Amateur Baker

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Hmm....If you're wondering why I'm at home instead of Tekong at this point of time, I'm actually having this Att C status, which implies I'm unfit for duties and have to stay home and rest....as for the reason, can ask me personally, I may or may not tell, depending on my mood.......never mind about that.......Let's continue with my Celine Dion Post!!!!!! :D

This is the 6th english album and first english Christmas Album released by Ms Dion. To date, it has been one of the besting selling Christmas album ever, and the second best selling Holiday album in the Soundscan era, with 4838000 copies sold in the US alone, coming behind Kenny G's 'Miracles: The Holiday Album', with 7195000. Third place goes to Mariah Carey's 'Merry Christmas', selling an estimated 4801000 copies sold. In Canada, the album took the top spot for 2 weeks and has yet again sold over a million copies, making it her fifth Diamond Album in Canada. The album also hit no.1 in Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In the US Billboard 200 Charts, the album peaked at no.2 and was certified 5x platinum. On the United World Charts, 'These Are Special Times' have sold a total of 12 million copies worldwide.

My favourite tracks of this album are:

I'm Your Angel. This is a duet of Celine with R. Kelly. The single was highly successful in the US , spending 6 weeks on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts and 12 weeks on the AC charts. A total of of 1412000 copies were sold, making it a platinum single. The single also hit the top 10 spots in countries like Europe, Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. In the United World Charts, the single peaked at a respectable no. 3. Well, I love the song due the context of each and everyone of us having a guardian angel beside us, who helps us pull through each and every tough times we encounter, and allowing us to have a shoulder to lean on during rough times.

Feliz Navidad. This has got to be my favourite song from the album. The song was recorded by Celine with her parents and her 13 siblings. The strings at the intro made me think that this was just a slow jazz piece until the drums and percussions came in shortly after. I love the jubilance that lingers within the song itself, maybe it's because of the family thing...reminds me of the happy times during family gatherings in festive seasons. The scene where everyone just sits down, relax and chat and play throughout the night......love it when that happens....But somehow....this song was played so many times at the place where Yuling used to work, she has subsequently grown super sick of this song....wahahahahahahaha

This is the first english compilation album of Ms Celine. It contains 9 of Ms Dion's greatest hits which includes 'My Heart Will Go On', 'Beauty And The Beast' and 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now' and 7 new tracks including the hit single 'That's The Way It Is'. The album was astoundingly successful, with 21 million copies sold worldwide. The album took the charts worldwide by storm, peaking at no.1 in a total of 19 countries and yet again, garnering Diamond status in Canada and certified multi-platinum in 13 countries and platinum in 5 countries. In the US, though it was certified 7x platinum, a total of 8712292 copies of the compilation has been sold and should be certified as 9 times platinum.

2 of my favourite tracks are:

That's The Way It Is. This was another hit single by Ms Celine. Being an airplay-only single (Meaning the single isn't produced and sold to the public but is only being played on Radio) in the US, the song nonetheless received tremendous success, peaking at no. 6 on the Billboard hot 100 charts and taking the top spot of the AC chart. Besides that, the single also hit the top 10 spot in 10 other countries including France, Italy, New Zealand and Germany. On the World Singles Charts, the song held onto the no.1 spot for a total of 8 weeks.

I Want You To Need Me. This is the last single from the album and my favourite song from the album. Though it wasn't half as successful as 'That's The Way It Is' (Peaking at 62 on the Hot 100 Charts and 12 on the AC chart), I love the way how Ms Celine manages to evoke the strong and passionate feeling and in a way, desperate desire through her blowing pipes and technical perfect vocals. Try listening to it, even if you don't like the sound of it, it's hard to ignore the power and the intensity of the voice.

This is a compilation of some of Dion's biggest hits and a few rarely-heard non-English language songs. It features 'The Power of the Dream' from the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well as duets, and French, Spanish and Japanese songs. The album wasn't promoted in any single way but was nonetheless certified gold in many countries and hit the no.1 spot on the French Album charts and grabbing the top 5 spot in Canada and Greece. In total, the album sold 3.5 million copies worldwide

My top 2 picks are both sung in non-english language:

Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore (So That You'll Love Me Again). This is Celine's biggest French hit till date. In France, the single topped the charts for an amazing 12 weeks, selling 955000 copies. The song also took the top spot in Quebec (4 weeks) and Belgium (15 weeks). In UK and Ireland, the song hit the top 10 spots on both charts (7 and 6 respectively), which is a exceptional feat for a French song.

