"Let's Talk About Love" album - Official Topic

[PuraVida]

I've pretty much always skipped the song.

And I don't like its placement on the Let's Talk About Love album.

I wish the song was placed later in the tracklist.

But I'll listen again soon with an open mind.

 

I think the beat and instrumentation is much more forced than Celine's vocal delivery to be honest. The beat sounds so karaoke to me... but Celine really sells the vocals imo.

[actofcontrition]

Do we think Toni Braxton's huge success with songs like Un-Break My Heart influenced Celine and Rene for the Let's Talk About Love album?

Celine sings in her lower register on songs like Why Oh Why, and it always sounds a little forced to me.

 

 

I LOVE that song! I’m listening to it right now. Celine’s voice is so gorgeous in the lower keys 🥰❤️

[CelinesDIVO5]

 

 

Why oh why is one on my favorite. She nails it. The vibe is so chill, her low voice almost whispering at times is crystal clear. And the high notes “HEYYYY! HEYYY HEYYYY” very rnb... but still very celine

 

Agreed. I absolutely love this song.

[smw]

 

 

I think the beat and instrumentation is much more forced than Celine's vocal delivery to be honest. The beat sounds so karaoke to me... but Celine really sells the vocals imo.

 

I agree - the beat sounds karaoke to me too.

Glad others enjoy the song!

[comingback]

Do we think Toni Braxton's huge success with songs like Un-Break My Heart influenced Celine and Rene for the Let's Talk About Love album?

Celine sings in her lower register on songs like Why Oh Why, and it always sounds a little forced to me.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Rch6WvPJE&list=RDTH4mVSb3SkU&index=6

 

I never liked Why Oh Why. Terrible copy of Braxton.

 

Edited January 10, 2021 at 07:43 PM by comingback

[smw]

For me, Why Oh Why sounds more dated than many of the other songs on LTAL... and it even sounded dated at the time of release.

Whereas songs like Immortality and The Reason have more of that timeless, classic Celine Dion, Falling Into You era sound.

And I associate To Love You More with this album because it appeared on the US edition. That song is the ultimate classic Celine Dion power ballad in my opinion.

 

Here's a little video I found:

 

[PuraVida]

This music video for The Reason----never saw this before! Loads of footage from the recording session that we never saw before on the "Making Of"

 

[Bruno Portugal]

This music video for The Reason----never saw this before! Loads of footage from the recording session that we never saw before on the "Making Of"

 

 

This was the official music video for The Reason. It played a lot on VH1.

[Chantemoi]

This music video for The Reason----never saw this before! Loads of footage from the recording session that we never saw before on the "Making Of"

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkcBzIvhjYE

 

I have NEVER even heard of this before!! Isn't it sort of rare for them to release only recording studio footage as a music video? The only other one I can think of off the top of my head that wasn't a staged recording is "I Knew I Loved You".

[rfkavanagh]

I have NEVER even heard of this before!! Isn't it sort of rare for them to release only recording studio footage as a music video? The only other one I can think of off the top of my head that wasn't a staged recording is "I Knew I Loved You".

 

They did it for Immortality, too - I never even realized there was a proper music video for that song until last year! I could be wrong, but I only remember ever seeing the in-studio recording music video of it in Ireland when it was a single (although I moved to the US right around that time so the second video may have started airing later). I think it particularly afflicted non-US/global singles.

 

Amazingly for such a high-profile and successful album, the LTAL era was around the time that I felt a fair amount of laziness set in for music videos - they just coasted on showing Céline as a peer to other major artists. Throw her in a studio singing with Barbra / Carole King / Bee Gees and you're done - no need for creativity. Not that there weren't still some occasional good videos afterward (mainly during the ANDHC era), but there were an awful lot of in-studio footage / live performance / chromakey videos from here on out, particularly once Vegas happened. Maybe a bit less so for French material.

[PuraVida]

I have NEVER even heard of this before!! Isn't it sort of rare for them to release only recording studio footage as a music video? The only other one I can think of off the top of my head that wasn't a staged recording is "I Knew I Loved You".

 

Did they do it for Sola Otra Vez as well? Could be making that up.

 

I guess if you count Voices that Care, that is another one?

[PuraVida]

Not that there weren't still some occasional good videos afterward (mainly during the ANDHC era), but there were an awful lot of in-studio footage / live performance / chromakey videos from here on out, particularly once Vegas happened. Maybe a bit less so for French material.

