencing... somewhere i even have the handwritten list of tracks from rene that, to this day, include some titles i have NEVER HEARD again! (i'll have to find that and scan it for you cats).

meanwhile, as i mentioned on another post, "alone" has officially gone to radio, so i am hoping to get my review in billboard in the issue that streets on friday, 4/18. i'll be sure to post here  when it runs.

and while we're chatting, someone asked on some post if rene reads the reviews in billboard. my best guess is yes, since he's always been so kind to me... i think the only mean review i ever wrote was for "goodbye's (the saddest word)." but you know, i have never gotten direct feedback from him about anything i've ever published in bb.

ok, it took me 30 minutes on the billboard.com web site, but i managed to locate my original review for "goodbye's." it follows. i also found my review for the album, which is below.

++++++++
GOODBYE'S (THE SADDEST WORD)  11/23/2002
One of the more satisying variables of A New Day Has Come is that the set at last showcases Celine Dion's fiery command of youthful, uptempo material, allowing her to diversify her rep as a diva balladeer and lighten up a little. Songs like "When the Wrong One Loves You Right" and "Sorry for Love" are primed for radio airplay and dancefloor remixes and are ideal candidates for release. So it's disappointing that Sony selected "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" as the next worldwide single—a ballad that is guaranteed to be shunned by U.S. top 40 radio and relegated solely to AC. With sales of the current disc faltering and a three-year live stint in Las Vegas on the horizon, the label should be working to spread the good word to as wide a demographic as possible. That said, the Mutt Lange song is devastatingly beautiful, offering a loving tribute to one's mother at death's door. Dion delivers it with a heaving helping of passion, emotionally drawing one's attention to the devotional message. Many will connect to the loss of a parent, for sure, but on a commercial level, this is simply the wrong vehicle to sustain a career. That is the saddest word.—CT
+++++++++

and the review for ANDHC:

Celine Dion's eighth English-language album, A New Day Has Come, marks the dawning of a new musical chapter for the 33-year-old chanteuse, who returns after a two-year industry sabbatical with a new baby and a new attitude. This first all-new collection since 1997 adds fresh colors to Dion's musical canvas, as she explores a broader, more adventurous range of pop music. Over the course of the album's generous 16 tracks, Dion dishes out her first all-out dance anthem, "Sorry for Love," hitworthy uptempo gems like "I'm Alive" and "When the Wrong One Loves You Right," the rock-leaning "Ten Days," and a Spanish track, "Aun Existe Amor." She doesn't disappoint with ballads, either, via the rafter-shaking "I Surrender" and "The Greatest Reward." And two standards—the diamond-dipped "Nature Boy" and gospel "At Last"—serve her grown-up fans. The common thread here is immeasurable ease and confidence, adding up to Dion's most versatile and thus gratifying recording yet.—CT

((notice in the album review, it never occurred to me that "saddest" would be a single! and how jazzed i was that "sorry for love" was such an OBVIOUS hit... sigh...))

cheers, celine cats!
xoxoxoxo
=chuck=

Edited by nystrele, 07 April 2008 - 08:30 PM.

[Bellamy]

Maybe you can write a even more mean review for "Alone", as the "Goodbye's" review is not mean enough to wake up SONY.

[Lawna]

nystrele, on Apr 7 2008, 07:27 PM, said:

hahaha, you guys are hilarious!

I DON'T KNOW! when i first started writing about "taking chances," i was invited to sony to hear the album and i wrote notes about every song i heard. when the actual disc materialized, it was song by song exactly what was played for me. and... no timbaland.

the great difference between now and the time i wrote about ANDHC, where rene played tracks for me, is that billboard was offered a very early exclusive on the project, so they were still recording and sequencing... somewhere i even have the handwritten list of tracks from rene that, to this day, include some titles i have NEVER HEARD again! (i'll have to find that and scan it for you cats).

meanwhile, as i mentioned on another post, "alone" has officially gone to radio, so i am hoping to get my review in billboard in the issue that streets on friday, 4/18. i'll be sure to post here  when it runs.

and while we're chatting, someone asked on some post if rene reads the reviews in billboard. my best guess is yes, since he's always been so kind to me... i think the only mean review i ever wrote was for "goodbye's (the saddest word)." but you know, i have never gotten direct feedback from him about anything i've ever published in bb.

ok, it took me 30 minutes on the billboard.com web site, but i managed to locate my original review for "goodbye's." it follows. i also found my review for the album, which is below.

