SITE RATING: 2/10
SITE REVIEW:
If you've always wanted to hear Handel's Messiah
recast as MOR pop/rock, then this is the album for you. Recorded in
Dublin, Ireland, and featuring one of the more baffling line-ups of
soloists (Chaka Kahn? Roger Daltrey?) this album was painful to
listen to - from the synthesized string section to the choir who was
severely out-of-tune and seemingly fighting off sleep during the
choruses, the only truly bright points were Jeffrey Osbourne, whose
silky tenor managed to out-class pretty much everyone else, and Gladys
Knight, who infuses a touch of smoky gospel into her readings.
Conductor Frank McNamera fights a losing battle with the other
soloists, with Roger Daltrey sounding as if he's singing about Tommy
rather than Jesus, and Chaka Kahn entirely out of her depth. But
its the choir and orchestra who are the Achilles Heel of this
recording; they're terrible - the choir is contantly flat - the insipid,
Muzak-inspired orchestra lacks power and tonal color, sounding plastic
and pale. Why anyone would choose this tweaky, annoying, and
uninspired Messiah over the real thing is beyond my comprehension.
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