Faith Hill - "A Baby Changes Everything"
Sept 12, 2008 17:39:52 GMT -5
Post by meganseabiscuit on Sept 12, 2008 17:39:52 GMT -5
Great writeup of her taping for the PBS Soundstage. She is having two Soundstage showcases, one for the Christmas album that will air November 26th and the rest of the holiday season. She will also have another one after the first of the year of her hits.
This was in the Nashville paper the TN.
CHICAGO — The two sides of Faith Hill were revealed during a Soundstage television taping Tuesday night, creating one powerful music statement for the stunning country superstar.
Hill gave her only live performance of her upcoming Christmas album, Joy to the World, for a Soundstage special that will air on PBS stations between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hill and her band were joined by a 60-person orchestra, led by conductor David Campbell (Beck’s dad), and a 10-person choir. Husband Tim McGraw watched from the back of the hall during the first night of a two-day shoot.
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After the completion of her Christmas show, she launched into another, “regular,” "Soundstage" show which served as a de facto career retrospective. Soundstage will air this show separately at a later date.
Rather than holding the performance at WWTW’s Grainger Studio in Chicago, where most of the episodes are filmed, the "Soundstage" producers took the show on the road a bit to the Sears Centre arena in suburban Hoffman Estates. They needed room for the 110-foot stage as well as extra seats for the numerous requests they had received for tickets.
The Christmas show had the feel of a 1950s dinner club frequented by Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack. Hill, who has chopped the long locks featured in her NFL Sunday night segment and now wears her hair shoulder-length and feathered, wore an elegant long, sleeveless tan J. Mendel dress with ruffles.
She opened with the title track and “What Child Is This” in a low, rich controlled voice, that was, most of all, pretty. With its lush orchestrations and layered vocal arrangements, the music was elegant, refined and understated, a mood reflected in Hill’s demeanor and delivery.
There were fun, upbeat holiday standards, such as “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” as well as more spiritual songs such as “O Come All Ye Faithful and “Oh Holy Night.” She performed in concert for the first time “Where Are You Christmas” from the movie The Grinch, but she was at her most spectacular on “Silent Night” and “Little Drummer Boy.”
She was clearly moved emotionally by “A Baby Changes Everything,” the only new song featured on her album. “I just could not surpass this song,” she told the audience. “It’s really quite a story.”
After a break to change the set, Hill returned in sexy black pants and a sparkly jacket and sang “If My Heart Had Wings.” It’s as if another artist had taken the stage. Leaving behind the understated demeanor in her dressing room, Hill was confident, powerful and truly comfortable onstage.
Some would say she’s found her sweet spot — that moment when her vocal ability, musical certainty and sense of self have all simultaneously peaked. There was no ego, just pure joy of expressing herself creatively on her own terms. She thrived in the intimate setting. While arena performances often require exaggerated stage movements to translate to the large crowd, Tuesday night’s show was about establishing a personal connection with the audience.
Too often, Hill’s media-fueled image — the overwhelming beauty, her celebrity marriage and seemingly perfect and glamorous life — has overshadowed her art. But she’s making it clear that whatever preconceived notions might be held of her, she will not be defined by others. Nor will she be held to the limitations of one genre.
Perhaps “Southern” is the apt description of her music, a blend of Mississippi, Memphis and Nashville that’s drenched in blues and country — with a little bit of gospel thrown in for good measure. In “Stronger,” she was vulnerable; her voice had that “tear” that has become a trademark of traditional country females.
But even in her most vulnerable moments, she appears to have a newfound strength. Her cover of “Piece of My Heart” is no longer sweet and innocent, but daring, defiant and delivered with the wisdom that only maturity can bring. Her first hit, “Wild One,” featured a new arrangement that turned the song into a celebration of freedom, while “This Kiss” and “I Love the Way You Love Me” contained the original, irresistible charm.
She now owns her hits; they don’t define her. She’s found comfort in the familiarity of the notes, so she feels safe to explore new interpretations and nuances. She gave a powerful and textured delivery of “Breathe,” bringing a bluesy feel to the country-pop monster hit.