 

Which ones are you referring to?

[rfkavanagh]

Which ones are you referring to?

 

LTAL: Tell Him, The Reason, and Immortality all had in-studio recording session videos. Treat Her Like A Lady is a live performance video.

One Heart: I Drove All Night is basically Céline alone in a studio dancing in front of a black seamless - and even that's sponsored by Chrysler!

Taking Chances: Eyes On Me is a live performance video. Alone is a live performance video from her TV special. A World To Believe In is an in-studio recording session video. My Love is a live performance video (also promoting My Love: Essential Collection).

LMBTL: Loved Me Back To Life is a live performance video.

 

Obviously there have been other full production videos along the way so I'm not suggesting they gave up on videos completely (All The Way and ANDHC had lots of full-on video support, and in other cases they spent bigger money on a video for the first single), but whether through budget issues, wanting to show Céline in a studio environment to show off her expertise (dubbed as all those videos may be), coasting, or - in many cases - just making it so she could shoot her part in a simple studio environment on a day off from Vegas (which they'd then edit around with other footage or CGI), a lot of singles didn't get anything like the videos from her earlier English-language career. And as things have progressed even further, most singles don't get a video these days (but she's not alone in that - the music industry has changed so much). And I'm not even listing all the videos of just her or her and her duet partner standing around a set singing to camera, or the singles where we got nothing - or even worse, they shot something and never released it.

 

Not saying we get nothing, but for an artist of Céline's caliber, it's disappointing that they so often just take the easiest route possible. The last big English-language video we got was Taking Chances!

[garçon]

LTAL: Tell Him, The Reason, and Immortality all had in-studio recording session videos. Treat Her Like A Lady is a live performance video.

One Heart: I Drove All Night is basically Céline alone in a studio dancing in front of a black seamless - and even that's sponsored by Chrysler!

Taking Chances: Eyes On Me is a live performance video. Alone is a live performance video from her TV special. A World To Believe In is an in-studio recording session video. My Love is a live performance video (also promoting My Love: Essential Collection).

LMBTL: Loved Me Back To Life is a live performance video.

 

Obviously there have been other full production videos along the way so I'm not suggesting they gave up on videos completely (All The Way and ANDHC had lots of full-on video support, and in other cases they spent bigger money on a video for the first single), but whether through budget issues, wanting to show Céline in a studio environment to show off her expertise (dubbed as all those videos may be), coasting, or - in many cases - just making it so she could shoot her part in a simple studio environment on a day off from Vegas (which they'd then edit around with other footage or CGI), a lot of singles didn't get anything like the videos from her earlier English-language career. And as things have progressed even further, most singles don't get a video these days (but she's not alone in that - the music industry has changed so much). And I'm not even listing all the videos of just her or her and her duet partner standing around a set singing to camera, or the singles where we got nothing - or even worse, they shot something and never released it.

 

Not saying we get nothing, but for an artist of Céline's caliber, it's disappointing that they so often just take the easiest route possible. The last big English-language video we got was Taking Chances!

 

Obviously, there also was Ashes, Imperfections, Courage and the un-released Lying Down, to name some.

[rfkavanagh]

Obviously, there also was Ashes, Imperfections, Courage and the un-released Lying Down, to name some.

 

Sure, but they all exemplify the same basic elements:

 

Ashes - shot on a spare day in the Coliseum auditorium with Céline simply performing on the stage. At least this video had a surrounding concept, mainly because it had movie tie-in studio support.

 

Imperfections and Courage - while good videos in and of themselves, they're very simple, mostly Céline-against-a-seamless shoots that could be shot in a day, and were most likely ganged with shooting backdrops for the Courage World Tour. Nothing wrong with being efficient, but they're not exactly overly elaborate efforts. (Although thematically, I appreciate the understated elegance of Courage and the exposure in Imperfections - these tracks didn't really need huge production videos.)

 

Lying Down - may have been a more interesting video, but it's unreleased!

 

Honestly, I know it sounds like I don't like any of the videos from the last 20 years, but I don't have a problem with any of them in isolation (and as noted, I thought the Courage and Imperfections videos were appropriate for the topics). And I'm far more interested in - and happy with - the music itself than the videos used to promote it. The videos are all fine and enjoyable enough, and at least the ones noted above aren't in-studio sessions or concert performances.

