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Celine Dion

 

Biography by Stacia Proefrock

 

Rising from humble beginnings in the small town of Charlemagne, Quebec, Celine Dion became one of the biggest international stars in pop music history, selling more than 100 million albums worldwide. The youngest in Adhemar and Therese Dion's family of 14 children, Dion grew up in an environment full of the inherent chaos and material austerity that comes with such a large working-class family. However, the Dion household was also one filled with love for children and music, and her parents and siblings were important figures in the early development of her singing career. Celine Dion began singing in her parents' piano bar when she was just five years old. By the age of 12 she had written one of her first songs, "Ce N'etait Qu'un Rêve" ("It Was Only a Dream"), which she recorded with the help of her mother and brother and shipped off to a manager named Rene Angelil, whose name they found on the back of an album by Ginette Reno, a popular Francophone singer. After weeks with no response from Angelil, Celine's brother Michel phoned him and said, "I know you haven't listened to the tape, because if you had, you would've called right away." Angelil dug up the tape and called the family back the same day to set up a meeting with Celine. When the 12-year-old performed in his office in Montreal, Angelil cried and set in motion the process of making her a Quebecois, and later international star. He mortgaged his house to pay for her first two albums, producing a local number one single. In 1983 she became the first Canadian to have a gold record in France and she won a gold medal at the Yamaha songwriting competition in Japan. Her worldwide reputation was in the making, but success in the United States was not yet forthcoming.

 

When she was 18, Dion saw Michael Jackson performing on television and told Angelil that she wanted to be a star like him. Angelil's response was to order her to take 18 months off to remake her image. Dion underwent a physical transformation, cutting her hair, plucking her eyebrows, and having her teeth capped to cover up the incisors that had caused a Quebec humor magazine to dub her "Canine Dion." She was also sent off to English school to polish the language that would help her to break into the American market. When she emerged from this process, she had made an amazing transformation from teen star to adult chanteuse.

 

The payoff came almost immediately. Her 1990 breakthrough album, Unison, was released in the U.S. by Epic Records and produced several hit songs, but it was her duet with Peabo Bryson on the theme song of Disney's Beauty and the Beast that was her true breakthrough. The song reached number one on the pop charts and won both a Grammy and an Academy award. "Beauty and the Beast" was also featured on her second English album, 1992's Celine Dion, which launched another Top Ten American hit with "If You Asked Me To," while spawning two additional Top 40 singles, "Nothing Broken But My Heart" and "Love Can Move Mountains."

 

During this time there were also important developments in Dion's personal life. In 1988 Angelil crossed the line from manager to romantic partner when he kissed Dion one night after a show in Dublin. Fearful that fans would find the 26-year difference in their ages unsettling, the couple kept their relationship a secret for several years. But their 1994 wedding in Montreal's Notre Dame Basilica was celebrated not only by the 250 invited guests, but by millions of fans worldwide.

 

One of the hardest working stars in show business, Dion continued to record and perform on a schedule that would kill most people. She recorded six albums between 1992 and 1996, when her album Falling Into You took her to a new level of stardom. The recording was a runaway hit, winning Grammys for both Album of the Year and Best Pop Album. 1996 also brought her another honor; she was asked to perform at the opening ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympics. Dion's longest tenure on the pop charts would come the following year, however, when she recorded "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song for James Cameron's blockbuster movie Titanic. "My Heart Will Go On" became omnipresent on the radio as Titanic fever swept the world and when it was featured on her album Let's Talk About Love it helped propel that recording to the top of the charts. By then, Dion had the power to gather a supporting cast of stars and the album contained an amazing collection of artists, including Barbra Streisand, Luciano Pavarotti, and the Bee Gees. The album would win a host of awards and bring Dion a whole new world of fans.

