Katherine Jenkins Ultimate Collection, January 8, 2011

I like Katherine Jenkins and have all of her older albums so I almost skipped getting this one. However, I am glad that I ended up getting the album. There are 3 new songs on it. The album is quite enjoyable. Note: There are two versions of this album. One has 14 songs and one has 17 songs. If you want the new music, get the one with 17 songs. This collection is more "show tunesy" than some of her more classically themed albums. Highly recommended.

Although Katherine Jenkins recorded six albums for Decca, this collection draws heavily on just three of them, these being , and . It would be fair to say that these were the albums that really established Katherine's reputation following her promising debut album, which isn't represented here at all.It's possible to argue what should have been included. The compilers had a hard job in selecting seventeen tracks that represent the best of Katherine's Decca music. No doubt the selection was influenced by the...

This is a fine DVD, although anyone could argue about whether the contents are an "ultimate" collection. I have my favorites, as I'm sure you do -- so no single compilation would ever satisfy everyone. A couple of observations: Generally, I would prefer if KJ NOT record songs already performed by other artists. Doing so, invites an apples and oranges type of comparison. Having said that, I believe her rendition of "Nella Fantasia" is the best I've heard. Oddly, the same holds true of "Music of the Night." Though Webber wrote this for a male voice, I haven't heard one yet that does it justice. Although KJ's version's orchestration lacks the original authenticity/punch that say Sarah Brightman's recording presents, KJ's mezzo soprano vocals are better equipped to handle the lower notes. On the down side, "Time to Say Goodbye" is unbeatable by the Bocelli/Brightman duet. "Caruso" is a signature song of Bocelli. KJ does a great job with this, but, again, it only...