Music Review: Celine Dion: A New Day Has Come
Written by: Kage Alan

Album Rating: A

          I know, I know.  You probably think I'm arbitrarily giving Celine Dion's new release an "A" because I'm one of those fans obsessed with anything this Diva puts out.  Okay, that is so not the case here.  Honestly, I wasn't that fond
with the majority of the new tracks on "Decade" and a great deal of "Let's
Talk About Love" was either love or hate with no in between.  Now, I have
seen her live twice, once with my boyfriend and once with my father, and she
truly is a remarkable and personable performer.  Has motherhood changed her
at all?  You bet it has.  I was extremely nervous about listening to "A New
Day Has Come" because I didn't want to be disappointed.  Again, so not the
case here.

Let me start off by saying that the new album is devoid of any of the huge
power ballads that have dominated and been overplayed by the radio.  There
aren't any "Because You Loved Me" or "My Heart Will Go On" tracks to be found here.  The majority of the songs on "A New Day Has Come" have a very casual feel to them, which makes this album very different.  Celine Dion has already conquered the world and dealt with the expectations of her listeners and critics.  Instead of being concerned about such matters again, she's reevaluated what's important in her life and then used that attitude to craft
a very beautiful album.  We've already heard the radio version of "A New Day
Has Come", but the original, much slower, version is also included towards
the end of the disc.  Even though we've already heard the lyrics, we've not
really heard the song, not like this anyway.

The first track, "I'm Alive", sets a very casual, very melodic and upbeat
pace and I'd be surprised if this wasn't a single.  The same can be said for
the second track, another gorgeously mellow sounding song with a fantastic
chorus titled "Right In Front Of You".  "Have You Ever Been In Love" makes it three classics in a row before getting to the slightly funkier "Rain, Tax
(It's Inevitable)".  That track and "Ten Days" are usually the kinds of songs
that grate in my nerves from beginning to end with their odd little rhythms
and beats, but they work here for some reason.  I caught myself humming the
lyrics to "Ten Days" all the while thinking "this song really annoys me", so
I of course listened to it again.

While Celine doesn't belt out her vocals here like on previous albums, her
new approach isn't a weakness so much as she saves herself for moments that
the songs provide.  I think one of my favorites here that demonstrates this
approach is a track called "I Surrender".  It's simply beautiful.  Another
couple of songs where she stretches a bit are "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" and the remake of "At Last".  All three are slower in pace, but she really shines with them.  "Sorry For Love" and "When The Wrong One Loves You Right" pick the pace up a bit again and balance out the album quite nicely.

As far as entire albums go, "A New Day Has Come" is about as consistent as
I've heard from her yet.  My favorite album has always been "Falling Into
You", but this one may very well give it a run for the money.  Motherhood has
sparked a change in Celine and instead of going for an overproduced album
with too many different influences and guest vocalists, this one has a much
cozier and focused feel to it.  Of course, I'm loving the fact she used a song
penned by Corey Hart, another fantastic performer who's been lost to
American audiences because of our record companies, but who has maintained star status in Canada and other areas of the world nonetheless.

Celine is going to be busy for a while too, so this may be the only new album
we get for a few years.  She's entered into a contract to perform in Las
Vegas for 3 years starting in 2003.  Instead of going on a world tour, the
fans will have to travel to see her, which I'm sure won't be too much of a
problem.  This allows her to still be a mom at home during the day and then
go into work for a few hours at night.  Not a bad deal.  Not bad at all.  
Motherhood, a concert contract and a fantastic new album.  A new day really
has come for her and her family.  I certainly wish them all the best.

Kage holds degrees in Creative Writing, as well as Film & Video. He has been featured in a Life Journey Tele-Course, published poems in several national anthologies, been a contributor to The Third Coast Magazine and written several novels. kage@modamag.com This site is a