 

Her appearance on VH1's Divas Live special with Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey, and Shania Twain proved popular as well and helped solidify Dion's position amongst not only current female pop singers but historical greats like Franklin. The continuing popularity of her recordings and live performances made her 1999 sabbatical seem like a tragedy to her fans, but Dion needed a break after more than a decade and a half of breakneck pace. In 1999, her husband Angelil was diagnosed with throat cancer. While the disease responded well to treatment and went into remission, the illness was a wake-up call for Dion, who decided to put a new emphasis on her family life and announced a temporary retirement so that she could spend more time at home and have a child. After undergoing fertility treatments, she gave birth to a son in January2001. The Collector's Series…Volume One was released during Dion's hiatus; it featured many of her best-loved songs, as well as a Spanish-language version of "All By Myself".

 

Dion returned to the public eye in a big way in March 2002 with A New Day Has Come. The album debuted at number one in over 17 countries, and was accompanied by a full-scale media blitz. But Dion's greatest challenge was yet to come.

 

Despite millions of albums sold, the adoration of fans worldwide, and the validation of her peers, Dion's success was still hampered by image problems that had dogged her since the days of "Canine Dion." While many Americans adored her, just as many snickered at her Quebecois heritage and the relative the unorthodoxy of her marriage. There was also the issue of her relevancy to lucrative audiences existing outside of her pop vocal constituency. To combat these issues, Dion and her management made a series of bold moves that attempted to solidify her career, and ensure its continuity as the singer entered her middle 30s.

 

In early 2002, Dion announced a three-year, 600-show contract to appear five nights a week in an entertainment extravaganza at Caesers Palace, Las Vegas called A New Day. The production would take place in a custom-built, 4000-seat theatre and would feature Dion as the centerpiece of a multimedia program designed and orchestrated by Franco Dragone, the Belgian theatre impresario behind the modern circus phenomenon Cirque Du Soleil. The project united Dion, her label Sony Music, Drangone's production company Creations du Dragon, Caesars parent Park Place Entertainment, and promoter Concerts West in a landmark, multi-million dollar alliance that hinged on Dion's ability to put fans in seats five nights a week for three years. In conjunction with the rollout of A New Day was an endorsement deal with German automaker DaimlerChryslter AG worth additional millions. The campaign placed Dion in a series of stylish, black-and-white advertisements promoting the stylish allure of Chrysler's line of upscale automobiles. The performer also recorded a brand-new song to accompany the spots. Debuting in early 2003, the campaign dovetailed into the March release of One Heart, Dion's first album since 2001's A New Day Has Come, which in turn heralded the opening of A New Day on March 25, 2003. That live Las Vegas show was documented on the summer 2004 release New Day: Live in Las Vegas, which was followed a few months later by Miracle, a collection of family songs designed as a tandem book/CD project between Dion and photographer Anne Geddes.

 

 

 

 

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Unison (Aug 21, 1990)

3 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

A fine, sophisticated American debut from this popular Canadian singer, featuring the hit singles "(If There Was) Any Other Way" and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now."

 

 

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Celine Dion (Mar 31, 1992)

4 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Featuring the hit singles "Beauty and the Beast," "Love Can Move Mountains," and "If You Asked Me To," Celine Dion's self-titled follow-up to her successful American debut is even stronger and more accomplished.

 

 

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The Colour of My Love (Nov 9, 1993)

3 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

The Colour of My Love follows the same pattern as Celine Dion's eponymous breakthrough, and while the songs aren't quite as consistent this time around, the record is nevertheless quite successful, thanks to the careful production, professional songwriting (highlighted by "When I Fall in Love," "The Power of Love," and "Think Twice") and Dion's powerhouse performances.

