Serenade
Following on from the heady success of albums likePremiere,Second Nature, andLiving a Dream, Welsh mezzo-soprano and sometime fashion model and music teacher Katherine Jenkins now presents her fourth collection of classically-rendered hymns, arias, and pop classics.Serenadeseems an understated title for someone with such a soaring voice and dynamic range, yet fans will know Jenkins is more than capable of balancing her operatic cartwheels with moments of real tenderness. This is evidenced immediately on the album's opening track, an elegant version of Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You," sung in Italian with Adams himself featured on guitar. The same undulations of quietude and drama unfold throughout the rest of the LP as Jenkins recreates timeless classics such as "Dear Lord and Father," "Lisa Lan," "Chance in a Lifetime," and "O Mio Babbino Caro" with characteristic grace and aplomb.--Danny McKenna