Album Review: Celine Dion - Taking Chances (2/5)

Let's get this over quickly. Taking Chances is a disappointment. It has a few great songs and a handful of pretty good ones, but too many tracks are indistinct, unmemorable, and sound like they're performed by average session musicians rather than the great musical backing Celine's had for her previous albums.

It's too bad, because it wasn't always this way. In her 1990s heyday, Celine Dion was a pop force to be reckoned with. Take her masterpiece, Falling Into You (1996). The album was awesome, full of great moments like the dramatic Jim Steinman opus "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," the hook-laden balled "Because You Loved Me," the over-the-top remake of "River Deep, Mountain High," and that moment in "All By Myself" when she hits that note (you know the one) and the orchestra soars behind her. That was pop music at its cheesy, pull out all the stops and make you tingle best.

Sadly there are few if any truly special moments on Taking Chances, a misnomer for sure, as too many songs play it safe. Some critics have praised Celine for reining in her excesses, which I think is ridiculous. That's her strength! Give her a "My Heart Will Go On" and she goes for it, and nails it. Sure she's made as many detractors as fans in the process, but it works, where these songs just don't.

There's a pointless and unsatisfying remake of "Alone," produced by Ben Moody of all people. He also shows up as the producer and writer of "This Time," which sounds like it had the potential to be a dark, dramatic number, but rather than soaring, the backing band sounds strangely subdued, almost bored. Linda Perry contributes a stripped down, soulful "New Dawn," which showcases that Celine still has her pipes, but just repeats all the cliches Celine's spouted before: "A new day will come," "I am woman," etc. The piano and strings of "A Song for You" sounds like they were stolen from the soundtrack to some depressing WWII drama set in Eastern Europe.

The second half of the album really suffers from too much genre jumping, and whenever an album goes over 12 tracks--and this one has a whopping 16--I think it's a sign that the record execs have decided to give us quantity because they know that can't deliver quality. "A World to Believe In" is bland and when it reaches its peak, its not very satisfying. Celine sounds robotic on rock out number "Can't Fight the Feeling." "Right Next to the Right One," a remake of a 2002 song by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, sounds silly, even lazy. I can't find a reason to dislike frenetic "Just Fade Away," but I can't find a reason to like it either. Celine as a country crooner on "That Just the Woman in Me" just doesn't fit.

So what does work here? First single "Taking Chances" for one. The track, penned and originally performed by Kara DioGuardi and Dave Stewart is a satisfying pop/rock number that starts simply and builds to a satisfying finish. You can tell she's trying to fit in with Kelly Clarkson here, and she mostly succeeds. I also really like upbeat Middle Eastern-flavored "Eyes on Me," which interestingly is co-written by Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem, and the piano and guitar ballad "My Love," which is melodic, simple, and has Celine singing in a lower than usual register.

Upbeat "Shadow of Love" is alright. It has that "on the road" feel like "I Drove All Night." I also don't mind the Ne-Yo-produced balled "I Got Nothing Left," which strikes the right balance of tenderness and modern production. And there's something sweet and retro about piano and string-backed "Skies of L.A." that reminds me of the kind of song Celine would have put on her 1992 self-titled album.

Taking Chances is Celine's eighth English language album, so of course there's going to be some sense of "been there, done that," but I can't help feeling that she's been there and done it so much better.

Best: Taking Chances, Eyes on Me, My Love