 

 

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Dion Chante Plamondon (1994)

2.5 Stars

 

Review by Jose F. Promis

 

In 1990, Celine Dion had enjoyed her first taste of success in the United States with her English-language debut album Unison. The album's first single, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," was a number four hit, and the follow-up, "(If There Was) Any Other Way," made the Top 40. Her 1994 album, Dion Chante Plamondon, was her first U.S. French-language release, and found the singer interpreting the songs of renowned French-Canadian lyricist Luc Plamondon. On this relatively early album, Dion sounds as self-assured and mature as on her latter-day recordings as a world-class superstar. Her voice exudes a passion beyond her young years, especially on the album's rocking opener, "Des Mots Qui Sonnent." As is often the case with Dion records, this album spans a wide musical spectrum, including the dramatic "Le Fils de Superman," the funk-tinged "Je Danse Dans Ma Tete," the bluesy "Les uns Contres les Autres," and the mega-power ballad "Le Blues du Businessman." Also on this album is one of her biggest French-language hits, "Un Garçon Pas Comme les Autres (Ziggy)," as well as a song that was an English-language European hit for Cyndi Lauper, "Le Monde Est Stone" ("The World Is Stone"). This album was a labor of love for the composer and the singer. Despite some middle-of-the-road fare, this is a strong collection of songs and a must for the singer's legions of fans.

 

 

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The French Album (otherwise known as D'eux) (Oct 1995)

3 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Released in 1995, just as her American success was gaining momentum, The French Album strengthened Celine Dion's ties to her French-Canadian roots. Nearly all of the songs on the album were written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, whose songcraft is remarkably similar to the adult contemporary pop that broadened her international success. That's not necessarily bad; it's just that listeners expecting something strange or exotic may be surprised by the fact that the only thing that's changed is the language. That said, The French Album is a well-constructed and entertaining adult pop record — there may not be too many distinctive songs, but on the whole, it sounds quite nice.

 

 

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Live à Paris (1996)

2.5 Stars

 

Review by Jose F. Promis

 

"Are you ready to rock & roll?" is the question that the leather-clad Celine Dion poses before breaking into song on her 1996 live import album Live à Paris. This album, in fact, has more of a rock feel than any of her other live or studio albums. Dion raises the roof and proves just as adept with harder material as she is with adult contemporary ballads, especially on "Destin," "Priere Paienne," "Regarde-Moi," and "River Deep Mountain High." This album also features its share of ballads, including the set's opener, "J'Attendais," the chart-topping "The Power of Love," the ever-popular "Un Garcon Pas Comme les Autres (Ziggy)" (as evidenced by the audience singing along to the song), and "Vole," in which the singer brings new meaning to the term "sing your heart out." The album closes with the full-length studio version of "To Love You More," which can be found on the U.S. edition of her Let's Talk About Love album and, in edited form, on her collection All The Way: A Decade of Song. All in all, this good live album from one of the biggest stars of our time serves to showcase her not only as a balladeer, but as a first-rate rock star.

 

 

 

 

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Falling into You (Mar 12, 1996)

4 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Celine Dion's Falling Into You returned the Canadian vocalist to the top of the American charts, and for good reason. Although the album is formulaic, it's a well-executed, stylish, and catchy formula, accentuating her natural vocal charm. Dion shines on ballads like "Because You Love Me" and mock epics like Jim Steinman's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." Between those two peaks, she tackles dance-pop and love songs with grace; that effortless elegance saves the mediocre material on the album from being tedious. Though there are a couple of weak tracks, Falling Into You is a remarkably well-crafted set of adult contemporary pop and Dion's best album.

 

 

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Let's Talk About Love (Nov 18, 1997)

4 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Falling Into You finally established Celine Dion as a superstar in America, so its sequel, Let's Talk About Love, was designed to consolidate her position as a newly minted star. The album was constructed as a blockbuster, featuring Dion's trademark melodramatic ballads, some carefully tailored dance-pop, a bevy of duets with the likes of Barbra Streisand and the Bee Gees and production and songs from adult contemporary gurus David Foster, Jim Steinman, and Walter Afanasieff. Given that so many talented craftsmen worked on Let's Talk About Love, it makes sense that a number of the cuts succeed according to adult contemporary terms — they are predictably sweeping showcases for Dion's soaring, technically skilled voice. As usual, the singles (including the Streisand duet "Tell Him" and the Titanic love theme "My Heart Will Go On") shine the most brilliantly, but even the filler is immaculately produced. If the end result doesn't quite gel as an album, that shouldn't be surprising — this is music by committee, a product that was made to appeal to the widest possible audience. Such a calculated execution guarantees that anyone who liked one of the singles shouldn't be disappointed by Let's Talk About Love, but it doesn't necessarily mean you'll remember all of the record after it's finished playing.

