A fine voice is a fragile thing, and a quick visit to her website reveals that a great deal over effort is being put into the making of a Hayley into a 'phenomenon. Today she has the seemingly endless energy of a young woman at the age of sixteen. Hopefully her voice will be given a chance to mature and bloom. Right now, she reminds me a bit of the young Sarah Brightman, and so is worth respect and attention.

Avuncular musings aside, this is a very auspicious international debut. As I've mentioned, the songs are well chosen, varying from Maori folks songs to rewritten classical melodies. Her previous albums, which are less orchestral over-productions, are more genuine expressions of her voice, which has been strained to its limits on this album. Unfortunately, they have limited distribution outside of New Zealand. If you can find them, they are also excellent purchases.

The overall styling is a bit 'lavender,' with some sameness in arrangement and expression. But the core quality is excellent with outstanding moments (Heaven, Hine E Hine, and Who Painted the Moon Black). Pokarekare Ana is a close runner-up, but lacks the depth displayed in the others. Wuthering Heights is just a bit out of her grasp, although it won't be in a few years. By all means pick this up - it's as pleasant a piece of pop music as I've heard this year.


Crystal Clear   June 27, 2004
The Laughing Imp (Utopia, Utah USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Hayley Westenra, the 17 year old songstress from New Zealand, has put together a debut album for America that is sure to please classical crossover fans. With a diverse selection of music from classical to folk to easy listening, all the songs fit together as a whole due to their orchestrated arrangements. Perhaps most notable in Hayley's voice is the absence of the operatic vibrato that many classical crossover artists utilize in their performances, such as Charlotte Church who most people will draw immediate comparisons to. Instead, Hayley is more like Streisand in how she holds the note crystal clear with slight vibrato towards the end. Hayley's range is quite high for a young woman and, unlike her earlier releases in New Zealand, her pitch is truly perfect. However, her music is not sterile by any means, showing room for improvement as her voice matures, but bringing a warm personality to the performances that pleases the ears and soothes the soul.

Highlights for me off this album are:
? Never Say Goodbye - So high and steady is her voice at one point you will mistake it for a violin. Soothing, not screechy.
? Across the Universe of Time - Haunting chorus as she sings with herself. Melancholy yet beautiful.
? Dark Waltz - A beautiful classical arrangement compliments this melancholy tune. Hayley's voice is angelic throughout the chorus.
? Heaven - More pop than the other tracks, but still more classical than mainstream. Lilting tune. Lilting voice.
? Wuthering Heights - Perhaps an unfamiliar tune to those not aware of the delightful Kate Bush, Hayley adds her own personality to this arrangement, even outshining the same cover she did for the UK release. With more dramatic strings and accompaniment than the UK edition behind her, Hayley's voice soars into the higher octaves effortlessly. Very different than Kate Bush's original falsetto version or the rerecorded version from 1985.

I highly recommend this album. It is a wonderful panacea to the blather currently blaring on pop radio.


Took me by surprise!   May 21, 2004
Jake Reynolds (Parsippany, New Jersey)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

At the ripe old age of 50 I thought I'd heard everything worth listening to by now. Then a commercial for Pure ran and I was completely speechless! I'm saying to myself, what are they FEEDING this gal ... ambrosia and nectar from the gods? Nobody gets a voice like this! Nobody!

Hayley has a divine gift. That's the deal, plain and simple. Buy this album or steal it from a friend who already has five copies. Get it by all means and rejoice in the purity and glory of songs so delicious you won't believe your ears.

If we're naming favorites, I'd start with River of Dreams, Dark Waltz, Benedictus, Amazing Grace and Across The Universe Of Time, but the list really includes everything. No clunkers, only some more heavenly than others if you know what I mean. Wuthering Heights is so different it feels like it belongs on another album but I appreciate every crazy note of it. The guitar solo at the end was a nice touch for us old rockers.

In summary: Pure is a total knockout! Get it or miss out!


She's different, beautiful and amazing!   May 22, 2004
Kellis M (Greenlawn, NY)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

I'm not a big fan of classical music, but I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when I experienced Hayley's album "Pure" for the first time. This is the most beautiful voice I've heard in my whole life. I didn't think sopranos could sound so sweet since they basically scream to the music but Hayley doesn't have that screaming sound; it's gentle and soothing instead. At the end of each song all I can think of is I want more! The opening tune "Pokarekare Ana" swept me away like a tropical South Pacific ocean current. "Never Say Goodbye" moved me to tears midway through and made me recall all the joys and sorrows of my love life. "Dark Waltz" left me spellbound and "In trutina" gave me the chills it was so nicely done. And who doesn't feel conked on the head by "Benedictus" the first time you hear it, but Hayley's fabulous voice takes away the discomfort immediately. It's nice to see Hayley is a success story around the world. I hope she continues to record in the diverse styles she's chosen and doesn't limit herself to classical or any other specific genre. "Pure" gets five big stars for music, voice, accompaniment, everything!


Pure listening pleasure   April 9, 2004
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Hayley has probably the clearest voice you will ever hear. Her pitch and tone are perfect - everyone says that but, in Hayley's case it is true. And it is important. Her range is phenomenal and the choice of songs on the album is a masterpiece.

There are so many things that could be said about this album that I would be here all night writing and would still not have finished.

The great songs on the album are Pokarekare Ana, Hine e Hine, River of Dreams, Benedictus and Wuthering Heights. The rest are fantastic too. But, I had to pick out a few for special mention.

Just like other covers that Hayley has done in the past, Wuthering Heights is incredible. When I first heard the Kate Bush version 25 years ago, I took an instant disliking to it. I hated it and never listened to it from then until now. There is something extra special that Hayley does with it and, well, I LOVE IT.

In fact, selecting those songs for special mention was unfair, because I love every single one of the tracks on this CD.

There is only one word I would use to describe the quality contained in this album - ethereal. Yes, it is almost spiritual in it's sheer beauty. Definitely one of the great albums of all time. 10 times Platinum in NZ, double Platinum in the UK, Platinum in Australia. That says it all.

The PUREST of listening pleasure.