A New Day... Live in Las Vegas

Canadian songstress Celine Dion, the delicious diva with the platinum-plated vocal chords, is back with a new live album. A New Day. . . Live In Las Vegas features thirteen tracks plucked from Dion's hugely successful Vegas show. The three-year, 600 performance theatrical production (performed weekly at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace) has been sold out every night since it opened on March 25, 2003.

The Nat King Cole hit, "Nature Boy" starts things off on a strong note. Celine's vocals are ethereal on the track. A bright piano and nothing else accompanies the vocalist for the entire song. Dion is dazzling on the bombastic "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," pushing her voice through the kind of workout that must give her competition night sweats. Few singers can dip as low and reach as high as Dion. Next, Celine and her swarm of background singers delight the audience with a pitch-perfect rendition of "Because You Loved Me."

The '80s sounding "I'm Alive" gets things moving and brings the crowd to life. You can feel the electricity radiating from the speakers as Dion effortlessly stretches her elastic vocal chords. Things get hot for a slinky version of the oft recorded "Fever." The big band arrangement of the 1930s Koehler and Arlen classic, "I've Got The World On A String" is a nice change from the pop prettiness of Dion's usual material. A blaring horn section complements the singer's buoyant performance. Dion dips into the jazz songbook for "What A Wonderful World," offering up a slow and sultry rendition of the standard.

No one will ever top the Roy Orbison or Cyndi Lauper versions of the Billy Steinberg/Tom Kelley penned "I Drove All Night," but Dion gets high marks for taking the song in a different direction. "My Heart Will Go On," the smash hit from the gazzilion-selling Titanic soundtrack, falls a bit flat here, although it's fair to say that it would be extremely hard to duplicate the wall of sound of the studio recording, in a live setting.

"You And I," the first of the two new songs (and Dion's latest single), straddles the pop and dance market. Dion comes across less inspired as she has on past hits, but her fans will no doubt push the song into the Top 10. "Ain't Gonna Look The Other Way" is more like the Celine fans have come to know and love. A big vocal gets blanketed in a glossy pop production that includes a syrupy string section.

Fans of Celine Dion who have been unable to attend the Vegas show, will want to pick up a copy of A New Day. . . Live In Las Vegas. Fans who have attended the critically acclaimed production (over one million have caught the show so far), will want a copy for a souvenir. The first shipment comes with a limited edition, 45 minute DVD titled, One Year, One Heart.

By Todd Sterling