VH1 Divas Live

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Sean Murphy; Wayne Isaak
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: This is the limited edition digipack version of DIVAS LIVE. Includes liner notes by Wayne Isaak. VH1 Divas Live brings VH1's original 1998 gathering of superstar songbirds to DVD. Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, and Shania Twain perform some of their biggest hits, including Carey's "My All," Twain's "You're Still the One," Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," and Estefan's "Turn the Beat Around." All five divas share the spotlight -- to the extent that a diva can share the spotlight -- on the set's finale, "Natural Woman" and "Testimony." A worthwhile set for those who want to see as well as hear their VH1 Divas Live album, the disc offers little in the way of additional features but remains a faithful translation of the special TV concert. ~ Heather Phares On April 14, 1998, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and Gloria Estefan gave a concert at the Beacon Theater in New York. The one-time event wasn't an accident -- the five vocalists were recruited by the cable music network VH1 to raise money for Save the Music, their education charity. Hyped extensively in the press, the event was a ratings' winner for VH1 -- so successful, in fact, that the network arranged to have the concert released on disc and tape in October 1998. As with many self-consciously huge events, the concert didn't quite live up to its potential, yet it came tantalizingly close. It was well-known that Franklin and Estefan could hold their own in a live setting, but Twain, Dion, and Carey also hold their own. True, the album was probably polished in the studio, but that doesn't negate the value of the music. Perhaps it was inevitable that the disc emphasizes Carey, Estefan and Dion, since they all record for divisions of Sony, the corporation that owns Epic, but VH1 Divas Live doesn't sound like corporate greed or egos run amuck. Instead, it's a balanced, entertaining record, filled with hits, plus nice touches like Celine Dion's "River Deep, Mountain High," Franklin and Carey's surprisingly soulful "Chain of Fools," plus Carole King's cameos on "You've Got a Friend" and "The Reason." At the end of the disc, everyone sings "A Natural "Woman" and "Testimony," providing a nice (if slightly anticlimactic) capper to a fine record. Ultimately, the match of the divas wasn't a monumental event, but there was plenty of good music that night, as VH1 Divas Live proves. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine In an undeniably canny move, VH1 brought together the most beloved singers from the country, R&B and pop worlds for an all-out diva-fest. As a marketing strategy, producing a concert including Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin is an infallible plan. As the recorded document of that event makes clear, the participants and their pocketbooks weren't alone in benefiting from the experience, though. Fans of any and/or all of these celebrated female vocalists are treated to some stellar live performances that benefit from the energy only a concert experience can provide. Most of the singers get solo spots, where they attack their respective classics with renewed fervor. The most interesting aspect of DIVAS LIVE, though, is the collaboration that enlivens "You've Got A Friend," "A Natural Woman" and "Testimony," where the vocalists combine their musical might for a rousing finale that glows with the warmth of sisterhood.

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