A couple people asked me what I thought of Brightman's latest, as I mentioned it as a toss-off in my last JUGS post.

Meh. It's ho-hum. Decent enough stuff to have playing in the background while you're doing something that requires concentration. Strikes me as good music to have cramps to as it's uncomfortable and emotionally diffused. I don't know if Classical crossover is really her thing, at least as realized by Frank Petersen. Sarah, please get a new composer to idolize you as his muse. Alan Menken might like a September thrill. Do it for the fans.

My favorite thing about the purchase is all the album art of Sarah in faerie attire running around through what looks like the ruins of Osgiliath. There's a little booklet filled with it. At least somebody creative knew what they were doing.

Another big problem is that Sarah never cranks it to 11. None of the songs seemed to much challenge her.

Tracks of note:

Gothica Promising orchestral opening that feeds into Fleurs Du Mal but Sarah's lost in the overproduced Mannheim Steamroller-style orchestra and chorus.

Canto Della Terra (duet with Andrea Bocelli) - he overwhelms Sarah, if you ask me. It's sort of like if King and I wrote a novel, taking turns on the chapters. The total effect wouldn't be "wow, what a great read" it would be "jeez, Knight sucks."

I Will Be With You (Where the Lost Ones Go) (duet with Paul Stanley) - best matched of the duets, but it's more pop that classical crossover.

Sarai Qui (duet with Alessandro Safina) - Glurge. I'd rather listen to Pearl Forrester and Brain Guy sing "When Loving Lovers Love," as it's a good deal more heartfelt. Sarah and Alessandro sound like they're on opposite sides of the room hatin' on each other and flipping each other off.

Storia D'Amore Nice, not brilliant, but quite nice. At least it's worth listening to repeatedly.

Running - This one had the potential to make the whole album worthwhile, as it starts out rather Copelandish and she gets into some complex, interesting singing that was sort of a cross between an Irish ballad and Gospel. But then it morphs into an Abba rock opera in the middle, which only works if you've got a blue, bubble-headed alien funkin' it up on an orbital cruise ship, if you ask me. Two minutes of that and it morphs back into what could have been a great song. Made E.E. Knight want to choke a bitch.

Oh, there's a "hidden" fourteenth track, an instrumental piece that would be great background music for the Master Chief taking down a Scarab in HALO 3, but I couldn't detect the presence of Sarah, unless she was playing one of the instruments.

BTW, it's a little more enjoyable on the second listen because of lowered expectations.

If anyone of you want a complete, but mismatched and aged, set of Ian Fleming's James Bond books, let me know. I found all of the recent Penguin editions with the pulpy cover art on remainder sale so now my collection is all matchy-matchy.

They're all in mass-market format and several were bought used to begin with. But they're readable and intact.