Katherine Jenkins
, the Welsh soprano and multiple Classical Brits winner, released her fourth album aimed at a pop crossover market, and for the second consecutive time saw an album soar into the Top Five of the album charts.
Serenade
is rather a misnamed title for the album, as
Jenkins
hardly serenaded anybody but tackled a set of difficult arias,
Chanson Boheme
from
Bizet
(one of her dream roles being to play
Carmen
live on-stage),
O Mio Babbino Caro
by
Puccini
, and
Pachelbel
's
Canon
. There is a guest appearance by
Kiri Te Kanawa
on
The Flower Duet
, and when she tired of the classics, she included the
Mario Lanza
favorite
"Be My Love,"
which does lack some of the power coming from a female voice, and covered the pop songs
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
-- sung in Italian as
"(Quello Che Faro) Sara Per Te"
with
Bryan Adams
on guitar -- and
"The Green Green Grass of Home"
with backing vocals by
the Treorchy Male Choir
. The final songs on the album were of a religious nature, including
"The Prayer"
and
"Dear Lord and Father of Mankind,"
and the album ends with the old favorite
Ave Maria
. ~ Sharon Mawer