If at first glance you don't quite realize Susan Boyle's fourth album, Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage, has a concept, it could be due to how Boyle so often draws from the songbook of the Great White Way.
Here, she tackles songs from many different eras of Broadway, stretching all the way back to Harold Arlen's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and going all the way up to "This Is the Moment" from 1997's Jekyll & Hyde.
Along the way, ABBA's "The Winner Takes it All" gets grandfathered in due to its inclusion on Mama Mia, Donny Osmond appears not once but twice, Michael Crawford -- the Phantom himself -- comes in to duet on "The Music of the Night," one of three Andrew Lloyd-Webber songs here.
The style of music may be familiar for Boyle, but the sound is slightly different, thanks in part to the singer switching from her longtime producer Steve Mac to Richard "Biff" Stannard, an X-Factor producer who retains Boyle's stateliness while dialing back on the somnolence.
Which isn't to say Standing Ovation is a rollicking little party album -- far from it.
Boyle never strays from her show-stopping-ballad wheelhouse, but the combination of a producer with a lighter touch and a focused concept help make Standing Ovation her easiest album to enjoy.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somewhere Over the RainbowHarold Arlen, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg | Susan Boyle | Play | 05:41 | 13 MB | 33 MB |
| 2 | The Winner Takes It AllBenny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus | Susan Boyle | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | Send in the ClownsStephen Sondheim | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 4 | The Music of the NightCharles Heart, Richard Stilgoe, Andrew Lloyd Webber | Susan Boyle | Play | 05:12 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | Bring Him HomeAlain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, Claude-Michel Schönberg | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 6 | MemoryThomas Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Andrew Lloyd Webber | Susan Boyle | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | As Long as He Needs MeLionel Bart | Susan Boyle | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 8 | All I Ask of YouCharles Heart, Richard Stilgoe, Andrew Lloyd Webber | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 9 | Out Here on My OwnLesley Gore, Michael Gore | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 10 | You'll Never Walk AloneOscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | This Is the MomentLeslie Bricusse, Frank Wildhorn | Susan Boyle | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 43 mins | 100 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 252 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benny Andersson | Composer |
| 2 | Harold Arlen | Composer |
| 3 | Jez Ashurst | Programming |
| 4 | Lionel Bart | Composer |
| 5 | Alain Boublil | Composer |
| 6 | Susan Boyle | Primary Artist |
| 7 | Leslie Bricusse | Composer |
| 8 | Michael Crawford | Featured Artist |
| 9 | Thomas Eliot | Composer |
| 10 | Lesley Gore | Composer |
| 11 | Michael Gore | Composer |
| 12 | Isobel Griffiths | Orchestra Contractor |
| 13 | Simon Hale | String Arrangements, String Conductor |
| 14 | Oscar Hammerstein II | Composer |
| 15 | E.Y. "Yip" Harburg | Composer |
| 16 | Neale Haynes | Photography |
| 17 | Charles Heart | Composer |
| 18 | Ash Howes | Mixing, Producer |
| 19 | Herbert Kretzmer | Composer |
| 20 | Andrew Lloyd Webber | Composer |
| 21 | London Session Orchestra | Strings |
| 22 | Avril Mackintosh | Pro-Tools, Vocal Recording |
| 23 | Cliff Masterson | Choir Arrangement, Choir Conductor, String Arrangements, String Conductor |
| 24 | Charlie McClean | Vocals (Background) |
| 25 | Ralph Mecke | Photography |
| 26 | Vlado Mellor | Mastering |
| 27 | Trevor Nunn | Composer |
| 28 | Donny Osmond | Featured Artist |
| 29 | Tom Pigott-Smith | Orchestra Leader |
| 30 | Richard Rodgers | Composer |
| 31 | Emma Rohan | Vocals (Background) |
| 32 | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | Strings |
| 33 | RSVP Choir | Choir/Chorus |
| 34 | Claude-Michel Schönberg | Composer |
| 35 | Stephen Sondheim | Composer |
| 36 | Richard "Biff" Stannard | Mixing, Producer |
| 37 | Richard Stilgoe | Composer |
| 38 | Björn Ulvaeus | Composer |
| 39 | Lucy Whalley | Assistant Contractor |
| 40 | Frank Wildhorn | Composer |
| 41 | Jerry Williams, Jr. | Arranger |
| 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). |