Dreamchaser
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''Dreamchaser'' is the eleventh studio album by English singer
Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made ...
. This album is Brightman's first collaboration with producer
Mike Hedges Mike Hedges (born 1954) is a British audio producer/engineer best known for his work with the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Manic Street Preachers. During his career, Hedges has worked with an eclectic roster of artists ranging from rock ...
and centres on the concept of
space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
. The offering was inspired by Brightman's decision to become the first singer in outer space, as she intended to launch on an
orbital spaceflight An orbital spaceflight (or orbital flight) is a spaceflight in which a spacecraft is placed on a trajectory where it could remain in space for at least one orbit. To do this around the Earth, it must be on a free trajectory which has an altit ...
mission to the
International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...
(ISS) in partnership with
Space Adventures Space Adventures, Inc. is an American space tourism company founded in 1998 by Eric C. Anderson. Its offerings include zero-gravity atmospheric flights, orbital spaceflights (with the option to participate in a spacewalk), and other spacefl ...
, Ltd., a private space experiences company. Nevertheless, in March 2015 it was announced that Brightman had postponed the flight for personal reasons. It was released in Japan on 16 January 2013 and in the United Kingdom on 8 April 2013 and in the North America on 16 April 2013 to critical acclaim. The Dreamchaser World Tour was Brightman's eighth
concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...
and served as a major promotion of the album. The tour lasted for a period of two years and became her second largest world tour, performing in over twenty countries. In November 2013,
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
aired the live-concert Dreamchaser in Concert, filmed in
Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...
, and was later released in Japan on 18 December of the same year as DVD and
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
format. ''Dreamchaser'' entered at the Top 20 of seven countries and the Top 60 of another five. The album peaked at number 17 in the United States, being Brightman's third top-twenty album in the country.Chart Moves: Sarah Brightman, Olly Murs Make Top 20 Debuts on Billboard 200
''Billboard''. 12 October 2016.


