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In 1990, the joint efforts of the World Cup and the Three Tenors provided opera singing with its biggest ever foray into the pop charts. Unassuming tenor Paul Potts, originally from Bristol, took opera back to the very top of the charts with the album One Chance 17 years later, and he too had a helping hand from the enormously popular television talent show Britain's Got Talent. There is no denying that Paul Potts has indeed got talent, but is he a better singer than any of the Three Tenors? Certainly not. Still, a TV talent show captures the public almost as much as the World Cup, and Potts rides this wave extremely well. He began his trip into TV stardom singing that staple of operatic performance Nessun Dorma, and this aria opens the album too. The problem is that by 2007 the song was so famous that Potts openly invites comparisons with a multitude of operatic tenors who have sung it before. Not that this is any bad thing; it's a difficult song to sing well and Potts does sing nicely in tune, every note well rehearsed, but there is a lack of real feeling and emotion that betrays his rapid rise. In fact, One Chance is not really an opera album at all, and the millions of people who bought it thinking they were buying into a slice of high culture got an album filled with tracks like "Time to Say Goodbye" (Con Te Partirò), a hit single from Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli; "Everybody Hurts" (Ognuno Soffre), originally by R.E.M.; and versions of "My Way," "Cavatina" (the theme from The Deer Hunter), and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. The track "Caruso" had been recorded by almost everyone in this genre from Russell Watson to Il Divo, and in a similar way that Vittorio Grigolo took a modern pop song, Keane's "Bedshaped," and made it sound like an operatic aria, so Potts translates Westlife's "You Raise Me Up" into Italian and produces a sound far removed from the Westlife hit. One Chance was the sort of album that had the stamp of Simon Cowell all over it, very similar to his Il Divo projects. Cowell had an ear for a good tune, and knew what would sell and how to package the moment to maximum effect. This is the type of album that comes along every so often and persuades people that they like opera, when previously they might have thought they did not. If it went on to introduce anybody to other singers in the genre aside from Paul Potts, no doubt he would be one of the first to cheer, but unfortunately, as with the Three Tenors, once out of the spotlight, so was the music. [This edition of One Chance includes the bonus tracks "O Holy Night" and "Silent Night."]
© Sharon Mawer /TiVo
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Geoff Foster, Engineer - Giácomo Puccini, Composer - Giácomo Puccini, Lyricist - Fredrik Andersson, Engineer - Paul Potts, Performer - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - David Kreuger, Producer - Renato Simoni (1875-1952), Composer - Renato Simoni (1875-1952), Lyricist - Giuseppe Adami (1878-1946), Composer - Giuseppe Adami (1878-1946), Lyricist - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - David Snell, Conductor - Anne Skates, Arranger - Carmine Lauri, Conductor - Per Magnusson, Producer
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Fredrik Andersson, Engineer - Fredrik Andersson, Mixing Engineer - Paul Potts, Performer - Daniel Parry, Mixing Engineer - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - David Kreuger, Producer - Franco Sartori, Lyricist - Franco Sartori, Composer - Lucio Quarantotto, Composer - Lucio Quarantotto, Lyricist - Neil Tucker, Engineer - Robin Sellars, Engineer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Anne Skates, Arranger - Carmine Lauri, Conductor - Frank Peterson, Composer - Frank Peterson, Lyricist - Per Magnusson, Producer
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Henrik Janson, Arranger - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Programmer - Garcia Lacalle, Composer - Garcia Lacalle, Lyricist - Josef Larossi, Programmer - Paul Potts, Performer - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Albert Gamse, Lyricist - Albert Gamse, Composer - Larossi, Producer - Neil Tucker, Engineer - Quiz, Producer - Peter Ljung, Piano - Robin Sellars, Engineer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Ulf Janson, Arranger - Luis Roldan, Composer - Luis Roldan, Lyricist - Carmine Lauri, Band Leader
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