 

What I'm more underwhelmed and disappointed by is the impression left over the longer term. These days there's very little variation or inspiration or creativity applied to Céline's music videos - when we even get one. They all smell of "quick, let's churn out another video where Céline can just show up for a few hours in between her performances and shopping and fashion posing and that'll be good enough" approach. (Hell, for Imperfections they combined it all so that they could keep Céline's interest for longer by having her dress up in FASHION!!) There's very little indication of real passion or care and they're certainly not on the same level of past videos, but they're sadly emblematic of what has happened to the industry overall.

 

What's more surprising to me is that no one's applying more care and effort for an artist at Céline's level - these are all part of her career legacy. Although I have a horrible feeling that's more down to her lack of interest than anything else. She certainly doesn't have her '90s hunger and dedication anymore (and that's fine, too; just less interesting for me as a fan).

 

It's funny - despite writing all that, it's really not something that I spend much time worrying about and it doesn't have much impact on me overall. It's more that as someone who spends their days working with brand-building, marketing and communications efforts, I'm surprised by how carelessly Céline's legacy is managed.

[joaofilho]

it's like she said: "i'm not building a career"

unfortunately I miss more Celine videos.

Remembering the LTAL album, there are only two video clips: Immortality and MHWGO, and this is one of the best selling albums, even a DVD of the tour doesn’t have.

[rfkavanagh]

Remembering the LTAL album, there are only two video clips: Immortality and MHWGO, and this is one of the best selling albums, even a DVD of the tour doesn’t have.

 

It's kind of shocking, right?! The biggest issue for me personally is not having the LTAL tour - I'm sure they didn't want to saturate the market and over-expose her at such a pivotal point, but I really wish there had been an official release, particularly so we'd have the acoustic set from the tour. Because, Tears In Heaven, and her original understated version of The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face (before adding the David Foster production schlock) were amazing and those performances were beautiful. I was so disappointed when Au Coeur Du State came out and it was the other, less interesting acoustic set!

 

Obviously, it was HUGELY successful and she's had an incredible career since so there's no reason to say they were wrong at all, but I always felt LTAL was the point at which they made a conscious decision that shifted Céline's career direction from evolving, contemporary artist into building-a-heritage-artist mode, perhaps more than they intended. They went to great lengths to try to separate her from more contemporary "competitors" and position her as peer to "the greats" - surrounding her with Streisand, Pavarotti, Bee Gees, Carole King, etc., was a way of elevating her position and putting her on a pedestal, but not exactly a way of appealing to younger audiences or keeping her on trend. Even though they'd never had much luck trying to turn her into a dance diva in the past either, LTAL solidified her image and locked her into the adult contemporary power balladeer space. No amount of future experimentation with musical styles or duetting with R. Kelly / Ne-Yo / whomever has ever been able to shake that label.

[mirage]

Only sometimes in interviews she does make it seem that she bursts with creativity all the time, and that she has many ideas, for songs, clothes, interior design, concepts etc etc

 

But somehow it doesn't show in her career at all.

 

 

Although I have a horrible feeling that's more down to her lack of interest than anything else. She certainly doesn't have her '90s hunger and dedication anymore (and that's fine, too; just less interesting for me as a fan).

[PuraVida]

LTAL: Tell Him, The Reason, and Immortality all had in-studio recording session videos. Treat Her Like A Lady is a live performance video.

One Heart: I Drove All Night is basically Céline alone in a studio dancing in front of a black seamless - and even that's sponsored by Chrysler!

Taking Chances: Eyes On Me is a live performance video. Alone is a live performance video from her TV special. A World To Believe In is an in-studio recording session video. My Love is a live performance video (also promoting My Love: Essential Collection).

LMBTL: Loved Me Back To Life is a live performance video.

 

Obviously there have been other full production videos along the way so I'm not suggesting they gave up on videos completely (All The Way and ANDHC had lots of full-on video support, and in other cases they spent bigger money on a video for the first single), but whether through budget issues, wanting to show Céline in a studio environment to show off her expertise (dubbed as all those videos may be), coasting, or - in many cases - just making it so she could shoot her part in a simple studio environment on a day off from Vegas (which they'd then edit around with other footage or CGI), a lot of singles didn't get anything like the videos from her earlier English-language career. And as things have progressed even further, most singles don't get a video these days (but she's not alone in that - the music industry has changed so much). And I'm not even listing all the videos of just her or her and her duet partner standing around a set singing to camera, or the singles where we got nothing - or even worse, they shot something and never released it.

