La Luna

She Hangs Brightly
by: peter naldrett - uk music correspondent

With the first snow of the winter already lining the streets of the UK, it’s fitting that Sarah Brightman’s new album has her looking like an Ice Queen on the cover, creating its chilly, crisp theme. Already released and reaching the top 20 in the States, La Luna sees Brightman interpreting a number of classical and contemporary songs-and adding to the remarkable eight million albums she has sold in the last two years. That’s not bad going for an artist who has a classical base and relies in crossing her roots with a more contemporary, popular culture.

But for all the impressive statistics, La Luna ultimately fails to warm the winter heart, it becoming plainly obvious after a couple of tracks that she is trying too hard to appeal to the Enya-style audience, and not coming close to the high standard already set. Yes, there are nice musical interludes with mood-soothing Enya-esque moments, but the choice of material and dreadful way that the rest of it is presented is enough to make sure that La Luna will not figure any the round-up of favourites in 2001.

Her version of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" has to be the worst in living memory, while "Winter in July" and "Here With Me" are too poppy to feel at home here.

However, it’s not all bad. The cover of "Scarborough Fair" is delightful, and "Figlio Perduto" is magnificent, though again only because it sounds like it could be Enya. In fact, the best thing about La Luna is the CD itself, it being a pretty picture of a moon with all its craters. Not the greatest way to start off the New Year, then, with this random, up and down effort from Sarah Brightman.