Charlotte Church - Prelude: The Best of Charlotte Church (CD)

All Music Guide

A pristine, chandelier-shattering voice has helped 16-year-old Welsh singing sensation Charlotte Church capture the world's attention. Classically trained, with a face as sweet as her voice, she works her talents with an unstudied finesse that's a welcome relief from the onslaught of precocious, sexpot teen-singer wannabes. Prelude, a collection of hits culled from her four albums, showcases her repertoire of opera standards, chamber music, Gaelic airs, and pop songs. Though Church possesses an impressive vocal range, her youth is still evident in her voice, which makes it well-suited for Rossini's playful "La Pastorella" and the majestic purity of Bach's "Ave Maria." Pop songs, however, are not her forte. Her formal phrasing does not flow well with either "Bridge Over Troubled Water" or even with a Carole Bayer Sager-penned sap-fest, "The Prayer." For classical fans, this album works. For fans of youthful pop, go find Pink.

- Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, All Music Guide