 

 

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A l'Olympia (Jul 28, 1998)

2.5 Stars

 

Review by Jose F. Promis

 

Celine Dion's A l'Olympia was recorded live at the legendary Parisian venue shortly after she scored her first U.S. chart-topper with "The Power of Love," which is included here. Therefore, the material on this disc consists mostly of early English-language hits ("Where Does My Heart Beat Now" and "Love Can Move Mountains"), and selections from her first U.S. French-language release, Dion Chante Plamondon, including the rousing "Des Mots qui Sonnent," "Le Blues du Businessman," and "Ziggy." There are two tracks on this collection which are unique to this album, those being the beautiful "Elle" and her version of the Bagdad Café theme, "Calling You." Also included is her take on the Jacques Brel song "Quand on n'a que l'Amour" and a medley (titled "Medley Starmania") of Luc Plamondon songs. The material sounds great live, her voice as always a technical marvel, but with three live import CDs already on the market, and with some songs repeated, this album is destined for collectors. However, the album's allure is the fact that it was recorded before she became a massive superstar (in the U.S. anyway) in the mid-to-late 1990s. The liner notes and all segues are in French.

 

 

 

 

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S'Il Suffisait d'Aimer (If It Is Enough to Love) (Sep 22, 1998)

3 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Celine Dion is nothing if not a canny businesswoman. Even though she was riding high on the success of "My Heart Will Go On," she followed it up by recording S'Il Suffisait d'Aimer (If It Is Enough to Love), her fourth album of French-language pop songs. Musically, it's no different than Let's Talk About Love, yet many new fans won over by that album may be alienated by the French. Nevertheless, her longtime fans will be pleased to hear her return, in a sense, to her roots, especially since the album is about as consistent as any of her albums, both English and French. For hardcore fans, it's certainly worth hearing.

 

 

 

 

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These Are Special Times (Nov 3, 1998)

3 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

In the wake of her Titanic success, Celine Dion produced two new albums for the holiday season of 1998. One was a new French album, and the other was These Are Special Times, her first Christmas album. These Are Special Times is an especially successful holiday album since Dion wisely balances popular carols ("The Christmas Song," "Blue Christmas," "Feliz Navidad") with new songs ("Don't Save It All for Christmas," the R. Kelly duet "I'm Your Angel"), hymns ("Ave Maria," "Adeste Fidelis"), and Christmas songs with a distinct religious theme ("O Holy Night," the Andrea Bocelli duet "The Prayer"). At times, the production is too slick, at other times Dion's vocals are a little mannered, but overall, These Are Special Times is very effective, because the songs are good and she's committed to the material. Any fan of Dion, or of '90s adult contemporary pop in general, should find this very enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

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Au Coeur Du Stade (Nov 16, 1999)

2.5 Stars

 

Review by Jose F. Promis

 

