Susan Boyle’s third album, Someone to Watch Over Me, isn’t markedly different than her first or her second, the seasonal The Gift, for that matter.
All three were produced by Steve Mac -- the man who helmed record-shattering LPs by Il Divo along with a bevy of hits by British pop groups and graduates of the Idol franchises on both sides of the Atlantic -- all three are so stately they border on somnolent, the speeds never once flirting with midtempo, the tenor of the timbre measured and mannered.
Close listening reveals Someone to Watch Over Me isn’t quite as orchestral heavy as The Gift, lending this a slight airiness, but this is cut from the same cloth as its predecessors: show tunes and standards rest comfortably next to reinterpreted modern classics, this time Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” and Tears for Fears’ “Mad World.” Boyle isn’t an interpreter, necessarily, finding new meanings of songs; instead, the songs are pitched toward her specific skills, so there’s an inevitable sameness to her albums, as they all consist of slow, pretty versions of songs you know by heart.
It may not be a formula to convert the skeptics, but it is sure to please the devoted.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | You Have to Be ThereBenny Andersson, Benny Goran, Björn Ulvaeus | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | Unchained MelodyAlex North, Hy Zaret | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | Enjoy the SilenceMartin Gore | Susan Boyle | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | Both Sides NowJoni Mitchell | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 15 MB |
| 5 | Lilac WineJames H. Shelton | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | Mad WorldRoland Orzabal | Susan Boyle | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 7 | Autumn LeavesJim Duguid, Paolo Nutini | Susan Boyle | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 8 | This Will Be the YearJosh Kear | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | ReturnWayne Hector, Steve Mac | Susan Boyle | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | Someone to Watch Over MeGeorge Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | Susan Boyle | Play | 01:17 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 33 mins | 77 MB | |||||
| 33 mins | 180 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benny Andersson | Composer |
| 2 | Dave Arch | Keyboards, Orchestration, Piano, Synthesizer |
| 3 | John Baker | Copyist |
| 4 | Chris Barrett | Engineer |
| 5 | Susan Boyle | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Fiona Cruickshank | Assistant Orchestra Engineer |
| 7 | Jim Duguid | Composer |
| 8 | Paul Gendler | Guitar |
| 9 | George Gershwin | Composer |
| 10 | Ira Gershwin | Composer |
| 11 | Benny Goran | Composer |
| 12 | Martin Gore | Composer |
| 13 | Doug Harper | Drums |
| 14 | Wayne Hector | Composer |
| 15 | Josh Kear | Composer |
| 16 | Herbert Kretzmer | Translation |
| 17 | Nicki L'Amy | Coordination |
| 18 | Chris Laurence | Bass (Upright) |
| 19 | Chris Laws | Drums, Engineer, Pro-Tools |
| 20 | Lj Singers | Choir/Chorus |
| 21 | Steve Mac | Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Piano, Producer, Synthesizer |
| 22 | Mae McKenna | Vocals (Background) |
| 23 | Vlado Mellor | Mastering |
| 24 | Joni Mitchell | Composer |
| 25 | Alex North | Composer |
| 26 | Paolo Nutini | Composer |
| 27 | Roland Orzabal | Composer |
| 28 | John Parricelli | Guitar |
| 29 | Steve Pearce | Bass (Electric) |
| 30 | Dann Pursey | Engineer, Mixing Assistant |
| 31 | James H. Shelton | Composer |
| 32 | Ren Swan | Mixing |
| 33 | Björn Ulvaeus | Composer |
| 34 | Hy Zaret | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |