Kate Ryan
Alive

THE REVIEW

Do you want to hear an innovative work, something out of the ordinary, that could contribute to the history of music? Never listen to this album. But if you want to hear a light-hearted dance pop, one to listen to in the car and perhaps hum while waiting for the light to turn green, then "Alive" might be for you.

Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck) is a spicy little dance diva in Belgium. Beautiful, tall, blonde, with a beautiful voice, she has the potential to do something good in her career. Unfortunately, however, she is one of the dozens of clones of Madonna and Kylie Minogue (who, incidentally, seem like clones of each other to me), and her albums are proof of what I say. Released in 2006, after her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens (which ended rather quickly, failing to pass the semifinal stage), "Alive" is Ryan's third album.

In all honesty, one cannot say the songs are bad (as long as one likes pop-dance in the style of Madonna's "Confessions On The Dancefloor"), but we can't say they're good either. A work without infamy and without praise. A bit monotonous, given the 'unz-unz' beats that are somewhat similar in every track, with nice sound effects, but already heard in dozens of other works. Surely, it is a well-crafted album, flawless, well sung, but it could easily belong to just about any starlet of the 2000s. A real shame, because, as I repeat, Ryan has potential. Or at least, the sound of her voice is a cut above the far more famous and acclaimed Britney Spears (whose voice and vocal abilities I would draw a pitying veil over). Standout songs? All and none. We mention, for obvious reasons, "Je T'Adore" with which Ryan presented herself at Eurovision and which for a certain period was also on air on Italian radio stations. Tunes a bit cuter than the others might be "Alive", "Tapping On The Table", and "Spinning Around".

The album is performed in English (which infinitely contributes to making it anonymous), but it contains no less than four bonus tracks: the French versions of "Je T'Adore", and then "Je Donnerais tout" (All For You), "Alive", "Combien De Fois" (How Many Times).