John Michael Stipe, Composer - John Michael Stipe, Lyricist - Robin Sellars, Engineer - Kaballà, Translator - Frank Musker, Translator - Ulf Janson, Arranger - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Paul Potts, Performer - Carmine Lauri, Band Leader - Neil Tucker, Engineer - Michael Mills, Lyricist - Michael Mills, Composer - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Programmer - Larossi, Producer - Peter Buck, Lyricist - Peter Buck, Composer - Josef Larossi, Programmer - Quiz, Producer - William Berry, Lyricist - William Berry, Composer - Henrik Janson, Arranger
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Dave Arch, Orchestrator - Nigel Wright, Producer - Paul Potts, Performer - Simon Lee, Conductor - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Yann McCullough, Engineer - John Baker, Arranger - Matt Bartram, Engineer - Lucio Dalla, Lyricist - Lucio Dalla, Composer - Robin Sellars, Engineer - Paul Chandler, Engineer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Joshua Blair, Engineer - Yvie Burnette, Vocal - Carmine Lauri, Conductor
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Henrik Janson, Conductor - Fredrik Andersson, Engineer - Paul Potts, Performer - Chiara Ferrau, Composer - Chiara Ferrau, Lyricist - Jan Bengtsson, Flute - Ennio Morricone, Lyricist - Ennio Morricone, Composer - David Kreuger, Producer - Neil Tucker, Engineer - Rohan Onraet, Mixing Engineer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Ulf Janson, Conductor - Per Magnusson, Producer - Per Magnusson, Piano
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Dave Arch, Piano - Dave Arch, Arranger - Daniel Pursey, 2nd Engineer - Donato Poveda, Translator - Paul Potts, Performer - Mike Ross, Recording Engineer - Chris Laws, Drums - Chris Laws, Engineer - Frissy Karlsson, Guitar - Neil Tucker, Engineer - Quiz, Producer - Quiz, Mixing Engineer - Larossi, Mixing Engineer - Larossi, Producer - Steve Mac, Keyboards - Steve Mac, Producer - Ren Swan, Engineer - Rolf Lovland, Composer - Rolf Lovland, Lyricist - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Brendan Graham, Composer - Brendan Graham, Lyricist
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Frissy Karlsson, Guitar - Jacques Revaux, Composer - Frank Ricotti, Percussion - Mark Tucker, Engineer - Claude François, Composer - Dave Arch, Arranger - Dave Arch, Piano - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Chris Laws, Drums - Paul Potts, Performer - Dave Moore, 2nd Engineer - Ren Swan, Mixing Engineer - Daniel Pursey, 2nd Engineer - Neil Tucker, Engineer - Paul Anka, Lyricist - Gilles Thibaut, Composer - Larossi, Producer - Steve Mac, Keyboards - Steve Mac, Producer - Quiz, Producer - James Collins, Engineer
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Nigel Wright, Producer - Nigel Wright, Orchestrator - Stanley Myers, Composer - Stanley Myers, Lyricist - Paul Potts, Performer - Simon Lee, Conductor - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Yann McCullough, Engineer - Cleo Laine, Composer - Cleo Laine, Lyricist - Matt Bartram, 2nd Engineer - Paul Chandler, Engineer - Robin Sellars, Engineer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Joshua Blair, 2nd Engineer - Carmine Lauri, Band Leader
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Geoff Foster, Engineer - Geoff Foster, Performer - Nigel Wright, Producer - Paul Potts, Performer - Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Composer - Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Lyricist - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Yann McCullough, Engineer - Chris Barrett, 2nd Engineer - Richard Stilgoe, Composer - Richard Stilgoe, Lyricist - Robin Sellars, Engineer - Paul Chandler, Engineer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Joshua Blair, 2nd Engineer - Charles Hart, Composer - Charles Hart, Lyricist - David Snell, Conductor - Yvie Burnette, Vocal - David Cullen, Orchestrator - Carmine Lauri, Band Leader
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
DISC 2
Henrik Janson, Arranger - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Programmer - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Arranger - Josef Larossi, Arranger - Paul Potts, Performer - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Neil Tucker, Engineer - Quiz, Producer - Larossi, Producer - Peter Ljung, Piano - Traditional, Composer - Traditional, Lyricist - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Ulf Janson, Arranger - Anne Skates, Vocal
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Arranger - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Programmer - Henrik Janson, Guitar - Henrik Janson, Arranger - Josef Larossi, Arranger - Paul Potts, Performer - London Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Jeanette Ohlsson, Vocal - Neil Tucker, Engineer - Quiz, Producer - Larossi, Producer - Peter Ljung, Piano - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Traditional, Lyricist - Traditional, Composer - Ulf Janson, Arranger - Anne Skates, Vocal
