Kelly Sweet

We Are One

(Razor & Tie)

Record Review by Janelle Finamore

Kelly Sweet’s We Are One is a pop album with a classical twist. With songs like “Girono dapo Giorrno and “Ja t’aime,” she exhibits her penchant for the classical sound. In her rendition of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” Sweet sings in a beautiful, clear classical voice. The way she interprets the song is similar to an Enya song—incorporating choral harmonies and heavy pads. She was trained in opera at a young age and her voice coach is the world renowned Seth Riggs, who has had a huge influence on her angelic voice.

Every track on this CD has an easy listening or romantic sound.  “Raincoat” has a Norah Jones feel which could help propel the tune to VH1’s Top 20. “Caresse sur l’ocean” elicits that special Enya quality with majestic pads and vocal purity.  Sweet sings healthy in a strong head voice mix and doesn’t scream or belt her songs like the majority of American Idols or Idol wannabes.  Despite the fact that she sings differently than these contestants, she still retains a likeable pop quality that could still blow Simon and Paula away.