 

Not saying we get nothing, but for an artist of Céline's caliber, it's disappointing that they so often just take the easiest route possible. The last big English-language video we got was Taking Chances!

 

What do you think of the music video for Incredible?

 

 

Personally, I really love the Bee Gees music video. That is an example of the recording studio music video being done well....but I think they could have cleaned up The Reason and Tell Him and then it could have matched Immortality in that respect. If they were all crisp and beautiful and well-lit.

 

The part in Tell Him where you see David and Walter laughing and dressed like slobs really bothers me everytime. I wish they were out of the music video entirely.

Edited February 18, 2021 at 09:18 PM by PuraVida

[PuraVida]

It's kind of shocking, right?! The biggest issue for me personally is not having the LTAL tour - I'm sure they didn't want to saturate the market and over-expose her at such a pivotal point, but I really wish there had been an official release, particularly so we'd have the acoustic set from the tour. Because, Tears In Heaven, and her original understated version of The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face (before adding the David Foster production schlock) were amazing and those performances were beautiful. I was so disappointed when Au Coeur Du State came out and it was the other, less interesting acoustic set!

 

Obviously, it was HUGELY successful and she's had an incredible career since so there's no reason to say they were wrong at all, but I always felt LTAL was the point at which they made a conscious decision that shifted Céline's career direction from evolving, contemporary artist into building-a-heritage-artist mode, perhaps more than they intended. They went to great lengths to try to separate her from more contemporary "competitors" and position her as peer to "the greats" - surrounding her with Streisand, Pavarotti, Bee Gees, Carole King, etc., was a way of elevating her position and putting her on a pedestal, but not exactly a way of appealing to younger audiences or keeping her on trend. Even though they'd never had much luck trying to turn her into a dance diva in the past either, LTAL solidified her image and locked her into the adult contemporary power balladeer space. No amount of future experimentation with musical styles or duetting with R. Kelly / Ne-Yo / whomever has ever been able to shake that label.

 

You mean when she performed First Time Ever I Saw Your Face on the LTAL tour/Au Couer du Stade?

 

I am angry we don't have LTAL tour video because those were her strongest vocals. I always say that one of the black holes of her career is that we don't have more footage from that tour----and I have no idea how that is. There are loads and loads of recordings from FIY Tour but not as many from the LTAL.

 

Also---I don't understand their fear of saturation (to me, seems overrated this fear) if she was going to take a break anyway right afterwards for a couple of years.

 

I completely agree with your assessment of LTAL and her career. She definitely went more traditional pop/ballad than with FIY....I think they also just tried to cram so many styles and show her versatility without getting the strongest songs to do so. I personally love Little Bit of Love and Treat Her Like A Lady.....but some of the filler songs beyond that, while great vocally, were not so great musically IMO or for her image//younger appeal.

Edited February 18, 2021 at 09:16 PM by PuraVida

[Céline RO]

You mean when she performed First Time Ever I Saw Your Face on the LTAL tour/Au Couer du Stade?

 

I am angry we don't have LTAL tour video because those were her strongest vocals. I always say that one of the black holes of her career is that we don't have more footage from that tour----and I have no idea how that is. There are loads and loads of recordings from FIY Tour but not as many from the LTAL.

 

Also---I don't understand their fear of saturation (to me, seems overrated this fear) if she was going to take a break anyway right afterwards for a couple of years.

 

I completely agree with your assessment of LTAL and her career. She definitely went more traditional pop/ballad than with FIY....I think they also just tried to cram so many styles and show her versatility without getting the strongest songs to do so. I personally love Little Bit of Love and Treat Her Like A Lady.....but some of the filler songs beyond that, while great vocally, were not so great musically IMO or for her image//younger appeal.

 

We have a lot more bootlegs from LTAL tour than from FIY.

 

Also, about the LTAL album, I think many of those “filler” songs as absolutely amazing. “Us” and “Miles to Go” are highlights for me. It’s one of my favorite albums from her so I don’t get why many people think it’s one of her weakest.

[comingback]

 

 

We have a lot more bootlegs from LTAL tour than from FIY.

 

Also, about the LTAL album, I think many of those “filler” songs as absolutely amazing. “Us” and “Miles to Go” are highlights for me. It’s one of my favorite albums from her so I don’t get why many people think it’s one of her weakest.

