Dare To Dream
by Richard L
It has been one year since Billy Gilman took the music world by
storm with his electrifying performance on the 2000 Academy of
Country Music Awards show, followed up by the release of his million
selling debut album, One Voice. Now, one year later, a more mature Billy
(at age 12) proves he still has the magic with the release of Dare To
Dream. This young country phenom did just that when he set out on his
career, and those of us who have been treated by his talent over the past
year are so happy that he did have that dream. There is one very important
thing that sets Billy apart from so many of the young artists performing
today....this boy really can sing!!! Now, Billy Gilman could make singing
the phone book sound great, but fortunately Dare To Dream has a fine
collection of a variety of types of songs, all of which Billy performs
flawlessly. This album has it all: upbeat rock-a-billy tunes, doo-wop,
and powerful, sensitive ballads. The highlights include the album's first
single, an infectious upbeat rocker called "She's My Girl" and a wonderful
tongue twisting dance number named "You Don't You Won't." If your heart isn't
jumping after listening to this song, see your cardiologist. Then there are
the ballads. The song that closest resembles Billy's classic "One Voice" is
the extremely emotional "Elisabeth." It is a song of both sadness and hope
about a girl born with a life threatening illness who has defied the odds
and is still alive, though still in peril. Billy's perfect voice drives this
song and its message right into your soul. One of the greatest tributes to
motherhood I have ever heard is the song "The Woman In My Life." This song
could easily be the national anthem for Mother's Day. Other great ballads
include "My Time On Earth" and "God Is Alive And Well." The best love song
is "I've Got To Make It To Summer", which will certainly make his legion of
teenage girl fans swoon.
Billy even gets to shift gears and perform a great little song that is totally
out of character for him. Billy pulls it off perfectly with his performance of
the catchy "Shamey, Shamey, Shame." I won't spoil it for you, but you've got to
hear this one.
Billy Gilman is an exceptional singer, a natural born entertainer, and one of
the nicest people you would ever want to meet (and I recently had that
pleasure.) You cannot go wrong with the purchase of Dare To Dream. I'd go on
further, but I've got to get back to listening to this album!
© 2001 Richard L, All Rights Reserved (05/08/01)
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