The
McCallum Theatre Presented:
Hayley Westenra
_______________________________________
Review
- The Desert Sun - 12th February 2002
Hayley just misses out on New Zealand Music
Awards (Tuis)
TUESDAY,
14 MAY 2002Hayley
and Che
Hayley
Westenra's supporters, and they are legion,
must be wondering what she has to do
to win at the New Zealand Music Awards
(Tuis), The Southland Times writes in
an editorial.
Her
self-titled debut album sold an extraordinary
57,000 copies, pushing it close to quadruple
platinum sales. Her second album, My
Gift To You, has sold more than 27,000
copies.
The
fact that the music awards went elsewhere
should be accepted with equanimity. Young
Ms Westenra faces a hugely promising
career internationally on the basis of
her voice, her vocal technique, winsome
personality and well-chosen songs.
All
of these are good things. But none should
deny Che Fu the top honours. Inarticulate
though he may be at the award podium,
the rhythm-and-blues hip-hop performer
is no Americanised poseur, and his win
was no triumph of the ephemeral over
the classic.
Che
Fu is playing a leading role in defining
a sweetly powerful musical genre, drawing
on many influences, internal and external,
and layering them to create music that
draws deeply from, and contributes deeply
to, New Zealand music. It matters less
whether Che Fu, Hayley Westenra, Anika
Moa or the host of rising New Zealand
radio bands took the main awards, than
the fact that together they represented
such a diverse and impressive collection.
Item
thanks to Keith S, Stuff NZ (14 May 2002)
and 
Teen
measures up to comparisons
By
Bruce Fessier
The Desert Sun
February 12th, 2002
Hayley
Westenra, the 14-year-old singing
sensation from Christchurch, New Zealand,
received a standing ovation from a
capacity crowd at the McCallum Theatre
Saturday. So did her parents.
Whether the ovation was for the variety
show the audience had just seen or whether
it was a sign of appreciation for Westenra’s
talent is a matter of opinion. I think
it was an indication of how much the audience
appreciated seeing young people apply their
gifts to material they love, instead of
the teen fare of Britney Spears that
is attracting more attention from young
people.
That was the message that came across from
the format of the evening. The concert
was billed as the American concert debut
of this teen phenom who just signed with
the prestigious London Decca label of classical
vocal legends such as Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea
Bocelli. But Hayley didn’t appear
on stage until after intermission. The
first half featured a 15-year-old New Zealand
violinist, a guitarist who is Hayley’s
agent, and a part-time Palm Springs resident
who began his career in New Zealand and
is now a touring baritone.
The violinist, Ben Morrison, almost
stole the show when he returned in the
second act, generating a spontaneous standing
ovation for his deft technique. But the
buzz in the lobby at intermission was over
why the first act opened and closed with
the baritone, Max Jarman, who returned
in the second act with Hayley and Hayley’s
younger sister and brother.
But Hayley was a breath of fresh air
when she finally appeared. She’s
a regular kid, which is part of her appeal.
She just happens to have a sweet voice
with great tone and range.
Promoters have called her “the
next Charlotte
Church,” and the resemblance
to the Welsh teen was apparent after Hayley’s
second number, “Pie Jesu” from Andrew
Lloyd Webber’s “Requiem,” which
Church covered well on her “Voice
Of An Angel” CD.
Even the short length of her program got
compared to Church. McCallum publicist Judi
Pofsky said Church never sings more
than 30 minutes.
After hearing Hayley sing such fare as “I
Dreamed A Dream,” “Bright Eyes” and “Wishing
You Were Here Somehow”
from the ever-popular “Phantom of
the Opera,” I’d say Hayley
compares favorably to Church. She seems
to have greater range, although Church’s
voice may be richer in some areas.
Hayley doesn’t have the diction or
power of trained singers in the opera showcases
sponsored by organizations such as the
PS Opera Guild and the Annenberg Theater,
but that also may be part of her appeal.
Audiences always enjoy seeing gifts from
God more than products of a system or technology.
It’s like when Tony Bennett turns
off his mic and projects a capella. He
gets applause because people sense they’re
hearing raw talent.
Hayley’s 11-year-old sister, Sophie, actually
seemed more theatrical, more in the moment,
during her solo turn on “Thank You,
Stars.” Hayley has The Voice, as
she showed on Webber’s “Memory,” but
she missed a chance to be more theatrical
as a youth tackling an old-timer’s
song.
Hayley’s encore of “You’ll
Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel,”
which Barbra Streisand sang so passionately
on a recent Sept. 11 benefit on TV, also
showed Hayley needs to work mostly on interpretation.
There’s no doubt that Hayley has
a great natural voice. Let’s just
hope she finds a coach who can give her
the confidence to give full reign to her
inner voice.
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