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Arranger - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Programmer - Henrik Janson, Guitar - Henrik Janson, Arranger - Paul Potts, Performer - The Czech National Symphony Choir, Performer - Josef Larossi, Arranger - Josef Larossi, Programmer - Markus Bergqvist, Recording Engineer - Stanislav Baroch, 2nd Engineer - Jiri Hurnik, Chorus Master - Quiz & Larossi, Mixing Engineer - Quiz & Larossi, Producer - Quiz & Larossi, Recording Engineer - Peter Ljung, Piano - Yvie Burnett, Vocal Arranger - The Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Traditional, Composer - Traditional, Lyricist - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Jan Chalupecky, Conductor - Ulf Janson, Arranger
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Henrik Janson, Arranger - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Arranger - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Mixing Engineer - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Producer - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Recording Engineer - Andreas Quiz Romdhane, Programmer - The Czech National Symphony Choir, Performer - Josef Larossi, Arranger - Josef Larossi, Producer - Josef Larossi, Recording Engineer - Josef Larossi, Programmer - Josef Larossi, Mixing Engineer - Markus Bergqvist, Recording Engineer - Paul Potts, Performer - Jiri Hurnik, Chorus Master - Stanislav Baroch, 2nd Engineer - Peter Ljung, Piano - Yvie Burnett, Vocal Arranger - The Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Performer - Traditional, Lyricist - Traditional, Composer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer - Jan Chalupecky, Conductor - Ulf Janson, Arranger
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Album review
In 1990, the joint efforts of the World Cup and the Three Tenors provided opera singing with its biggest ever foray into the pop charts. Unassuming tenor Paul Potts, originally from Bristol, took opera back to the very top of the charts with the album One Chance 17 years later, and he too had a helping hand from the enormously popular television talent show Britain's Got Talent. There is no denying that Paul Potts has indeed got talent, but is he a better singer than any of the Three Tenors? Certainly not. Still, a TV talent show captures the public almost as much as the World Cup, and Potts rides this wave extremely well. He began his trip into TV stardom singing that staple of operatic performance Nessun Dorma, and this aria opens the album too. The problem is that by 2007 the song was so famous that Potts openly invites comparisons with a multitude of operatic tenors who have sung it before. Not that this is any bad thing; it's a difficult song to sing well and Potts does sing nicely in tune, every note well rehearsed, but there is a lack of real feeling and emotion that betrays his rapid rise. In fact, One Chance is not really an opera album at all, and the millions of people who bought it thinking they were buying into a slice of high culture got an album filled with tracks like "Time to Say Goodbye" (Con Te Partirò), a hit single from Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli; "Everybody Hurts" (Ognuno Soffre), originally by R.E.M.; and versions of "My Way," "Cavatina" (the theme from The Deer Hunter), and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. The track "Caruso" had been recorded by almost everyone in this genre from Russell Watson to Il Divo, and in a similar way that Vittorio Grigolo took a modern pop song, Keane's "Bedshaped," and made it sound like an operatic aria, so Potts translates Westlife's "You Raise Me Up" into Italian and produces a sound far removed from the Westlife hit. One Chance was the sort of album that had the stamp of Simon Cowell all over it, very similar to his Il Divo projects. Cowell had an ear for a good tune, and knew what would sell and how to package the moment to maximum effect. This is the type of album that comes along every so often and persuades people that they like opera, when previously they might have thought they did not. If it went on to introduce anybody to other singers in the genre aside from Paul Potts, no doubt he would be one of the first to cheer, but unfortunately, as with the Three Tenors, once out of the spotlight, so was the music. [This edition of One Chance includes the bonus tracks "O Holy Night" and "Silent Night."]
© Sharon Mawer /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 00:57:25
- Main artists: Paul Potts
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Syco Music UK
- Genre: Pop/Rock
(P) 2007 Simco Limited exclusively licensed to Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Limited
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