BALLAD COLLECTION SPECIAL EDITION

The two volumes of Lana Lane´s Ballad Collection were never released in Brazil. However, the double special edition reuniting both was. And for a reasonable low price. Lucky me! But don´t be fooled by the album´s title. Although Lana Lane always recorded ballads on her albums, this is not a collection of them. In fact, most of the tracks here could hardly be ever labeled as "ballads". Collection of slow songs? Whatever! Even the collection word may be misleading, since more than 70 per cent of the entire double album´s repertoire consists of songs that are not available in any of Lane´s official studio output. Even the ones that are, are re-recordings or have alternative mixes. So Ballad Collection stands very well as an album (or albums, if you have them both separately) of its own.

As usual, what you get here is Lana Lane´s gorgeous vocal interpretations and Erik Norlander´s tasteful arrangements and crystal clear production. Ok, some progheads will balk at the too "perfect" performances and lack of long instrumental passages, but, hey!, this is a singer´s album! And fortunately Lana Lane is much more a team´s player than a diva. The musicians have lots of room to express. And what fantastic musicians they are! As is his wont, Norlander is a very 70´s influenced musician, he provides the recording with many vintage keyboards and a very organic production. He is a master player and mellotron fanatics will find lots of it over the tracks (albeit in a little more subtle and less dramatic way). Also of notice are the fine guitar lines and solos of axemen Neil Citron and Mark MacCrite. Bassist Tony Franklin also brings his fretless bass to several tunes.

I guess that Disc 2 is more progressive and interesting than disc 1 for this site, but both have many highlights and actually almost any lows.The double CD´s best track is also the only song that was recorded exclusively for this Special Edition: a poignant and minimalistic version of Marillion´s Seasons End. Lane and Norlander´s arrangement and delivering is much better than the original and this is easily their best ever cover of all times. But there are lots of other good moments, both original and other people´s songs. Among the latter I can point out the powerful delivering of Crosby and Nashs´s To The Last Whale.... (impressive a Capella vocal on the first segment), the beautiful When Time Stood Still (ELO) and Supertramp´s If Everyone Was Listening. On the former the superior version of Norlander´s Avalon (recorded by his band The rocket Scientists), the haunting Ghost Beside My Bed and the excellent acoustic studio rendition of Through The Fire.

Conclusion: a very fine double album that is far more than just a compilation of slow songs. Although not all the tracks will please everybody (the palette is quite wide), there are no fillers and the delivering is superb on every one of them. If melodic songs with terrific interpretations is your thing, you can not miss this Special Edition.