++++++++
GOODBYE'S (THE SADDEST WORD)  11/23/2002
One of the more satisying variables of A New Day Has Come is that the set at last showcases Celine Dion's fiery command of youthful, uptempo material, allowing her to diversify her rep as a diva balladeer and lighten up a little. Songs like "When the Wrong One Loves You Right" and "Sorry for Love" are primed for radio airplay and dancefloor remixes and are ideal candidates for release. So it's disappointing that Sony selected "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" as the next worldwide single—a ballad that is guaranteed to be shunned by U.S. top 40 radio and relegated solely to AC. With sales of the current disc faltering and a three-year live stint in Las Vegas on the horizon, the label should be working to spread the good word to as wide a demographic as possible. That said, the Mutt Lange song is devastatingly beautiful, offering a loving tribute to one's mother at death's door. Dion delivers it with a heaving helping of passion, emotionally drawing one's attention to the devotional message. Many will connect to the loss of a parent, for sure, but on a commercial level, this is simply the wrong vehicle to sustain a career. That is the saddest word.—CT
+++++++++

and the review for ANDHC:

Celine Dion's eighth English-language album, A New Day Has Come, marks the dawning of a new musical chapter for the 33-year-old chanteuse, who returns after a two-year industry sabbatical with a new baby and a new attitude. This first all-new collection since 1997 adds fresh colors to Dion's musical canvas, as she explores a broader, more adventurous range of pop music. Over the course of the album's generous 16 tracks, Dion dishes out her first all-out dance anthem, "Sorry for Love," hitworthy uptempo gems like "I'm Alive" and "When the Wrong One Loves You Right," the rock-leaning "Ten Days," and a Spanish track, "Aun Existe Amor." She doesn't disappoint with ballads, either, via the rafter-shaking "I Surrender" and "The Greatest Reward." And two standards—the diamond-dipped "Nature Boy" and gospel "At Last"—serve her grown-up fans. The common thread here is immeasurable ease and confidence, adding up to Dion's most versatile and thus gratifying recording yet.—CT

((notice in the album review, it never occurred to me that "saddest" would be a single! and how jazzed i was that "sorry for love" was such an OBVIOUS hit... sigh...))

cheers, celine cats!
xoxoxoxo
=chuck=

GoodBye wasn't a mean review    "Celine Cats" hmmm...I think I like the nickname!! So where did we get it from? Haha I always thought we'd be her little froggies or something  

[CSCfan]

Thanks for those Chuck! "Goodbye's (the Saddest Word)" is possibly my fav Céline song ever, but it was indeed a wrong choice for a single (or they had to push/promote it very hard to make it a succes). It was an honest and good review.... you should do the same (perhaps a bit "meaner") for "Alone".

You're a star!

[celinefanonline]

probably like the title of
love must be you or something like that
and maybe who could ever love you more??
i would love to see the unreleased song titles!
it would be cool!!

by the way Chuck did any other unreleased song from the list end up in One Heart album?

[Davey84]

nystrele, on Apr 8 2008, 04:27 AM, said:

the great difference between now and the time i wrote about ANDHC, where rene played tracks for me, is that billboard was offered a very early exclusive on the project, so they were still recording and sequencing... somewhere i even have the handwritten list of tracks from rene that, to this day, include some titles i have NEVER HEARD again!  (i'll have to find that and scan it for you cats).
ok, it took me 30 minutes on the billboard.com web site, but i managed to locate my original review for "goodbye's." it follows. i also found my review for the album, which is below.

WOW!! that would be amazing!!!!     

nystrele, on Apr 8 2008, 04:27 AM, said:

ALONE  04/01/2008
One of the more satisying variables of Taking Chances is that the set at last showcases Celine Dion's fiery command of youthful, uptempo material, allowing her to diversify her rep as a diva balladeer and lighten up a little. Songs like "Fade Away" and "Shadow Of Love" are primed for radio airplay and dancefloor remixes and are ideal candidates for release. So it's disappointing that Sony selected "ALONE" as the next worldwide single—a ballad that is guaranteed to be shunned by U.S. top 40 radio and relegated solely to AC. With sales of the current disc faltering and a 1 year World Tour on the move, the label should be working to spread the good word to as wide a demographic as possible. That said, the song produced by Ben Moody is devastatingly beautiful, offering a loving tribute to Hearts' orginal. Dion delivers it with a heaving helping of passion, emotionally drawing one's attention to the devotional message. Many will connect to the feeling of being alone, for sure, but on a commercial level, this is simply the wrong vehicle to sustain a career. We get the feeling that Sony believes very much in this line considering Célines career; 'I never really cared'.—CT
+++++++++

I say... copy and past

[mattia]

celinefanonline, on Apr 8 2008, 12:34 PM, said:

and maybe who could ever love you more??

we know what happened to that one, they changed the title to 'Miracle'