Post by davidhr on Oct 26, 2008 13:32:21 GMT -5
A week of changes…
The week began (on Monday) with Lara’s new message on her website (as indicated in another post), this time translated into English. In it she basically said three things (1) how overjoyed she was by the fans’ reaction at her October 16th concert to the cuts from the new album; (2) how important the album was to her, and how hard she worked for its release in time for Christmas; and (3) that she would see some of them at her concerts on Reunion Island later in the week. As it turned out, every one of these things has turned out differently than she expected.
Lara’s concerts in the South Pacific were set for Thursday and Saturday. A prominent interview with her was published in La Reunion (thanks to candido on the official site). In it, Lara described how going to that locale was like being on vacation; she discussed the risk she is taking with the new album; indicated that the CD cover would be very simple, she would appear without makeup; that she would not sing anything from the new album at the concert; that the ridicule she had received (from the Guignols) had helped her learn to laugh at herself (gained from her Belgian heritage); that her life was now very happy and she had changed for the better; and that her highest priority was to protect the ones she loved, and to fight against injustice to children.
By Wednesday evening, Lara had cancelled the concerts on Reunion Island, on account of illness. As might have been imagined, the people there were not happy (and pity a few of Lara’s fans who actually went there to hear her!). The mayor of the town noted that there were contractual obligations…and that it was impossible to get a replacement of equal quality on such short notice. As it turned out, there were local replacements for the Thursday concert, and Julie Zenatti was called upon to fill in on Saturday. It was noted that this was the second time Lara had cancelled a concert in that region at the last moment, the first time being in 2004.
There was of course immediate speculation as to what this meant. Some people thought Lara had a cold the previous Thursday night at the concert in Belgium, or that she had caught a cold there. Others thought it might be Lou who was ill. The more skeptical thought that it had to do with the new album – either that she needed more time to work on it, or that she was so upset at the fan reaction that it made her ill. We will never know for sure, although it is likely that she needs some sort of medical ‘excuse’ to cancel her concerts at the last moment, or pay a penalty for it.
With respect to the new album: despite Lara’s positive reading of the audience reaction, it is clear that the fans have not been overwhelmed by what they’ve heard. Even the defenders are somewhat apologetic, with the complaints mostly having to do with the soft nature of her singing. However, even those who have been strongly against it recognize that the six songs do grow on one after repeated listening. So the general opinion, at least at this point, is middling – but with the overtone that Lara could do much better.
With that as background, and following the comment from Matt Herskowitz (posted in another message) that the album is still being mixed (to provide greater emphasis to Lara’s singing), it is perhaps not completely surprising that the album’s release has been delayed. The new information from Le Parisien is that the release is now slated for next March 8th. The official explanation, as given on radio station RTL is that the album’s director is ill (maybe he caught it from Lara!). If the only thing remaining is the ‘mixing’, what is left for the director to do anyway? And how does one know he will be better by March? All of these illnesses may be true – and if so, we hope they are not serious – but the overall scenario seems to suggest that the fans’ reaction to what they’ve heard has had an impact. We will find out when (if) we get to hear this album.
At the concert in Brussels, Lara mentioned that she had written 12 new original songs for an album next year, but that the album of reprises was a better fit to her current mood. Will this still be true in March? If not, or if the fear is that the ‘reprises’ album will not sell, it may be that the March release will be very different (if it is in March). Some skeptics believe that the 12 new songs don’t really exist, that the statement was just to appease the audience. Others suggest that the reason for delaying her tour until next September is that both albums would be presented then. One thing not expected in the short term is a new Italian album – Lara said at the concert that the time was not right for it.
While this delay has undoubtedly taken some of the wind from Lara’s sails, she is (probably) not going to be completely absent from the scene. It was announced that she will be present at the Ceremony for the Rights of Children on November 3rd (and while this has not been confirmed on the official site, based on her comments in La Reunion, it would seem to be a proper fit to what she considers important). It has also been announced that she will sing with Nikos on November 6th at the Olympia, on behalf of the association Tout le monde chante contre le cancer (All the world sings against cancer). This information has been reported on numerous outlets, but still has not gotten official confirmation from Lara’s site (and given what happened with Reunion Island, even that is no guarantee). And finally it was announced that Lara would be present on the Star Academy show on December 5th. It is said that she will be the principal invitee, it will begin with a medley of her songs, and she will sing three songs from the new album, as well as singing duos with two of the contestants. This too has not been confirmed, and given the delay in releasing the album, is clearly uncertain.
As part of the preparation for the (now-delayed) comeback, Lara is in Voici this week.. The major thing here is the picture of Lara and Lou that is featured; the scan of the article is here (thanks to zouzouille66 on Laradom):
img296.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scan10018bx3.jpg
It is always interesting to watch the machinations of Lara’s life and career, but one can’t overlook the fact that this is a very important time for Lara. Her career is in a spin, mostly self-induced, and this is not a time to make mistakes. If in fact these cancellations/delays are caused by temporary illnesses, as stated, then they are simply hiccups on her chosen path, however uncertain that path is. If however she is taking time to reconsider what many of her fans really want – and what she has not been giving them – this could be a real crossroads. We’ll see what happens…
David
The week began (on Monday) with Lara’s new message on her website (as indicated in another post), this time translated into English. In it she basically said three things (1) how overjoyed she was by the fans’ reaction at her October 16th concert to the cuts from the new album; (2) how important the album was to her, and how hard she worked for its release in time for Christmas; and (3) that she would see some of them at her concerts on Reunion Island later in the week. As it turned out, every one of these things has turned out differently than she expected.