 

Yep, I love the LTAL album, my second favorite after FIY. It's classic Celine and MHWGO made me a fan. I adore Us,TR,MTG,WITL,LIOTW,WINY and Immortality. But I don't like TH and IHYTILY, too cheesy for me.

Edited February 19, 2021 at 10:57 AM by comingback

[garçon]

It's kind of shocking, right?! The biggest issue for me personally is not having the LTAL tour - I'm sure they didn't want to saturate the market and over-expose her at such a pivotal point, but I really wish there had been an official release, particularly so we'd have the acoustic set from the tour. Because, Tears In Heaven, and her original understated version of The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face (before adding the David Foster production schlock) were amazing and those performances were beautiful. I was so disappointed when Au Coeur Du State came out and it was the other, less interesting acoustic set!

 

Obviously, it was HUGELY successful and she's had an incredible career since so there's no reason to say they were wrong at all, but I always felt LTAL was the point at which they made a conscious decision that shifted Céline's career direction from evolving, contemporary artist into building-a-heritage-artist mode, perhaps more than they intended. They went to great lengths to try to separate her from more contemporary "competitors" and position her as peer to "the greats" - surrounding her with Streisand, Pavarotti, Bee Gees, Carole King, etc., was a way of elevating her position and putting her on a pedestal, but not exactly a way of appealing to younger audiences or keeping her on trend. Even though they'd never had much luck trying to turn her into a dance diva in the past either, LTAL solidified her image and locked her into the adult contemporary power balladeer space. No amount of future experimentation with musical styles or duetting with R. Kelly / Ne-Yo / whomever has ever been able to shake that label.

 

We saw her leaning towards contemporary trends later on, especially for Courage, which in light of your analysis is quite striking, don't you agree?

 

If I were to ask Celine one question, that she then has to answer straightforwardly and honestly, it would be: "Miss Angelil, as an artist, what drives you?"

Maybe the answer would scare us. For as far as I know, she's become quite cynical and in it for money.

Peers like Carey have artistic ambitions, Although there's hardy money there, she also cares a lot for her legacy... as we all know of course by her actions over the last year or so.

[jpatdeleon09]

Do we think Toni Braxton's huge success with songs like Un-Break My Heart influenced Celine and Rene for the Let's Talk About Love album?

Celine sings in her lower register on songs like Why Oh Why, and it always sounds a little forced to me.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Rch6WvPJE&list=RDTH4mVSb3SkU&index=6

 

Un-break my heart was supposed to be sang by Céline Dion but she turned it down.

[CelinesDIVO5]

 

 

It's kind of shocking, right?! The biggest issue for me personally is not having the LTAL tour - I'm sure they didn't want to saturate the market and over-expose her at such a pivotal point, but I really wish there had been an official release, particularly so we'd have the acoustic set from the tour. Because, Tears In Heaven, and her original understated version of The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face (before adding the David Foster production schlock) were amazing and those performances were beautiful. I was so disappointed when Au Coeur Du State came out and it was the other, less interesting acoustic set!

 

Obviously, it was HUGELY successful and she's had an incredible career since so there's no reason to say they were wrong at all, but I always felt LTAL was the point at which they made a conscious decision that shifted Céline's career direction from evolving, contemporary artist into building-a-heritage-artist mode, perhaps more than they intended. They went to great lengths to try to separate her from more contemporary "competitors" and position her as peer to "the greats" - surrounding her with Streisand, Pavarotti, Bee Gees, Carole King, etc., was a way of elevating her position and putting her on a pedestal, but not exactly a way of appealing to younger audiences or keeping her on trend. Even though they'd never had much luck trying to turn her into a dance diva in the past either, LTAL solidified her image and locked her into the adult contemporary power balladeer space. No amount of future experimentation with musical styles or duetting with R. Kelly / Ne-Yo / whomever has ever been able to shake that label.

 

As far as the LTAL DVD/Home Video goes, we also have to remember that a lot of dates for that tour were canceled when Rene got sick. Who knows what else may have been pushed to the side due to unfortunate circumstances.

 

When it comes to making Celine a legacy artist, LTAL was supposed to be her last album for a long time. She was going to take a long break after the release of that album. So, the strategy of creating longevity and building her up as a legend probably made the most sense at the time. Nobody could have predicted the success of MHWGO at the time, yet here we are.

[mirage]

If MHWGO didn't happen her career would have looked so different I think.

 

 

 

As far as the LTAL DVD/Home Video goes, we also have to remember that a lot of dates for that tour were canceled when Rene got sick. Who knows what else may have been pushed to the side due to unfortunate circumstances.

