Rating: 
Summary: A most enjoyable experience
Review: A fine concert, and much more...the songs are neatly intercut with scenes of Aselin Debison and Glace Bay; the fisheries, the tragic end of the mining industry, Aselin playing basketball and rehearsing with Bruce Guthro and recording with Peter Asher. It all adds up to a wonderful documentry experience.There is some very enjoyable singing here. "Love So Rare" is guaranteed to bring tears to the eyes of any daughter's father.
"The Dance You Choose" which she co-wrote with Guthro and performs with him on stage, is a lively duet, and when she sings the line "Life is the dance you choose" it sounds more like a genuine philosophy of life than a song lyric, and she sings it with genuine conviction, telling us that life is, indeed, the dance you choose. "Once In Every Life" has already been performed at some Cape Breton weddings, and it's not hard to see why. She sings it beautifully, and in a way that really makes a person listen to the lyrics. When she picks up the pace on tunes like "Driftwood" "Moonlight Shadow" and "Getting Dark Again", the whole audience is clapping hands and tapping feet. And, there are the beautiful inspirational anthems "Rise Again" and "The Island" which bring the whole crowd to its collective feet singing along. All in all, a completely enjoyable musical experience. I'm already looking forward to whatever Aselin Debison comes up with next.
Rating:
Summary: Plain and simple.
Review: An excellently conceived and produced DVD of a pleasant evening concert on an open ocean-side stage before a small crowd of Glace Bay residents. There is a wonderful backup orchestra. Intercut before each song are bits of interviews with Aselin or others who know her or are involved with her career, not too much of this, just enough to give a little background both about Aselin and about her home town of Glace Bay. Sometimes various visuals of Glace Bay or Aselin romping about are inserted during the singing. But the concert is central. Aselin sings exactly the same songs as on her CD "Sweet is the Melody" with arrangements mostly identical or very close. But her mentor Bruce Guthro joins her in a duet for "The Dance You Choose" and there is an additional small children's choir on "Rise Again" and "The Island'. Much is made of Aselin's young age in the interview clips and comments, but it of no matter when she performs. She holds the stage confidently and easily and naturally and gently and profesionally without childish cuteness or childish mannerisms, sometimes exchanging appreciative smiles with the backup musicians during bridges There is no need to make allowances of any kind for her age or the way she sings. Clear-voiced, natural, folk-edged singing with sometimes more than a hint of blues is what she provides, and she provides it in a unique style. A sentimental highlight are the shots of her father in the audience openly in tears as his 12-year old daughter in her first full concert sings "Love So Rare", a song about her love for her father and her appreciation of his love for her. This sounds exploitive, but doesn't come off that way at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Clear, sweet, distinct voice, nice presence and performance!
Review: I bought Aselin Debison's CD out of curiosity after reading good things about her. I replayed the CD a few times and did hear a number of good tracks. I read she was on PBS TV but I missed it so I decided to buy the DVD which has the same exact songs as the CD. By having both CD and DVD, I am able to judge Aselin's performance better. I see a young 12 year old girl who is very pretty, charming, talented and unpretentious. She comes from a small fishing town, Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Canada which once had a coal mine. The setting of the concert was at beautiful and scenic Glace Bay, a short distance from Aselin's home. From what I see, many of the people from the whole town were seen and included in the concert which was a brilliant idea. Interspersed between songs were scenes about Aselin and the life of the town. Some of the songs that stick in my mind are "Love So Rare" which Aselin dedicated to her father who was in the audience and "Once in Every Life" which she dedicated to her mother who was also present. My favorite is the medley "Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a wonderful World". Using a reggae beat, it is well sung by Aselin with her personal distinct rendition which I promise you will like. Bruce Guthro her mentor sang "The dance you choose" with Aselin who cowrote this song-that certainly shows talent. Some of the songs are faster such as "Moonlight Shadow" and "Getting Dark Again". "Out of the woods" one of the slower songs, I liked a lot. A girl chorus accompanied Aselin in "Rise Again" and "The Island" the latter being about the strength and character of the people of Cape Breton. There will be an inevitable comparison of Aselin to Charlotte Church. I will not go there - suffice to say I am a fan of Charlotte. Aselin is different and is definitely talented and promising. I happen to hear a few tracks of Aselin from a Christmas album she made previously-the execution of the tracks "The Littlest Angel, Silent Night, and Box full of memories bears out her charm and skill. I enthusiastically recommend this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A Fresh Recording Worth Your Time
Review: I caught a few minutes of Sweet is the Melody recently on public television and was really captivated with this music. It has a freshness and transcending beauty to it which is usually missing from popular music. The focus is on the music instead of the performer, and that is rare these days. (The choice of backdrop in the video was also great and reminded me of a children's story I am working on which is set on the north Oregon coast.) In particular, The Island brought to mind a haunting Gaelic melody I heard in the late 1980s. That song told the story of a ship lost at sea in the area of the Isle of Mann. I ended-up losing the name of the singer myself in the years to come, so I made sure that I went out and bought this music before I misplaced yet another musical jewel.
I hope that Aselin's future work skirts modern culture just enough so that she continues to offer something fresh, different, and real. After all, the last thing we need is another Britney Spears!
My only comments for improvement on this DVD format are that it is impossible to simply play the songs in order without the dialogue in between. While the interviews and dialogue are great, it would be nice to be able to skip more easily at times. Also, there are a couple of times where there are recording errors which aren't fixed quite right.
Rating:
Summary: A voice and talent to watch for in the future
Review: I first saw Aselin Debison on PBS and fell in love with her voice and stage presence. I immediately got on the net and found out more about this little songbird from the north. I now have both the CD and DVD "Sweet is the Melody" and share them with friends to let them know about this up and coming talent. The CD is very easy to listen to and all the songs are well chosen. The DVD has many features and is good fun. All her neighbors and friends at the concert obviously love her and enjoy her music, as do I. Highly recommend this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: A voice and talent to watch for in the future
Review: I first saw Aselin Debison on PBS and fell in love with her voice and stage presence. I immediately got on the net and found out more about this little songbird from the north. I now have both the CD and DVD "Sweet is the Melody" and share them with friends to let them know about this up and coming talent. The CD is very easy to listen to and all the songs are well chosen. The DVD has many features and is good fun. All her neighbors and friends at the concert obviously love her and enjoy her music, as do I. Highly recommend this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Clear, sweet, distinct voice, nice presence and performance!
Review: I love her album.. i loved her dvd. She is a little girl that can really pack a punch. She is very talented. She sings better than anyone that I have heard. Even some of the kids on American Idol. She is very talented and If you like her cd...get the dvd...her music and lyrics are relaxing and the way its sung and played just hits you..She is very talented and has a good voice and SHES a gift from God to share her voice with others.
Rating:
Summary: Shes a singing angel whos very talented
Review: I love her album.. i loved her dvd. She is a little girl that can really pack a punch. She is very talented. She sings better than anyone that I have heard. Even some of the kids on American Idol. She is very talented and If you like her cd...get the dvd...her music and lyrics are relaxing and the way its sung and played just hits you..She is very talented and has a good voice and SHES a gift from God to share her voice with others.
Rating:
Summary: A most enjoyable experience
Review: Look at the subject then read on. I can't wait for more of her. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS THE BEST OF ASELIN SO FAR
Review: Look at the subject then read on. I can't wait for more of her. Thank you.
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