Lara’s concerts in the South Pacific were set for Thursday and Saturday. A prominent interview with her was published in La Reunion (thanks to candido on the official site). In it, Lara described how going to that locale was like being on vacation; she discussed the risk she is taking with the new album; indicated that the CD cover would be very simple, she would appear without makeup; that she would not sing anything from the new album at the concert; that the ridicule she had received (from the Guignols) had helped her learn to laugh at herself (gained from her Belgian heritage); that her life was now very happy and she had changed for the better; and that her highest priority was to protect the ones she loved, and to fight against injustice to children.
By Wednesday evening, Lara had cancelled the concerts on Reunion Island, on account of illness. As might have been imagined, the people there were not happy (and pity a few of Lara’s fans who actually went there to hear her!). The mayor of the town noted that there were contractual obligations…and that it was impossible to get a replacement of equal quality on such short notice. As it turned out, there were local replacements for the Thursday concert, and Julie Zenatti was called upon to fill in on Saturday. It was noted that this was the second time Lara had cancelled a concert in that region at the last moment, the first time being in 2004.
There was of course immediate speculation as to what this meant. Some people thought Lara had a cold the previous Thursday night at the concert in Belgium, or that she had caught a cold there. Others thought it might be Lou who was ill. The more skeptical thought that it had to do with the new album – either that she needed more time to work on it, or that she was so upset at the fan reaction that it made her ill. We will never know for sure, although it is likely that she needs some sort of medical ‘excuse’ to cancel her concerts at the last moment, or pay a penalty for it.
With respect to the new album: despite Lara’s positive reading of the audience reaction, it is clear that the fans have not been overwhelmed by what they’ve heard. Even the defenders are somewhat apologetic, with the complaints mostly having to do with the soft nature of her singing. However, even those who have been strongly against it recognize that the six songs do grow on one after repeated listening. So the general opinion, at least at this point, is middling – but with the overtone that Lara could do much better.
With that as background, and following the comment from Matt Herskowitz (posted in another message) that the album is still being mixed (to provide greater emphasis to Lara’s singing), it is perhaps not completely surprising that the album’s release has been delayed. The new information from Le Parisien is that the release is now slated for next March 8th. The official explanation, as given on radio station RTL is that the album’s director is ill (maybe he caught it from Lara!). If the only thing remaining is the ‘mixing’, what is left for the director to do anyway? And how does one know he will be better by March? All of these illnesses may be true – and if so, we hope they are not serious – but the overall scenario seems to suggest that the fans’ reaction to what they’ve heard has had an impact. We will find out when (if) we get to hear this album.
At the concert in Brussels, Lara mentioned that she had written 12 new original songs for an album next year, but that the album of reprises was a better fit to her current mood. Will this still be true in March? If not, or if the fear is that the ‘reprises’ album will not sell, it may be that the March release will be very different (if it is in March). Some skeptics believe that the 12 new songs don’t really exist, that the statement was just to appease the audience. Others suggest that the reason for delaying her tour until next September is that both albums would be presented then. One thing not expected in the short term is a new Italian album – Lara said at the concert that the time was not right for it.
While this delay has undoubtedly taken some of the wind from Lara’s sails, she is (probably) not going to be completely absent from the scene. It was announced that she will be present at the Ceremony for the Rights of Children on November 3rd (and while this has not been confirmed on the official site, based on her comments in La Reunion, it would seem to be a proper fit to what she considers important). It has also been announced that she will sing with Nikos on November 6th at the Olympia, on behalf of the association Tout le monde chante contre le cancer (All the world sings against cancer). This information has been reported on numerous outlets, but still has not gotten official confirmation from Lara’s site (and given what happened with Reunion Island, even that is no guarantee). And finally it was announced that Lara would be present on the Star Academy show on December 5th. It is said that she will be the principal invitee, it will begin with a medley of her songs, and she will sing three songs from the new album, as well as singing duos with two of the contestants. This too has not been confirmed, and given the delay in releasing the album, is clearly uncertain.
As part of the preparation for the (now-delayed) comeback, Lara is in Voici this week.. The major thing here is the picture of Lara and Lou that is featured; the scan of the article is here (thanks to zouzouille66 on Laradom):
img296.imageshack.us/my.php?image=scan10018bx3.jpg
It is always interesting to watch the machinations of Lara’s life and career, but one can’t overlook the fact that this is a very important time for Lara. Her career is in a spin, mostly self-induced, and this is not a time to make mistakes. If in fact these cancellations/delays are caused by temporary illnesses, as stated, then they are simply hiccups on her chosen path, however uncertain that path is. If however she is taking time to reconsider what many of her fans really want – and what she has not been giving them – this could be a real crossroads. We’ll see what happens…
David