Not your typical pop record in any way, shape or form, WE ARE ONE has a much more ambitious sensibility than those being heard on Top 40 radio today. With songs sung in English, Italian, French, and Sanskrit, and melodies that partake of both jazz and classical influences, WE ARE ONE conveys a sense of depth, intimacy and sophistication not often heard in today's pop landscape. The magnificent "Giorno Dopo Giorno" couples Sweet's soaring vocals with a thrilling string arrangement, bringing listeners the kind of intense joy that can usually only be experienced in the world's finest opera houses. "The song originally had English lyrics," says Sweet, "and it was called `Who Can I Believe In?' We felt that the melody was too European and didn't work with the lyrics, so we asked Marco Marinangelli, who writes Italian lyrics for Josh Groban, to translate the words into Italian. It came out beautifully." Sweet says she has always gravitated to the beautiful sounds of languages other than English. "I was classically trained beginning at the age of 11," she says, "and that's when I began to sing in other languages. It always came very easily to me."WE ARE ONE, then, is that rarest of musical experiences--a seamless emotional journey that deeply touches listeners of all ages with its beauty, grace, individuality, and courage. But perhaps to call Sweet courageous is overstating something that is really much simpler. "This music is not about me," she says. "It's about the soul in all of us. I am just happy to have a voice to convey these things to the world."
And the world is certainly a better place because of it.
Kelly Sweet was never a contestant on a TV singing competition, and she isn't the product of the latest svengali producer. Which, in 2007, makes her something of a rare new pop star. Her approach to the genre is pretty unexpected, too: Temperamentally, the flame-haired chanteuse falls somewhere between Celine Dion and Sarah McLachlan, which is to say she's all softness, warmth, and sincerity. Vocally, she's a ringer for Amy Lee of the rock band Evanescence, minus the goth fixation. And categorically, her closest fit within the wide world of pop is classical crossover. Consider her the female Josh Groban then, with the multilingual skills to match: In addition to a haunting and miraculously un-awful rendition of Aerosmith's "Dream On," she busts out a French track, "Je T'aime," that sends out summery flutters; a Sanskrit song from the film "Gladiator," "Now We Are Free," that impresses with its depth of feeling; and an Italian number, "Giorno Dopo Giorno," that ripples with tenderness and sentimentality. Sweet is a songbird with a wide wingspan; her debut mostly soars. --Tammy La Gorce
