Ashley Marie

Ashley Marie

ASIN: B00003L4E6

Track Listings

1. Gonna Tame You Honey

2. Turn Up The Lovin'

3. Betcha Can't Make Me Love

4. Wonder Woman

5. If Only

6. Head Over Boots

7. Crazy Ol' Moon

8. Southbound Train

9. Momma Taught Me That!

10. Days Wihtout The Sun

Editorial Reviews
My Kind of Country Magazine (online magazine)
Ashley's CD is loaded with a mixture of ballads and upbeat honky tonkin', revealing her versatility to portray each style with the vigor and emotion called for. You can always tell when someone is "into" a song and Ashley obviously has fun with the uptempo songs, and shares her heart with the ballads. I was equally impressed with Ashley's band and background vocalists, Frank Starchak and Jason Kane, (also featured in the duet, "If Only". The instrumentals as well as vocals are very well done and add the richness Ashley Marie's voice merits. There's not a song on this album that will disappoint you. (My Kind of Country Magazine (online magazine))

Product Description
This 16 year old singer has a classic country voice, sometimes pure, sometimes raw, always full of emotion.

There are ten tracks with classic country, the edge of pop, and 2 heart-wrenching ballads. Get this new-comer's first CD before she makes it big!

Ashley Marie

Tracks:

'Where Is Blanche?'
'Blanche, Your Poor Brother Was So Very Impatient
'Her Poor Imagination Always Flies From One Extreme To Another'
'Dear Father, There Is No Incident So Small Or Unimportant'
Prelude
'Do Not Believe This Comfortable Chair Is A Privilege'
'What Has Driven You Here?
'My Daugher, The Outside World Often Questions'
Prelude
'Oh No, Not More Beans!
Prelude
'Would You Be So Kind As To Raise My Pillow'
'You May Get Up My Child'
'Monsieur Javelinot, You Must Know It's Customary'
'Please Inform Your Sisters'
'Qui Lazarum Resuscutasti A Monumento Foetidum'
'What Are You Doing?
'Dear Sister, I'm Afraid That Our Cross'
'My Dear Daughters, I Don't Need To Remind You'
'Ave Maria'
'What Is Going On?

Tracks:

Prelude
'Blanche, Why Do You Behave Like This?'
'Compose Yourself, Sister Blanche'
'My Faithful Daughers, I Know That Some Among You'
'But What Will Become Of You'
'Someone Is Ringing The Bell'
'Open The Door, Open The Door Now!'
'My Sisters, Our Reverend Mother Is Coming'
'Father, Speak To Them
'There Is Only One Vote Against. That Is Enough'
'Fellow Citizens, We Congratulate You'
'Sister Gerald, We Have To Warn The Priest'
Prelude
'It You'
'My Daughter, We Have Almost Come To The End'
'And What Of Sisters Blanche?
'The Tribunal Of The Revolution Declares'
'My Daughter, I Wanted To Save You
'It Is Done. They Have Been Condemned'
Prelude
'Salve Regina, Mater Misericordiae'

Customer Reviews:

ENO proves it works JUST FINE in English.......2007-03-18

When the Met did its first production of Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites in 1977, there was only one recording of this opera available in the U.S., the one recorded during the composer's lifetime. Then came a video from Australia in the late '80s, a spiffy new CD set from the Lyon Opera in 1992, and with the composer's centennial in 1999 several other videos and soundtracks, including ones in German and the original Italian (for the La Scala premiere in 1957). It was Poulenc himself who wanted the opera to be sung in translation, and Chandos has honored his wish by committing to CD a fine production by the English National Opera. This succinctly-titled version uses a new libretto with numerous subtle revisions that make the text easier to sing, e.g., the safe house has been moved to "five, rue Saint-Denis" from number two, with this and other proper names pronounced in French. All this would be for naught if the singers weren't conscientious about diction, but they generally are. Besides Catrin Wyn-Davies as Blanche, kudos go to Ashley Holland as her father and Felicity Palmer as the Old Prioress. For once, though, it's Mother Marie who is most vividly projected; Josephine Barstow, a veteran Tosca and Salome, sings her as the kind of nun who runs inner-city Catholic schools like clockwork.

I'd give a medal to conductor Paul Daniel who paces the text very intelligently and draws from his players the most finely shaped and best-balanced orchestral accompaniment you'll ever find. He presumably is also responsible for cutting some well-meaning but expendable passages, notably the clunky instrumental tag after the Ave Maria in Act II (the Latin prayers get Poulenc's best music, interestingly) and the interlude and spoken street vignette preceding the jail scene in Act III. He also rigs a clever repeat to make the martyrdom vote proceed less hurriedly onstage, but in all cases the vocal parts are left intact. Roger Nicols, as always, provides excellent annotations, though I believe an over-zealous editor created inaccuracies by condensation: No, this isn't Poulenc's "only serious opera" - La voix humaine, with its suicidal heroine, is about as bleak as they come - and while Georges Brenanos didn't live to see his screenplay produced, a non-musical film adaptation was released in 1960 with Jeanne Moreau as Mother Marie. A cautionary note about this CD may be in order for the squeamish, since the noise of the guillotine in the last scene is gratingly realistic, with another brief but chilling effect best left unmentioned to preserve its shock value.

