Olivia
Newton John Live At The Sydney Opera House (2007)
EMI
Cast:
Olivia Newton John, The Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Rating:
G.
Run
time: 93 mins..
Genre:
Music.
Verdict:
Beautiful
(see rating
system)
Very
hard to believe Olivia Newton-John will blow out 60 candles
on her birthday cake in 2008 - she looks and sounds fantastic.
OK,
her voice has always been a bit of an acquired taste. It's
light and not particularly powerful. But the arrangements
here, with four back-up singers, help fill out the songs.
And her gossamer solo voice is perfect for the enchanting
I Honestly Love You.
After
a bit of a slow start, the energy picks up in Xanadu, and
the country flavoured songs If Not For You, Let Me Be There
and Jolene work nicely.
The
27-song set includes all her big hits, among them You're The
One That I Want and Hopelessly Devoted To You from the movie
Grease.
Also
outstanding is her fresh take on the breathy, sensual Physical.
And Newton-John and her singers have some great fun with Summer
Nights, also from Grease. I did notice the audience was a
tad restrained and lacked energy - surely this polished set
was worth a standing ovation?
The
sound is full and clear and the picture is excellent - how
come she has so few wrinkles when she insists she hasn't had
plastic surgery?
While
there are no extra features - an interview would have been nice
- the DVD does include some brief scenes between songs of Newton
John revisiting places where she grew up in Sydney. There's
also a nice photo album of highlights from Newton-John's life
with the closing credits.
