Frequency Magazine » Susan Boyle

I forget whom, but a British comedian made the joke that Susan Boyle’s debut album I Dreamed a Dream would become a success because of guilt: because everyone made a snap judgment based on appearance when she first appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, they would feel morally compelled to buy it for their mothers in time for Christmas. Indeed, it is hardly difficult to be cynical about this offering, Boyle being as she is a product of the reality TV show system, and a hugely well-known one at that, but this detracts from what should be the main and only factor: the woman can sing.

No watcher of television (at least on this side of the Atlantic) is unfamiliar with the outline of her background. Born and still residing in a sleepy ex-mining town in West Lothian, Scotland, Susan Boyle was bullied as a child and diagnosed with learning difficulties. She worked as a volunteer, and lives as the slightly ‘batty’ spinster in her family home with her cat. After receiving singing lessons, she sang in various churches, pubs and venues in the local area, rarely leaving the area, and caring for her mother before she passed away in 2007. This is in hindsight all very apparent in the nature and performance of her songs, all selected by Boyle herself.

Of the twelve tracks, three are hymns (“How Great Thou Art,” “Amazing Grace” and rather commercially selected “Silent Night”). These are performed with polish, but with no more quality or magical talent (ahem) than any other local church heroine might have. The vibe is of one who has sung in churches her whole life, and delivered what is necessary, though time might well have robbed the songs of their significance to Boyle.

Where she does excel are the melancholy songs, where Boyle gets to utilise the nature of her voice, with its somber timbre and slightly ethereal and wistful tone. The opening track, “Wild Horses,” a Rolling Stones cover is a genuine tour de force, a haunting cover that raises your hope for the rest of the album, but unfortunately these heights are not reached again. “Cry Me a River” is interpreted well–like “Horses” tapping into Boyle’s past experience to bring out the solitude of her previous life–and in these two songs, you can almost hear her in West Lothian, walking the lonely moors of Heathcliff. Similarly, she does lend a rather personal rendition of “The End of the World” but lacks the sweetness the song is accustomed to, rather as her “Cry Me a River” lacks its habitual sultriness.

The attempts at being more contemporary are adequate but not groundbreaking, with the Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” among the most notable (curiously Boyle has elected for a slower approach). Her ‘original’ “Who I Was Born to Be” also satisfies but will likely not be used as a single. With the more modern covers (this term is used loosely) you sense she tries to force a classical air onto it, which would work had Boyle given more thought to how she would best utilise her voice.

In short, the album has already broken records in the UK and America (as well as other countries around the world), shooting to an instant Number 1 even before it was officially released. But consumers would be best served to give the album an impartial listen beforehand. After the initial draw that reality TV contestants always elicit, after you forget the millions of YouTube hits, after the shock that a woman with the appearance of Susan Boyle has the voice of Susan Boyle, one must consider what you are left with from a musical point of view. And the answer is a perfectly acceptable ‘classical’ album, but one that will lightly be gathering dust by the time Britain’s Got Talent comes around gain.

[Author's note: this is my first review, so comments would be much appreciated! Just don't ask why I chose such a random subject!]