Sola Otra Vez. This is the Spanish version of Celine's hit single, 'All By Myself', considered by many to be her most powerful vocal performance. The english version became one of Celine's biggest hits in the US, peaking at no.4 on the Hot 100 Charts and peaking at no.1 for 3 weeks on the AC charts. It was certified gold for selling 500000 copies. In Canada, it was only released as a promotional single but still managed to grab to no.1 spot on the AC charts. The song also clinched a spot in the top 10 in various countries like UK, Belgium, Ireland, Poland.

This is the first studio album released by Celine Dion after her 2 year hiatus in 2000. It was also the first album of Celine which I bought. Celine took the world by storm with the release of A New Day Has Come and the album has been certified as the 5th best selling album of 2002. Peaking at the top spot in 23 countries, the album debut at no.1 on the United World Charts. In US, the album opened at no.1 with 558000 sold in its opening week, achieving Gold status within the first week. The album would go to sell in excess of 3 million copies in the US and be certified 3 times platinum. In Canada, the album held onto the top spot for 7 weeks and was certified 6 times platinum. In Taiwan, the album grabbed the top spot for 4 weeks and sold a total of 120000 copies, making it 4 times platinum. In overall, a total of 12 million copies of the album has been sold worldwide
P.S. By this time, album sales around the world has dropped drastically due to the problem of digital theft

My favourite picks for this album are:

A New Day Has Come. I like the original version, the 'acoustic' one, not the radio remixed version which you all commonly hear. Anyway, the radio remix version was another ground-breaking hit around the world. In the US, it was only released as an airplay-only single. However, it managed to break into the top 25 spot of the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, peaking at no.22. In the AC charts, the single met with even greater success. It peaked right at no.1 and held the top position for an astounding 21 weeks. In many other countries, the single either charted at no.1 on the airplay charts or top 10 on the singles charts. The single also managed to peak at no.1 on the World Singles Charts. The DVD single, which was released much later, was certified gold in the US, Norway, Greece and Australia.

Right In Front Of You. This is another non-single which I love from her album. The introduction by the violin attracted my attention instantaneously and 'forced' me into listening to the song with my fullest attention. The message that the song sends is another reason why I love the song.

This was the 10th English album released by Ms Dion a year after the highly successful a new day has come. 'One Heart' managed to reach the no.1 spot of the album charts in 8 countries including Canada, France and Switzerland. In the US, the album peaked at no.2 with 431657 copies sold in the first week and would go on to sell more than 2 million copies to achieve multi-platinum status. In total, the album sold more approximately 6.5 million copies around the world, peaking at no.2 on the United World Charts, making it the 10th best selling album of 2003.

2 highly recommended tracks from this album are:

I Drove All Night. The lead-off single from the album and yet another commercially successful album. In the US, it was the third airplay only single which charted on the Hot 100 Charts, peaking at no. 45. It peaked at no.2 and no.7 at the US Billboard Hot Club Dance Play Charts and the AC charts respectively. The single also did extremely well outside of the US and hit the no.1 spot in a total of 9 countries and was certified platinum in Belgium and Gold in Australia. At the World singles Charts, it peaked at a respectable no.6.

I Know What Love Is. Yet another track which isn't release as a single. I like the song in the sense that there's a universal interpretation to it. It can be either between parents and children, friends or lovers, just like 'I'll Be' sung by Reba McEntire. It's really nice to sometimes know that there's always someone there for you, and that you're not alone. As the famous saying goes 'No Man Is An Island', it's quite true....cause I don't think most people have what it takes to be Robinson Crusoe.

Well, this was the first english live album by Celine and her 11th english album. Till today, I still HATE the cover of this album the most!!!! The 6 dancers in front look absolutely like zombies! Together with Celine raising her right hand upright, it looks as if she's the zombie queen summoning the zombie minions from their graves...disgusted....no wonder this album didn't sell as good. Anyway, the album peaked at top 10 positions in 8 countries and no.1 in Greece. Overall, the album sold approximately 1.5 million worldwide and is certified Gold in the US, Greece and Canada...okay enough said

However, I'm still going to pick 2 of my favourite songs:

I Wish. It's nice hearing Celine doing other genres other than Pop and rock. This song is an R&B song by Stevie Wonder which hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. I don't know why I like it, maybe cause I can associate myself with the lyrics(I wish those days could come back once more)?? I really wish studying days could come back once more.....sigh.......