 

When it comes to making Celine a legacy artist, LTAL was supposed to be her last album for a long time. She was going to take a long break after the release of that album. So, the strategy of creating longevity and building her up as a legend probably made the most sense at the time. Nobody could have predicted the success of MHWGO at the time, yet here we are.

[mirage]

I think we all know that answer. She is becoming quite predictable when it comes to this.

 

'my family, my sons, the fans'

 

 

If I were to ask Celine one question, that she then has to answer straightforwardly and honestly, it would be: "Miss Angelil, as an artist, what drives you?"

Maybe the answer would scare us.

[rfkavanagh]

What do you think of the music video for Incredible?

 

Personally, I really love the Bee Gees music video. That is an example of the recording studio music video being done well....but I think they could have cleaned up The Reason and Tell Him and then it could have matched Immortality in that respect. If they were all crisp and beautiful and well-lit.

 

The part in Tell Him where you see David and Walter laughing and dressed like slobs really bothers me everytime. I wish they were out of the music video entirely.

 

Incredible is definitely one of the better videos - they certainly put some thought and effort into it, and there's more visual interest than usual. What I also see, though, is another in a long line of "let's put Céline standing on a stage/platform/roof/whatever and have her sing to camera for a day" productions. She doesn't appear in any other scenes in the video - just what they could capture in a day on a rooftop where she could be in and out relatively easily. She's doesn't take part in any of the actual creative parts of the video, which were all shot completely separately and required no effort from her. It's an enjoyable video; I just wish she was interested in doing more than the bare minimum!

 

And personally, I'm 100% against in-studio recording session footage being used for music videos, no matter how well lit! It's the height of laziness, and they dub the footage with the single anyway so it's not like there's anything even slightly authentic about showing the footage. It's interesting behind-the-scenes b-roll, but nothing more (and with the Courage footage, it wasn't even that!).

 

You mean when she performed First Time Ever I Saw Your Face on the LTAL tour/Au Couer du Stade?

 

I'm talking about the LTAL tour when she sang it as part of the acoustic medley along with Because and Tears In Heaven (and now that I think of it, wasn't All The Way part of the medley, too?). Did she perform it during Au Coeur Du Stade? I don't remember it being on the DVD (although I haven't watched that since it came out!), and it's definitely not on the CD. I really want a full-quality recording of the English-language acoustic medley in its entirety - it was an amazing part of the show.

 

Also, about the LTAL album, I think many of those “filler” songs as absolutely amazing. “Us” and “Miles to Go” are highlights for me. It’s one of my favorite albums from her so I don’t get why many people think it’s one of her weakest.

 

I probably wouldn't describe it as a weak album as much as an overly contrived and curated one. It was A&R'd within an inch of its life - they were so afraid of making a misstep and missing the chance to cement Céline's status that absolutely nothing was left to chance. There's no real sense of freshness or excitement or inspiration to it, which is something FIY felt like it had in abundance (even though I have no doubt it was a highly curated product as well). The production is mostly staid and traditional - perfectly serviceable and well done, but relatively predictable. Ultimately, there are some great vocals on the album and some great songs, but the whole feels like less than the sum of its parts.

 

BTW, Us is one of my favorite tracks on the album - and within Céline's entire career - but even there they couldn't leave it well enough alone and trust listeners to enjoy it for what it was. They just had to destroy the overall experience by tacking on a major-key shift for the coda. I mean, you couldn't possible leave anyone with a potentially bittersweet or uneasy feeling, could you?! No, let's throw a completely unearned happy ending onto a song about depression. To this day, I will never forgive them for that!

 

We saw her leaning towards contemporary trends later on, especially for Courage, which in light of your analysis is quite striking, don't you agree?

 

Oh, I don't think they've ever given up on trying to make her a contemporary artist. Every album has tried to position her as more on trend, working with high-profile artists of the day, changing up musical styles (a little), etc. My point was more that I think ever since LTAL, there's never been a hope that any of it will stick. For better or worse, Céline's image is older, heritage-oriented, a bit old-fashioned - and they forged that image for her before she was even 30! She's seen as more Shirley Bassey than Adele, regardless of her age, the music, or even the reviews. In fact, I think the general public gives her more of an "oh isn't that cute, Céline's trying her hand at being current again" reaction than viewing her as a serious contemporary artist. And again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, per se - she's had an amazing career and continues to be incredibly successful, and she's viewed on a whole different level to someone like Mariah. I just think they missed whatever shot they may have had at crafting a very different image for her.

