Amazon.com: Comparisons with Charlotte Church are inevitable, yet 16-year-old New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra has her own distinctive sound. She has impeccably clear diction coupled with a gorgeous voice with a very wide range: her high notes in the Kate Bush hit "Wuthering Heights" are especially striking, and like Bush she is also a dancer, having performed with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. If there's a problem, it's that Pure doesn't have a focus to match Westenra's talent, the tracks spanning everything from "Amazing Grace" to a Maori lullaby ("Hine e Hine") to hybrid pieces adapted from Ravel ("Never Say Goodbye") and Vivaldi's Four Seasons ("River of Dreams"). Ultimately what this set does demonstrate is that whatever direction Westenra finally settles on, she has the ability to go to the very top. For now she is a young artist finding her way, and for many listeners the result is Pure magic. --Gary S Dalkin
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - music
Pure represents the initial international, read US, CD release of Hayley Westenra. Other albums had been released outside of the US market, but Pure is an excellent cross-section of the wide ranging vocal ... Read More
Rating: - Promising young artist
I had heard a few songs from this collection and really liked them. She's young but I would like to see how she matures as an artist.
I would have given this 5 stars, except for the execrable "Wuthering ... Read More
Rating: - An Amazing Operettic Singer!
I first discovered Hayley Westenra on Celtic Woman. Then, I heard the song "Wuthering Heights." Contrary to popular opinion, or so it seems, I think this song is amazing, even in her younger years. It's amazing that ... Read More
Rating: - A wonderful debut
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll say upfront that I'm a huge fan of Hayley's. Pure serves as her debut album for most of the world, and she's an amazing young woman. She has one of the most naturally beautiful ... Read More
Rating: - A Breath of Fresh Air
Just recently discovering Hayley Westenra I have become an 81 year old fan. I think her voice is outstanding and her selections great. She sang a duet on her 2004 DVD with a Teddy Tahu Rhodes who I'm trying to get his ... Read More
- music
- Promising young artist