Celine Dion's Au Coeur Du Stade is her third French-language live import album, and it was released at the height of her "titanic" superstardom. Previous to this album, she had enjoyed unparalleled success with her theme from Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On" (which is included as the album's closer), as well as with her blockbuster albums Falling Into You and Let's Talk About Love and their respective hit singles. However, only two English-language songs appear on this album, the aforementioned "My Heart Will Go On" and "Let's Talk About Love" — the rest of the album, including the live banter, is all in French. Judging from the audience reactions, "Je Sais Pas" and "Ziggy" must have been very well-known songs. It's quite telling to hear a mass of people sing along to "Ziggy," which is virtually unknown to American audiences. This album ultimately serves to showcase a different Celine Dion than the one American audiences have come to know. Her previous live album, Live A Paris, was more of a rock-leaning outing; this one balances adult-oriented fare ("S'il Suffisait d'Aimer," "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore") with straight-ahead rock/pop songs ("Terre," "Dans un Autre Monde," "J'irai Ou Tu Iras"). Track nine, the "Medley Acoustique," is not really a medley, but five different songs, each of which could have stood alone as its own track, especially "Ziggy," which clocks in at almost four minutes. Most of the songs on this album are live versions of tunes originally on her S'il Suffisait d'Aimer album, which was released in the U.S. This is, as is usually the case with her live albums, a satisfying effort, and a must for fans and collectors of this singer's music.

 

 

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A New Day Has Come (Mar 26, 2002)

3.5 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Like politicians, pop superstars staging a comeback need to be on message, devising a story line and sticking to it from conception to completion. Celine Dion's message is a simple one — one that would be evident to anybody paying the slightest bit of attention. After a ballyhooed semi-retirement following 1999's semi-collection All the Way — a retirement where she gave birth and tended to her manager/husband's recovery from cancer — it was time to begin a new chapter in her life, something made explicit in the title of the comeback, A New Day Has Come. Of course, the new day is the new chapter of Celine's life — she's still a caring, loving wife and mother, but she's ready to return to music with a vigor, including a three-year stint as the main attraction at Caesars in Las Vegas. Life — or at least opportunists — has a way of interfering with even the best-laid plans, and the week A New Day Has Come hit the stores, it was revealed that Dion's husband was center of a dubious civil lawsuit claiming he raped a woman in Las Vegas in the late '90s, but the delivery of the message was so strong, so well-conceived that this barely made a dent in the media blitz (no mention of it in a USA Today cover story the day of release, for instance). No matter your musical taste, you have to admire that feat, and to a certain extent you have to admire the construction of this album, as well, since it's about as perfect as it could be. That doesn't mean it's a perfect album, but it does exactly what it should do — it doesn't deviate from Dion's mainstream audience, yet it dips its toe into modern music, particularly dance, while subtly addressing her status as a working mom (which somehow translates as she's a survivor), while keeping hip ("Nature Boy" at the end was surely included because of its prominence in Baz Luhrmann's pandering swill, Moulin Rouge). It's savvily sequenced, too, with the radio remix of the title track arriving before the original version! It's so carefully assembled that even stumbles like the bizarre "Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)" wash away without much effort, which is a testament to how well-made this record is. There's really nothing to fault the record on, actually — it's more ambitious than it needs to be, covers more stylistic territory than any other Dion record, while never abandoning the middle-of-the-road; it's a balancing act that nobody since Barbra Streisand has been able to pull off. If there's any problem with the record, it's that the songs just aren't that particularly memorable, even after several spins. The mood shifts effortlessly, it never seems to stay in one place, but it never catches hold, either. Surely, some of these songs will define themselves through repeated plays on the radio, but oddly the lack of memorable songs doesn't hurt A New Day Has Come much at all, since the fact that it succeeds without real songs makes it all the more impressive. That's what staying on message is all about — delivering the surface and the overall theme without delivering in the details — and, in 2002, Celine Dion does that better than any of her peers.