A sound recording. Great to understand dialogue.......2006-10-23

For some, Poulenc's study of religious persecution in the wake of the French Revolution remains one of the great affirmations of human dignity in the face of oppression. For others, it's a reactionary work, deeply suspect in its tacit, but forceful, equation of the Terror with the Nazi occupation of France. However you view it, its impact in performance can be formidable, though this new English language version, recorded in tandem with English National Opera's revival last year, pulls its punches somewhat variably.
It's conducted with implacable menace by Paul Daniel, and superbly played. The singing, however, is uneven. Catrin Wyn-Davies is an impressive Blanche, tellingly exposing the neuroses that lie behind the girl's spirituality, while Josephine Barstow is truly terrifying as the near-fundamentalist Mother Marie.

Donizetti - Elvida / Massis · Ford · Larmore · Spagnoli · LPO · Allemandi

Average customer rating:

Fascinating Glimpse Into a Master's Development
A poor opera poorly performed

Donizetti - Elvida / Massis · Ford · Larmore · Spagnoli · LPO · Allemandi
Gaetano Donizetti , Antonello Allemandi , London Philharmonic Orchestra , Annick Massis , Jennifer Larmore , Ashley Catling , Bruce Ford , Anne-Marie Gibbons , Pietro Spagnoli , and Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
Manufacturer: Opera Rara UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Donizetti: Francesca di Foix
Donizetti - L'assedio di Calais / D. Jones, du Plessis, Focile, Serbo, Smythe, Philharmonia Orchestra, Parry
Vivaldi: Bajazet [Includes Bonus DVD]
Meyerbeer: Semiramide
Matilde Di Shabran - Juan Diego Florez

ASIN: B0007DBXTW
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Glimpse Into a Master's Development.......2007-02-18

"Elvida" is a very early work in Donizetti's career - his fifteenth opera, coming some four years before "Anna Bolena," the earliest of his works to have entered the general repertory. As such, it's almost inevitable that it will prove to be not a neglected masterwork, but an interesting example of how one of the greatest composers for the voice honed his craft. Still, it's not without interest to listeners who enjoy early nineteenth-century Italian opera, and this recording does well by the piece.

The opera's plot bears a slight, oversimplified resemblance to that of Mozart's "Abduction From the Seraglio": Elvida, a Spanish noblewoman, held captive by the Muslim ruler Amur, awaits rescue by her lover, Alfonso. The twist here is that it is not Amur who has fallen in love with the woman, but his son, Zeidar (a travesti role). Spoiler alert - there's a happy ending for the Spaniards, and a pardon for the Muslims.

Donizetti sets the piece according to the dictates of his time, allotting his prima donna and primo tenore the only true solo arias in the piece, but giving the other principals strong presence in duets, a trio, and a quartet. One of the interesting technical innovations here lies in the way Donizetti ends each of the first two scenes, not giving us full stops with grand pauses, but practically dovetailing the music that ends one scene into the music that begins the next, so that the action is strongly continuous despite the need for three different settings - the stage crew at the San Carlo must have been scurrying to get the scene changes done quickly enough!

In this recording, Annick Massis makes a fine Elvida, and Jennifer Larmore is even better as Zeidar. Bruce Ford is a little tight and steely as Alfonso - if I were Elvida and were judging my suitors on their vocal allure, I'd dump the guy and take up Zeidar's offer! - but he's still ardent and graceful. Pietro Spagnoli's Amur is authoritative and, where required, fiery. The singers' diction is excellent, and they handle their acrobatically florid roles well, articulating coloratura passages cleanly without aspirating them.

Conductor Antonello Allemandi proves a fine accompanist with the London Philharmonic, responding flexibly so that he moves things along smoothly while allowing the singers the breathing room and rubato that the period's style demands. The Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, generally playing various bands of Muslim and Spanish soldiers either heading off to battle or celebrating their victories, sings with lusty enthusiasm.

Opera Rara's production lives up to the label's reliably high standards. The booklet accompanying the set contains a fine English essay on the opera's background, a detailed English/French/German/Italian synopsis, cast and track listings (generously banded - 24 tracks over 66 minutes), full Italian-English libretto, numerous color photos of the recording sessions, and engravings and résumés of the original production's cast.

The casual opera listener may not find a great deal of appeal here, but it's well worth the cost for those who love "bel canto" operas in general, or Donizetti's in particular, and it's certainly recommendable to fans of these singers.