Background

Inspired by her planned trip to the International Space Station, Brightman planned to make an album that would "convey the ideas and visions you would get from being a human up in space". The album has been described as grand, ethereal, and somewhat experimental. The majority of ''Dreamchasers songs are covers, with "B 612" being the only entirely original composition on the standard edition of the album. "B 612"'s title is a reference to the asteroid of the same name from
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Born in Lyon to an French nobility, aristocratic ...
's novella ''
The Little Prince ''The Little Prince'' (, ) is a novella written and illustrated by French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 and was published po ...
.'' Two bonus tracks that are exclusive to the Super Deluxe Edition of the album, "7th Heaven" and "In The Air", are also original compositions. All three were written by Sarah Brightman, Makoto Sakamoto, and Yuka Ikushima. The background of the remaining song are as follows: * "Angel" was originally recorded by Jerry Burns and
Sally Herbert Sally or Sallie may refer to: People and characters Persons * Sally (name), a female given name, and list of notable people with the name; a diminutive of Sarah. * , French influencer and activist * Axis Sally, the name given to female radio pr ...
for the soundtrack of the 2001 film ''
Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...
''. * * "One Day Like This" was originally recorded by
Elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...
for their 2008 album ''
The Seldom Seen Kid ''The Seldom Seen Kid'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Elbow. It was released by Fiction Records on 17 March 2008 in the United Kingdom and was released by Geffen Records on 22 April 2008 in the United States. The album debu ...
''. * * "Glosoli" was originally recorded by
Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...
for their 2005 album '' Takk...''. While the song was originally sung in Icelandic, Brightman's version features entirely new English lyrics written by
Chris Difford Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English musician. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze. Early life Difford was born in Greenwich, London, on 4 November 1954, the youngest of three sons. His m ...
of the band Squeeze. * * "Lento e Largo" is an extract from
Henryk Górecki Henryk Mikołaj Górecki ( , ; 6 December 1933 – 12 November 2010) was a Polish composer of contemporary classical music. According to critic Alex Ross, no recent classical composer has had as much commercial success as Górecki. He became a l ...
's Symphony No. 3. * * "Breathe Me" was originally recorded by Sia for her 2004 album ''
Colour the Small One ''Colour the Small One'' is the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, which was released in Australia and the United Kingdom on 19 January 2004. It was issued in the United States on 3 February 2004. Production was by Jimmy Hog ...
''. * * "Ave Maria" is an interpretation of "Ave Maria, o auctrix vite" by the 12th-century composer
Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen Benedictines, OSB (, ; ; 17 September 1179), also known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictines, Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mysticism, mystic, visiona ...
with new original Latin lyrics credited to Brightman, Sally Herbet, and Mike Hedges. Brightman had previously released another track called "Ave Maria" on her 2001 album ''
Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...
'', though that was a recording of an entirely different composition by Franz Schubert. * * "Eperdu" was originally recorded by
Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...
for their 1996 album ''
Milk & Kisses ''Milk & Kisses'' is the eighth and final studio album by Scottish rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 15 April 1996 in the United Kingdom by Fontana Records and on 14 May 1996 in the United States by Capitol Records. It proved to be their last ...
''. * *"A Song of India" in an interpretation of the aria "Song of the Indian Guest" from
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...
's opera ''
Sadko Sadko () is a principal character in Russian '' byliny'' (oral epic poems). He is an adventurer, merchant, and '' gusli'' musician from Novgorod. The story of Sadko is best known outside Russia in the opera '' Sadko'' by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov ...
''. * * "Venus and Mars" was originally recorded by
Paul McCartney and Wings Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, was a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in 1971 in London by former The Beatles, Beatle Paul McCartney; his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards; session drummer Denny Seiwell; a ...
on their 1975 album of the same name. Brightman's version combines lyrics from both "Venus and Mars" and "Venus and Mars (Reprise)" which appear as separate tracks on the original Wings album. * * "Closer" is an arrangement of themes from
Mike Oldfield Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English retired musician, songwriter and producer best known for his debut studio album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success. Though primarily a gu ...
's ''
Tubular Bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the Percussion instrument, percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the soun ...
'', primarily interpolating elements from "Tubular Bells, Part One". It features original lyrics written by
Chris Braide Christopher Braide is an English songwriter, record producer and singer, based in Malibu, Los Angeles. First signed as a solo artist by David A. Stewart in the UK and Craig Kallman at Atlantic Records in the US, Braide relocated to Los Ange ...
. * * "Kaze No Toorimichi" was originally recorded by
Joe Hisaishi , known professionally as , is a Japanese composer, musical director, conductor and pianist, known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981. Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, inclu ...
, featuring the Suginami Children's Choir for the soundtrack to the 1988 film ''
My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten. It stars the voices of Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto and Hitoshi Takagi, and focuses on two young sisters a ...
''. * * "Hawaii '78" was originally recorded by
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997), also called Braddah IZ or just simply IZ, was a Native Hawaiian musician and singer. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians from Hawaii and is considered the most succe ...
on his album Facing Future. Brightman's version features a posthumous duet with Kamakawiwoʻole, who died in 1997. * * "So Long Ago So Clear" was originally recorded by
Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...
featuring
Jon Anderson Jon Anderson (born John Roy Anderson, 25 October 1944) is a British, and latterly American, singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the former lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassis ...
for the 1975 album '' Heaven and Hell''.


Singles

The first single "Angel" was released on Brightman's official website on 26 September 2012 and it was later released for purchase on 15 October 2012 in Europe and Mexico. The second single, a cover of
Elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...
band's song "One Day Like This", was released on 19 November 2012. In October 2013 "Glosoli" was released as a promotional single in the form of a dance remix by Samuel Cramer under the alias Eyes. The remixed single was given a digital release on the
SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
and
Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Utilizing a music recommender system known as "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm creates a detailed profile of each user's musical preferences by recording the details of the tracks they ...
streaming platforms and received a limited Promo Only release on CD.