Fever. I really like Celine doing jazz, it's such a breathe of fresh air. Maybe her next album should contain some jazz hits, especially songs with a tinge of sassiness in them...... :D

This is the first concept album released by Celine which revolves around motherhood. It is also noted that concept album don't sell half as well as studio albums. However, 'Miracle' manage to top the charts in Canada and Belgium, as well as reaching top 10 position in 7 countries. The album is certified platinum in the US and gold in 5 other countries. The album peaked at no. 4 on the United World Charts at no.4 and sold a total of 3500000 copies around the globe.

The top 2 are:

What A Wonderful World. I believe none of you need any further introduction to this song, period, unless maybe you belong to the category of people that I mentioned in 'My Heart Will Go On' in the previous post or that you're deaf.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. This is one of my favourite song to date. I absolutely love the subdued vocals of Ms Dion in this song. It is subdued, yet powerful at the same time. And when she belts out one of the last lines, the whole song reaches a climax before which she tones down almost as immediately as she belts. It's like the one of the most perfect transition you can ever hear from a singer. Plus, the tranquility and serenity that the song contrives, it's really soothing to the ears and mind.

This is the latest album by Celine and is currently my favourite album. In this album she returns to her rock roots as those which she displayed in her debut. The album has just been released for 3 months and has already sold almost 2.7 million copies around the world, reaching the top 10 positions in 21 countries. It debuts at no. 2 on the United World Charts, selling over 400000 (more than 500000 inclusive of countries which the United World Charts don't cover) in it's first week. The album was a huge success in Canada, selling a total of 79354 copies in it's first week, the biggest first week sales of 2007. It is now certified 4 times platinum for shipment of 400000 copies in Canada. In the US, the album peaked at no.3 and has sold over 900000 copies but has yet to be certified, wonder what's wrong with her company....
Anyway, there are 8 different versions of this album

and I bought the collector's edition of the album, which includes DVD and perfume!!!!!!
And it cost me a freaking $72.95!!!! But I still think it's worth it!!! AND DAMN BORDERS!!! I made the order on Dec 11, and they said it'll arrive in about 4 weeks. What happened in the end??? I received it at the 11th week!!!! WTH???!!!! SO INEFFICIENT!!!!!! STUPID!!! And because of their inefficiency, poor YH and YQ and 1 more don't know who have to make a wasted trip to Parkway Parade!!!! DAMN YOU BORDERS!!!! But never mind, I still got it at the end! :D

This is how the interior looks like................

THE PERFUME!!!! THAT WAS WHAT I WAS WAITING FOR!!! I FINALLY GOT A NON-MUSICAL CELINE DION MERCHANDISE!!! YAY!!!!! By the way, Celine is also an entrepreneur besides being a singer. She has a range of eye wear and a line of perfumes. Since the creation Celine Dion Fragrances in 2002, the label have made more than $500 million in retail sales....so rich la....no wonder she's the 5th richest woman in the entertainment industry......ahead of Whoriah Scarey who's at no.6.......Not that I hate her, but ever since she changed her image in 'The Emancipation Of Mimi', my liking for her has decreased drastically.....and looking at the cover of her latest single....I've dislike her even more....she's like going the Britney and Lindsay route........-_-....never mind about that

Back to my 2 absolute favourite songs from 'Taking Chances' (Both are non-singles by the way, and she has only released one single from the album till now):

Surprise Surprise. I really love this song....cause even though I think that Celine going into rock is a good idea, I still nonetheless prefer the power ballad Celine. This song just proves my point where she belts out each note with passion and conviction

I've Got Nothin' Left. This is another heart-wrenching ballad in the album. You can really hear the despair, the hopelessness, the cry, the disillusionment, and the determination to get back at the person who did Celine wrong in the song. Plus the belting also seem to be a form of release of the anguish present in the songstress. It is due to the ability of the singer being able to make listeners enter the realm of the song which makes it a great pick.....

Maybe Sony BMG should release 'I've Got Nothin' Left' as the second single. Either this or 'Surprise Surprise'. But chances are unlikely, given the type of trash music the public likes nowadays......'You're way too beautiful girl....', 'Please don't stop the music', 'G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S', 'Wanna see you work your body, So give it to me give it to me give it to me', 'Hey hey, you you, I don't like your girlfriend, No way, no way' etc.

Anyway, I've come to the end of my Introduction to Celine Dion Post...... :D Maybe I should do this more often about more artist??? :D

|Shi Hao| 9:35 AM|

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