Eden

03/06/2000 8:35 PM, Yahoo! Music
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert

Doe-eyed diva Sarah Brightman presents her deliriously sappy new album, full to bursting with the kind of bowdlerized classical and pop favorites that have made her beloved of Euro-geeks and figure skaters the world over.

Brightman goes for broke on Eden, essaying everything from Puccini arias ("Nessum Dorma," from Turandot) to FM staples ("Dust In The Wind!") to semi-originals (a vocalization of instrumental music from The English Patient). She even goes Celine one better, warbling "My Heart Will Go On," in Italian, no doubt to maximize the still-fresh memory of "Con Te Partiro (Time To Say Goodbye)," her phenom duet with blind belter Andrea Bocelli. Meanwhile, producer Frank Peterson, who's been with Brightman since her solo album debut, floats the singer's candied soprano on a digital wash of synth effects, amplified strings and even a faux gospel choir to try and lend a little soul. As if.