disappointed

I was disappointed by this album. Lara's voice didn't have the same emotional range that could find on any of her non-english recordings. Indeed, the best song on her US Debut album "Lara Fabian" was the last track "Adagio"-which was in Italian. Even then, the compositional caliber of her first US release was better than "A Wonderful Life". I'm sorry, Lara/Producers/Whoever, you can't write a hit by simply combining a peppy topic with a musical hook and belting it.



And more's the pity because Lara has an excellent emotional range in her voice (take the songs "Il existe un endroit" and "Ici" for instance) and she's going to ruin her voice in the long run by belting all the time. I have no sympathy for Maria Callas (who after years of vocal abuse sounded like a cow with bronchitis), and I'm trying to reserve some for Lara.



I like the sound that Lara is trying to produce in her american albums such as "A Wonderful Life"-a little bit earthier and more organic I suppose-and I think that's a good direction for future releases, but she really needs to hire better songwriters. The musical score on the album isn't bad-its just decidedly mediocre, and does a great disservice to potential american listeners who haven't yet heard "Nue" or "Pure". The lyrics on "A Wonderful Life" were abysmal. They were cacaphonous bilge running in dissonant counterpoint to her voice. If she can't find writers (particularly lyricists) who can write more intelligent, unclichéd material, Lara will have cornered the overemotional pre-teen girl market in the US, and that's about it. And American fans will be stuck hunting down her foreign releases.

Just an awesome CD

I love Lara's CD. It is a shame it hasn't been released in America. The more I listen to it, the better it gets. She deserves more recognition. My favorites right now are I AM and Unbreakable. Try it, you'll like it.

Lara at her best... but lacking one big HIT!

Lara Fabian really needed a big hit to drive her second English album up the charts... along the lines of I WILL LOVE AGAIN. Unfortunately, this CD, while excellent, does not have one (except maybe for NO BIG DEAL). So much for her US breakthrough. But for any Lara or diva lovers, this is a must own. Powerful voice, great arrangements, great production values. The lyrics are still too sugary, there are still too many balads (no dance anthem in this one), but that's Lara. In the end, you have THAT VOICE. It just takes your breath away!

Not Good Enough For Her

As a devoted Lara fan, I was disappointed in this album. To begin, two of the songs, "I've Cried Enough" and "Silence," are merely English versions of songs from her last French album "Nue." That leaves 10 ostensibly new selections. Unfortunately, this material, clearly aimed to score quickly with the American pop audience, is both trite and weak in construction, often forcing Lara into the same monotonous-sounding musical grooves. She almost always co-writes all of the songs on her French albums with Rick Allison, her musical director, but for her English-language releases, she (or more accurately the SONY record executives) purposely enlist the aid of writers from America and the UK, with the intent to make the tracks more appealing to potential fans in the States. Despite the contributions of people such as Gary Barlow and Desmond Child, however, with only a few exceptions, most of the results contain what might be termed "catchy hooks," but are so contrived that they have very little substance or depth. Lara is such a good singer (chanteuse, if you will) that she valiantly attempts to do her best with what she has been given. On "No Big Deal," one of the better, commercial-sounding tracks, she gives free rein to her lively phrasing. On "I Guess I Loved You," her superb voice dives and soars even though the chorus is repeated ad nauseum. On much of the rest, however, she simply can't overcome the odds. In particular and most offensively, "The Last Goodbye" is just too desperate an attempt by someone to include a number that has a hint of Nashville (as if she needs to do country!). Having said that, there are indeed a few listenable entries: "Review My Kisses" is pleasant enough, though univentive, and then my favorite, "Walk Away." It's a tender, rubato ballad where Lara is typically at her best. With only solo guitar accompaniment, and, free of elaborate over-production, she sings expressively over the chords, allowing her classic emotional interpretation to come through. Regrettably though, there's little else in this package worth mentioning. Normally I would unequivocally recommend a Lara album, but this time I'd say go back to one of her previous efforts. This CD just isn't up to her usual high standard and doesn't do her justice. A Wonderful Life it is not.

Solid Adult Pop

Lara's sophomore Eglish-language album may not have a single as successful as "I Will Love Again", however, "Wonderful Life" far exceeds my excepations. There is not a unpleasant song here. Her vocals are on point and the lryics suite her voice. The first single "The Last Goodbye" has wrongly been overlooked by radio, but is one of the many stellar proformances of this album. This is a vertually flawless album which is perfect for any Adult Contemporary fan. Other tracks worth mentioning are "No Big Deal", "Conquered", "Intoxicated", "I Am", "Walk Away" and "I Guess I Loved You." If you are a fan of this style of music, get this album!

Wonderful Life is the perfect 'Complete Package'

I own all of Lara Fabian's albums, most soundtracks she appears on... I am a junky for her voice.
That said and done I was waiting for the second English album, and my waiting was worth every second.
The album may not be danceable, nor 'pop'py enough for mainstream radio airplay--but this is an album that can be listened to in its entirety every time.
'I Am,' is catchy and then the words make it that much more for me. ' 'No Big Deal,' is a great opener for the album... each song is a great segue to the next. They may not be on the radio, but at least they won't get played to death on heavy rotation.
There are a few incredible songs that make me think each time I listen to them--I put myself in as the character of the song and I feel each word she delivers. 'The Last Goodbye,' my very favorite 'I Guess I Loved You,' and then 'Intoxicated.'
Lara Fabian has her finger on the pulse of my soul, and each word she utters finds its way inside my heart and every word feels at home.
I have found the voice of my soul in the finest songwriter that has written about love--the saddest soul that has ever sang each feeling inside--Lara Fabian has recorded an album that hasn't had too much American publicity, that hasn't climbed the almighty charts...
Lara Fabian's 'A Wonderful Life' is one album I would say is a perfect ten, and should stop being overlooked... =)