Hill now joins Tom Petty, John Fogerty, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Dave Mathews and Stevie Nicks on a list of artists invited to perform on Soundstage. Hill demonstrated Tuesday that she remains a powerful force in popular music and has earned a place among the other female musical icons, and not just in country.
This was in the Nashville paper the TN.
CHICAGO — The two sides of Faith Hill were revealed during a Soundstage television taping Tuesday night, creating one powerful music statement for the stunning country superstar.
Hill gave her only live performance of her upcoming Christmas album, Joy to the World, for a Soundstage special that will air on PBS stations between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hill and her band were joined by a 60-person orchestra, led by conductor David Campbell (Beck’s dad), and a 10-person choir. Husband Tim McGraw watched from the back of the hall during the first night of a two-day shoot.
Advertisement
After the completion of her Christmas show, she launched into another, “regular,” "Soundstage" show which served as a de facto career retrospective. Soundstage will air this show separately at a later date.
Rather than holding the performance at WWTW’s Grainger Studio in Chicago, where most of the episodes are filmed, the "Soundstage" producers took the show on the road a bit to the Sears Centre arena in suburban Hoffman Estates. They needed room for the 110-foot stage as well as extra seats for the numerous requests they had received for tickets.
The Christmas show had the feel of a 1950s dinner club frequented by Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack. Hill, who has chopped the long locks featured in her NFL Sunday night segment and now wears her hair shoulder-length and feathered, wore an elegant long, sleeveless tan J. Mendel dress with ruffles.
She opened with the title track and “What Child Is This” in a low, rich controlled voice, that was, most of all, pretty. With its lush orchestrations and layered vocal arrangements, the music was elegant, refined and understated, a mood reflected in Hill’s demeanor and delivery.
There were fun, upbeat holiday standards, such as “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” as well as more spiritual songs such as “O Come All Ye Faithful and “Oh Holy Night.” She performed in concert for the first time “Where Are You Christmas” from the movie The Grinch, but she was at her most spectacular on “Silent Night” and “Little Drummer Boy.”
She was clearly moved emotionally by “A Baby Changes Everything,” the only new song featured on her album. “I just could not surpass this song,” she told the audience. “It’s really quite a story.”
After a break to change the set, Hill returned in sexy black pants and a sparkly jacket and sang “If My Heart Had Wings.” It’s as if another artist had taken the stage. Leaving behind the understated demeanor in her dressing room, Hill was confident, powerful and truly comfortable onstage.
Some would say she’s found her sweet spot — that moment when her vocal ability, musical certainty and sense of self have all simultaneously peaked. There was no ego, just pure joy of expressing herself creatively on her own terms. She thrived in the intimate setting. While arena performances often require exaggerated stage movements to translate to the large crowd, Tuesday night’s show was about establishing a personal connection with the audience.
Too often, Hill’s media-fueled image — the overwhelming beauty, her celebrity marriage and seemingly perfect and glamorous life — has overshadowed her art. But she’s making it clear that whatever preconceived notions might be held of her, she will not be defined by others. Nor will she be held to the limitations of one genre.
Perhaps “Southern” is the apt description of her music, a blend of Mississippi, Memphis and Nashville that’s drenched in blues and country — with a little bit of gospel thrown in for good measure. In “Stronger,” she was vulnerable; her voice had that “tear” that has become a trademark of traditional country females.
But even in her most vulnerable moments, she appears to have a newfound strength. Her cover of “Piece of My Heart” is no longer sweet and innocent, but daring, defiant and delivered with the wisdom that only maturity can bring. Her first hit, “Wild One,” featured a new arrangement that turned the song into a celebration of freedom, while “This Kiss” and “I Love the Way You Love Me” contained the original, irresistible charm.
She now owns her hits; they don’t define her. She’s found comfort in the familiarity of the notes, so she feels safe to explore new interpretations and nuances. She gave a powerful and textured delivery of “Breathe,” bringing a bluesy feel to the country-pop monster hit.
Hill now joins Tom Petty, John Fogerty, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Dave Mathews and Stevie Nicks on a list of artists invited to perform on Soundstage. Hill demonstrated Tuesday that she remains a powerful force in popular music and has earned a place among the other female musical icons, and not just in country.