Search - Anthony Callea :: Anthony Callea

An uplifting debut album that has it all

D. D. Orlando | Melbourne, Australia | 11/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anthony Callea was the runner up of the Australian Idol series 2. In my opinion his debut album is excellent. The album is a complete package, it has ballads, sensual latin style songs and great pop songs. The album can stir up tears in you, have you dancing around and make you yearn for love. One Australian reviewer referred to Anthony Callea as a vocal artisan. Not many singers these days have Anthony's vocal style, many people do not get him. What is a fact is that he cross generational appeal. Children from 7 months to adults of 70 years old love him. He has produced an album that appeals to all ages.



With his amazing vocals Anthony Callea delivers passionate renditins of such classics like "The Prayer" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Other ballads include "When I get there" and " Per sempre" For me, these are the highlights of the album. I can really relate to when I get there, for me, it is about finding your purpose in life and facing the challenges. I went to work with war survivors in West Africa in 2002/03 and the lyrics I am "leaving my room and I just have to breath", reflect exactly what I felt as I headed off there. It does feel amazing when you do something you love. "Per sempre" is a deeply spiritual and evocative song. It reflects that feeling you have when someone you love has passed away and you still feel them around you. The Italian lyrics makes the song even more evocative. Anthony Callea recently had the honor of performing "The Prayer" for Pavarotti. The great tenor was impressed and has promised to introduce Anthony to the Italian Market. A rare honor for any singer.



Rain is a great uptempo song. "Hurts So Bad" and "I want you" have a sensual Latin feel. There are bright pop songs as well.



No longtalltex I am not a teenager, I am a mature woman. While Anthony Callea is very good looking, his beautiful voice inspires.

No one needs to buy his album without getting an idea of his style. There are two websites where you can listen to his music and watch Australian tv performances. [...]"

AMAZING DEBUT

Michael Sassella | CANBERRA, Australian Capital Territory, Australia | 08/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
AUSTRALIAN IDOL, which has ran so far only in 2003 and 2004, has spawned 8 albums by 7 artists on my counting. I have a few of these. They all have their merits and generally feature promising to good singers. But Anthony, who ran 2nd in the contest in 2004, has outclassed the rest with this magnificent effort.



Anthony showed on OZ IDOL that he understands good music, secure, quality singing, and the need to entertain. The variety of material on this album is impressive. Each track comes up as a pleasant surprise from the last and the quality of the material is pretty even and superior.



Anthony has a full voice that thrives in its lower register but then, as in "The Prayer" or "Bridge Over Troubled Water", it can take off into a stratosphere where he can go as high as he needs without resorting to falsetto. For a pop singer Anthony has a range like the greats - the Roy Orbisons, the Gene Pitneys.



It's worth remembering that Anthony's triumphant song choice, "The Prayer", was his own on the OZ IDOL episode where the guys and girls chose their own material. That it caught the audience imagination and went on to become Australia's best selling single of all time by a home-grown artist shows how acute Anthony's feel for a commercial song is.



It has been a pleasure to see this unassuming, dignified, talented young man thrive in the last year. I also recommend the special edition of this album which contains Anthony's meaty, very rewarding version of "Listen With Your Heart", the Diane Warren song the OZ IDOL winner was given to record straight after winning the show. You also get the OZ IDOL live version of "The Prayer" where the audience reaction to the crescendos of the song, along with Anthony's passion delivering the song, always gives me goosebumps. Anthony stands to become the most durable of the OZ IDOL graduates.

"

Austrailian Idol's Excellent Debut

Stephen Deutsch | New Jersey, USA | 11/09/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This is the debut album of one of the finalists of Austrailian Idol. He has a great voice and the original songs are wonderful. The highlights of the album are "The Prayer" and "Bridge over Troubled Waters" These are simply beautiful."