
Celine Dion ups her game with her new album Love Me Back to Life.
With her stellar vocal range, it isn’t anything she can’t handle, but anytime an artist changes direction, even slightly, there’s always a risk of alienating long-time fans.
As such, Celine doesn’t stray too far from her pop roots, but big things start with small beginnings, and the 13-song set definitely has an edgier feel with a decidedly more contemporary urban, R&B vibe.
Celine duets with R&B artist Ne-Yo on the album’s second single “Incredible,” a moody R&B-inflected ballad that also features Celine’s familiar soaring vocals. The hook: “Let’s give them something amazing.”
For the her lead single, “Love Me Back to Life,” she taps downtempo Aussie singer-songwriter Sia Furler, Hasham Hussain and Denarius Motes. The dubstep influence is noticeable as is the more contemporary writing style, a la Selena Gomez and Rihanna.
Her song “”Breakaway,” written by Johan Fransson Tim Larsson Tobias Lundgren and Audra Mae, has actually been described by Billboard as Celine’s “grittiest, most authentically ‘rock’ vocal” in her career. Go figure.
The same writing team also penned “Somebody Loves Somebody,” which has enough of a dance beat to turn up in clubs next summer. She’s backed by a full orchestra and a solid dance beat.
“It’s a little edgier but definitely fresh and modern. Because of the words, the approach, how they mix it and how they capture the voice without surrounding it with so much maple syrup,” she said of the album.
The album hits stores and digital download Nov. 5 in time for the holidays. But you can listen to the entire album below via streaming. Check it out and be sure to follow TheImproper on Twitter for the latest music news.
Pre-order the album now from amazon.com by clicking the link above.
Footnote: Celine will return to Las Vegas to resume her ground-breaking residency at Caesar’s Palace, after a short tour of Europe. Check out the dates on her Web site CelineDion.com.