Promotion

To promote ''Dreamchaser'' Sarah Brightman appeared in several TV shows, starting in January 2013. She performed " One Day Like This" live on Japan's news program ''News Zero''. She also made several appearances and interviews in TV shows such as ''El Mañanero'', ''
Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about aspects of ...
'', ''
The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...
'', CJAD 800 Radio, Breakfast BBC1, FOROtv Mexico and
Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Utilizing a music recommender system known as "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm creates a detailed profile of each user's musical preferences by recording the details of the tracks they ...
. She sang "One Day Like This" on the Hallmark Channel's ''The Home and Family Show''. She performed the same song "Time to Say Goodbye" with
Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...
in the German television program ''Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel''. Later, Brightman went to China and Japan in February, Germany in March, the United States in April and to Mexico at the beginning of May where she signed autographs and held press conferences.


Critical reception

''Dreamchaser'' has received acclaim from critics, many considering it Brightman's strongest work to date.
Polarimagazine.com. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
Many pointed out the coherence of the song choices and the quality of Brightman's vocals. Bernard Perusse of the ''
Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...
'' described the album as "expertly-executed" and added "Brightman confirms what we have always suspected: less is not necessarily more."
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
commented that Brightman "gets points for even attempting some of these songs. That she pulls off her most daring choices is a testament to her artistry." Stephen Unwin of the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'' wrote that the album is "an almost surreal, often heartbreaking record that is stirringly epic." ''Polari Magazine'' in a 5-star review described the album as "stunning" and continued that "instead of playing it safe and releasing yet another Mother's Day Opera-By-Numbers album like most classical singers, Sarah's general lunacy helps her to take risks most artists in her genre wouldn't take."


Commercial reception

''Dreamchaser'' became Brightman's seventh No. 1 album in the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Classical Crossover chart. It also reached the third spot on the
Top Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' mag ...
chart, marking Brightman's first appearance on this list. ''Dreamchaser'' peaked at number five on the
Canadian Albums Chart The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
, the second place on the Australian Classical Albums Chart and number 17 on the ''Billboard'' 200, moving 20,358 copies on its first week. In Japan, the album debuted in the top 20. It entered the chart at No. 16, selling 7,183 copies during its first week.


World Tour

Sarah Brightman began a world tour, the eighth of her career, to promote her ''Dreamchaser'' album. The tour was created and promoted under the name of the Dreamchaser World Tour. The tour started on 16 June 2013 and ended on 14 14 December 2014. The tour included stops in twenty-four countries of four different continents, Asia, Europe, North and South America. The World Tour consisted of 106 shows in total over a year and a half time span, being her largest tour since the
Harem World Tour The Harem World Tour was the third worldwide concert tour by English soprano singer Sarah Brightman following the release of the ''Harem'' album (2003). The tour began on 10 January 2004 in Mexico City and concluded on 23 December that year in ...
.


Track listing

All the songs were produced and arranged by
Sally Herbert Sally or Sallie may refer to: People and characters Persons * Sally (name), a female given name, and list of notable people with the name; a diminutive of Sarah. * , French influencer and activist * Axis Sally, the name given to female radio pr ...
and
Mike Hedges Mike Hedges (born 1954) is a British audio producer/engineer best known for his work with the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Manic Street Preachers. During his career, Hedges has worked with an eclectic roster of artists ranging from rock ...
. It was recorded mostly at Abbey Road Studios (London) and Westlake Studios (Los Angeles). Mazen Murad mastered the album at
Metropolis Studios Metropolis Studios is a music production and entertainment industry company established in 1989 by Gary Langan, Carey Taylor, Karin Clayton and Alexander Skeaping. Donald Brackett It is located in the Power House, a Grade II listed building, ...
, London.


Charts


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Albums produced by Mike Hedges Decca Records albums Sarah Brightman albums Classical crossover albums 2010s concept albums