 

Of course, all of the above relates only to her English-language career - things are obviously a bit different in her other material.

[PuraVida]

I like to imagine Celine doing what Toni's doing in the Unbreak My Heart music video hahahah

 

Although IACBTMN already had the premise of a lover dying on a motorcycle...so I think that was Toni copying Celine.

[PuraVida]

Incredible is definitely one of the better videos - they certainly put some thought and effort into it, and there's more visual interest than usual. What I also see, though, is another in a long line of "let's put Céline standing on a stage/platform/roof/whatever and have her sing to camera for a day" productions. She doesn't appear in any other scenes in the video - just what they could capture in a day on a rooftop where she could be in and out relatively easily. She's doesn't take part in any of the actual creative parts of the video, which were all shot completely separately and required no effort from her. It's an enjoyable video; I just wish she was interested in doing more than the bare minimum!

 

And personally, I'm 100% against in-studio recording session footage being used for music videos, no matter how well lit! It's the height of laziness, and they dub the footage with the single anyway so it's not like there's anything even slightly authentic about showing the footage. It's interesting behind-the-scenes b-roll, but nothing more (and with the Courage footage, it wasn't even that!).

 

 

 

I'm talking about the LTAL tour when she sang it as part of the acoustic medley along with Because and Tears In Heaven (and now that I think of it, wasn't All The Way part of the medley, too?). Did she perform it during Au Coeur Du Stade? I don't remember it being on the DVD (although I haven't watched that since it came out!), and it's definitely not on the CD. I really want a full-quality recording of the English-language acoustic medley in its entirety - it was an amazing part of the show.

 

 

 

I probably wouldn't describe it as a weak album as much as an overly contrived and curated one. It was A&R'd within an inch of its life - they were so afraid of making a misstep and missing the chance to cement Céline's status that absolutely nothing was left to chance. There's no real sense of freshness or excitement or inspiration to it, which is something FIY felt like it had in abundance (even though I have no doubt it was a highly curated product as well). The production is mostly staid and traditional - perfectly serviceable and well done, but relatively predictable. Ultimately, there are some great vocals on the album and some great songs, but the whole feels like less than the sum of its parts.

 

BTW, Us is one of my favorite tracks on the album - and within Céline's entire career - but even there they couldn't leave it well enough alone and trust listeners to enjoy it for what it was. They just had to destroy the overall experience by tacking on a major-key shift for the coda. I mean, you couldn't possible leave anyone with a potentially bittersweet or uneasy feeling, could you?! No, let's throw a completely unearned happy ending onto a song about depression. To this day, I will never forgive them for that!

 

 

 

Oh, I don't think they've ever given up on trying to make her a contemporary artist. Every album has tried to position her as more on trend, working with high-profile artists of the day, changing up musical styles (a little), etc. My point was more that I think ever since LTAL, there's never been a hope that any of it will stick. For better or worse, Céline's image is older, heritage-oriented, a bit old-fashioned - and they forged that image for her before she was even 30! She's seen as more Shirley Bassey than Adele, regardless of her age, the music, or even the reviews. In fact, I think the general public gives her more of an "oh isn't that cute, Céline's trying her hand at being current again" reaction than viewing her as a serious contemporary artist. And again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, per se - she's had an amazing career and continues to be incredibly successful, and she's viewed on a whole different level to someone like Mariah. I just think they missed whatever shot they may have had at crafting a very different image for her.

 

Of course, all of the above relates only to her English-language career - things are obviously a bit different in her other material.

 

You're completely right about the acoustic medley---it puts all of her other acoustic medleys to shame. I am captivated by her perfect song choices for covers in that medley, and yes All the Way was part of it as well. I think Rene or her team must have heard how good they sounded and decided to record them officially for upcoming albums/compilations. I'l have to go and listen to the First Time Ever I Saw Your Face version there again to remind myself, but I do still really enjoy her official recording too. |

 

 

I think the type of music video you're talking about is like Falling Into You, where she actually acts out a character // there's a story involved with her in it. But in theory, if you're doing legendary vocal collaborations with people like Barbra, I am completely fine with a studio recording music video---IF done well. I think they are mostly good, just would tweak some stuff like cutting out David Foster and his friends...

 

What are her best music videos post-2000?