 

 

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One Heart (Mar 25, 2003)

2.5 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Five years separated Celine Dion's 2002 comeback A New Day Has Come and its predecessor, Let's Talk About Love. One year later — nearly to the day — Celine Dion released One Heart, touted upon its release as an audio souvenir of her three-year engagement at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, which also began on March 25, 2003. Given the magnitude of her stint in Vegas, nobody dared question the quick appearance of an album of new material only a year after a comeback, but the implication is clear: A New Day Has Come was an utter bomb. Never mind that it was actually a good record, well-suited for Dion's vocals talents and cannily produced, but it found no audience in the cut-throat world of 2002, when all divas belly-flopped with their new records. Instead of seeing her sales stumble as being part of a larger picture, Dion and her collaborators scrambled to correct her problems on One Heart by taking ideas from other flailing divas, including borrowing Britney Spears mastermind Max Martin for three songs. More than anything, this is a good indication of the desperation that underscores every minute of One Heart, where it seems like Dion will do anything to stay on the charts. If Spears' stuttering, stop-start dance-pop seems too young for Dion on "Love Is All We Need," there's the unapologetically Barbra Streisand-esque "Have You Ever Been in Love." If that seems stodgy, aim straight at the mainstream with sunny, catchy title track. If that doesn't work, let's try a tongue-in-cheek, neo-house cover with "I Drove All Night." If that is too club-centric, try "Naked," a shocking rewrite of Jennifer Love Hewitt's "Bare Naked," down to the acoustic guitar arrangements. And if Celine Dion is ready to use the little-heard J-Love as a blueprint, it's clear that she's ready for anything, as long as it brings a hit; if one track doesn't hit, switch songs, switch formats, and try it again. This is not inherently a bad thing if craft or kitsch won out over the desperation, or if the performances had conviction, but One Heart favors a smooth Vegas-showstopper gloss to radio-ready sheen, which only accentuates the lack of cohesiveness here. A couple of songs work — "One Heart" and "Naked," most notably — but the schizophrenic, directionless nature of One Heart stands in stark contrast to the assured, purposeful A New Day Has Come. That record might not have spun off any hits, but it played to Dion's strengths; this reveals all her weaknesses.

 

 

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1 Fille & 4 Types (Nov 4, 2003)

4 Stars

 

Review by Rob Theakston

 

Somewhere in the past year, Celine Dion thought it a good idea to strip down from the anthemic pomposity of her last few works, which were rife with ballads custom-made for the adult contemporary charts. Perhaps it was the lukewarm reception to her last record that spawned this realization, but whatever the reason may be, 1 Fille and 4 Types is a record that many Dion fans were hoping would arrive one day. Her vocals are back at top of their game: gone are the majority of the near-patented diva hysterics and howls and arriving in their place is a voice that values dynamics over acrobatics. The band is stripped down (comparatively) to its bare essentials, taking Dion into relatively unfamiliar territories such as country-pop and folk, and she proves herself more than up to the task of delivering top-notch performances every time. This stripped-down, back-to-basics attitude is only further reinforced within the album's packaging: Dion in several fashionably rugged poses that could have come straight from an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog complete with photos of a rugged life "on the road," including a hysterical shot of her with the band all lying on a bed together with her hair up in a towel and the air conditioner apparently not working during the summertime. It's completely premeditated and no diva in her right mind would stand for such living conditions, but this only reinforces how far away Dion wants to distance herself from her image this time around. The pop songs are on par with some of Diane Warren's finest gifts to diva Dion, and are equally as infectious as they are hummable. To some, it may be a stumbling block that the album is sung entirely in French, but look beyond that and find a no-frills Dion getting back to pop basics and performing at a level unheard in a while. Yes, it's in French, but hopefully the record will merit enough attention to warrant an English version sometime in the near future.

 

 

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A New Day: Live in Las Vegas (Jun 15, 2004)

3.5 Stars

 

Review by Rob Theakston

 

After two studio records, an intensive media campaign for a large automobile company, a new perfume fragrance, and a successful tour and residency in Las Vegas, one would reason that Celine Dion is long overdue for yet another sabbatical after a rather intensive 18-month span. However, this is not to be the case. This live document of the Las Vegas show drives home the point that Celine is one of the most potent entertainers in adult contemporary music. A smattering of her greatest hits ("My Heart Will Go On," "Because You Loved Me," "It's All Coming Back to Me Now") is mixed with vocal standards (a rather enchanting rendition of Etta James' brilliant "At Last," "What a Wonderful World," "I've Got the World On a String"), bringing a balanced, well-conceived program that highlights the dynamics and versatility in Dion's voice. She's equally as comfortable in high-tempo numbers chock-full of her signature vocal acrobatics as she is in quiet, contemplative moments. It's an ideal souvenir for those who have experienced the magic with their own ears and eyes. And while it's not the most definitive document of Dion's career, it certainly is a stirring testament to her accomplishments as the standard to whom most vocalists aspire.