A poor opera poorly performed.......2006-06-28

Why in the world Opera Rara wasted resources on this production is the main question it arouses. There are far more interesting and exciting works awaiting good studio productions from the bel canto era, especially from the large group of highly talented composers who have been eclipsed by the big three. Their best works, judging by the few recorded examples we have (largely thanks to summer festivals and Bongiovanni) is a lot better than Donizetti's worst. While Elvida may not quite fit into the latter category, it must be close to it.

Elvida is a one-act opera composed for a Gala occasion when it was to be expected that the audience would not be listening closely. The writing is by and large rather pedestrian and Donizetti himself indicated that he really didn't think much of it. However, since singers of a quality that Donizetti at that stage in his career might not be able to command were engaged for the occasion, some of the writing is technically demanding and should produce bel canto fireworks even if somewhat empty ones. Of the cast assembled here, the best by a long shot is Jennifer Larmore, who produces some beautiful singing and probably makes the material sound better than it is. Bruce Ford is, as expected, reliable without brilliance. The bass, Pietro Spagnoli, is a bit weak. Unfortunately, the soprano, Annick Massis, singing the title and central role, is simply not up to the task, producing some most unpleasant sounds. This despite the conducting being rather leaden, both in tempi and dynamics. This conducting means that some of the items become boring, more so than the basic material would warrant. This is especially so for the trio and the first part of the quartet that are supposed to be the gems of the opera. (The lack of dynamic subtlety pretty well dooms the second part of the quartet.) The orchestra and the chorus are very good so the shortcomings must be laid to the conductor, for it does not sound as if it can be blamed simply on lack of rehersal time. This is far below what we have come to expect from Opera Rara.

Average customer rating:

Amen
Ashley Marie
Manufacturer: Ashley Marie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA95JA
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Average customer rating:

Ashley Ashley
Big Bruno's review on "Ashley Marie"
Gotta love it!
Ashley Is Amazing!
Ashley Z. is it

Ashley Marie

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00003L4E6
Release Date: 1999-11-17

Tracks:

Gonna Tame You Honey
Turn Up The Lovin'
Betcha Can't Make Me Love
Wonder Woman
If Only
Head Over Boots
Crazy Ol' Moon
Southbound Train
Momma Taught Me That!
Days Wihtout The Sun

Album Description

This 16 year old singer has a classic country voice, sometimes pure, sometimes raw, always full of emotion.

There are ten tracks with classic country, the edge of pop, and 2 heart-wrenching ballads. Get this new-comer's first CD before she makes it big!

Customer Reviews:

Ashley Ashley.......2003-01-11

This is a great album. Ever since high school, When Ashley Marie and I became friends, we would sing songs together sometimes just for fun, like 'My Heart Will Go on'. She has come a long way since then, and has journeyed into adulthood. I am so proud of her. Anyways This album is a great example of a natural, and wounderful voice. The songs are great, and this is coming from someone that hates country music. It takes alot of talent to impress me, and this cd has done that. Unlike most singers these days who, try to sing, it comes naturaly for Ashley. She has the voice of an angle. She once opened for the Dixie Chicks!wow. I highly recommend this album, not just as a friend, but as a want-to-be critic; it deserves 5*****

Big Bruno's review on "Ashley Marie".......2001-05-19

Greetings...I have been listening to country music since 1989 where I saw my first country concert..."The Judds". I was hooked. Subsequently I've seen and heard just about all the new acts. The other day someone gave me a CD named "Ashley Marie". I knew of Ms. Marie as she has quite a following in the MD/WV/VA area but have never heard her perform. I was blown away. This young female artists has a great career ahead of her. Her voice reminds me of Reba's strong voice and country sound. Big Bruno highly recommends this CD.

Gotta love it!.......2000-03-08

It's hard to believe Ashley was so young when she cut this album. She has all the attitude and personality necessary sell the message of any song, not to mention a very mature voice that is a pleasure to listen to. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who likes his/her country with heart-felt feeling. It's a little traditional and a little pop, and it's always near my CD player.

Ashley Is Amazing!.......2000-02-16

I just have to say that Ashley's cd is more amazing than I could have imagined! When I found her on the web I knew this girl was hot and the cd prooves it! Ashley's got what Nashville is looking for these days and I'm sure she'll be singing for a major label in the future! "Wonder Woman" is a wonderful song, kind of reminds me of myself so I relate to it! I love every cut on this cd and I wish her the best of luck in the world! She's very talented so if you haven't heard her sing you should really grab this cd while they have it!

Ashley Z. is it.......2000-01-29

Wow! Gotta love this grrl. Get this albumen. You won't go wrong. My favorite song is Smoke on the Water.

Average customer rating:

Nothing Is Better
Ashleigh Marie
Manufacturer: Ashley Marie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CADOQK
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Album Review:

Album Review

Album Review