 

 

 

 

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Miracle (Oct 12, 2004)

3 Stars

 

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

 

Miracle is billed as a collaboration between Celine Dion and Anne Geddes, a photographer who specializes in photos of babies, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the subtitle of the album is "A Celebration of New Life." After all, all of Geddes' work celebrates new life, and Dion has been very outspoken in how motherhood has changed her life, so it's only natural that their collaboration is about newborns. Since Geddes is strictly a photographer, "collaboration" may be a misleading title, but Miracle isn't strictly just a music album. Instead, it's a book accompanied with an album, with the images inspired by the songs and vice versa; in the special edition of the album, there's even a DVD of the making of the project, extending it into another realm of multimedia. As a piece of music, it's the quietest record Dion has recorded in a while, an unabashed adult contemporary album that keeps its gentle mood from start to finish, as if it were a prolonged lullaby. Dion tempers her vocal histrionics considerably — she still soars to the high notes, but there are no pyrotechnics, no showboating here — which serves this collection of standards and new songs quite well. The worst you can say about the record is that there are no surprises, but the audience for this record doesn't want surprises; they want comfort, whether it arrives in polished music or artsy photos of newborns, and Miracle provides both, which makes it appealing for those expectant or new mothers in Dion's audience.

 

 

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On Ne Change Pas (Oct 4, 2005)

4 Stars

 

Review by Rob Theakston

 

No doubt a companion piece to 1999's All the Way: A Decade of Song, On Ne Change Pas is a two-disc compendium of the other, mildly overlooked phase of Celine Dion's career: her performances sung entirely in her native tongue of Québecois French. While she soared up charts all over the globe with her hits sung in English, she also amassed quite a back catalog of hits ranging from dance-pop-friendly numbers to her familiar ground of passionate, melodramatic ballads. For those unfamiliar with this portion of her career (or for those who don't speak French), getting past the roadblock of not being able to understand the subject material will lead to a greater, more holistic appreciation of the depth and prolific output of her career in such a short span. At two discs, it's also a bit much Dion for anyone to swallow in one sitting, but on the plus side there are also a few new tracks, including her duet with Il Divo, "I Believe in You."

 

 

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Collection 1982-1988 (Jun 30, 1998)

2.5 Stars

 

Review by Jose F. Promis

 

This two-CD set collects most of Celine Dion's essential recordings from her pre-superstar years, when she was a very young French singer, popular in Canada and France. This set starts with the heavily synthesized Euro pop of the 1988 Eurovision contest winner "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi," which was the song that introduced the singer to international audiences, and is something of a milestone in her career. Many of the songs on this set are fair, and differ from the processed teen pop of the late 1990s because of the ever-present sincerity in Dion's voice. Highlights include the elegant ballads "Tellement J'ai D'amour Pour Toi," "Benjamin," and "La Voix Du Bon Dieu"; the shimmering "Avec Toi" and "Du Soleil Au Coeur"; and the anthemic "C'est Pour Vivre." Other songs almost make the mark, such as the dramatic "La Religieuse," but are marred by sometimes bizarre production, and, in this case, a truly off-putting bridge. Others are sing-song, nursery rhyme-type material, especially "Hymne a L'amitie" and the incredibly '80s sounding "Hello Mister Sam." This lightweight set isn't offensive by any means, but probably of interest only to the singer's most devoted fans.