There’s something incredibly endearing about Susan Boyle.
The woman who went from a nobody on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ to an international Sony-signed superstar is a little bit bonkers, perhaps, but we’d argue there’s a little bit of bonkers in all of us. What she seems to be, however, is completely unaffected by the fame and still able to take the complete piss out of herself, as her recent ALS Ice Bucket Challenge showed.
And proving there’s still a lot of love in the room for the canny Scot, she’s announced the release of her brand new album ‘Hope’.
With more than 22 million albums sold across the planet, Susan once again tackles a range of carefully selected covers, including Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, John Lennon’s legendary ‘Imagine’ and, perhaps surprisingly, Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’.
“I have really enjoyed making this album,” Susan said of the new LP. “I had a huge input in music suggestions and finally have been able to record one of my all time favourites, ‘Angel,’ originally by Sarah McLachlan. I also am pleased to be able to sing some uptempo songs, that show variation in my repertoire.
“There are also iconic songs, which were a risk to take on but I hope I’ve done them justice in my own way. John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ was one of the hardest to record, not because of the music or the vocals but because I wanted to do his song justice. Of course the diehard Lennon fans will probably criticise but I hope that people like my personal take on the song.
“I themed this album around inspiration and hope because those are two elements we all need in our life to drive us forward and inspire us to go out and capture our dreams… they worked for me after all.”
‘Hope’ will be released in Australia on Friday October 24.
01. Wish You Were Here
02. I Can Only Imagine
03. Angel
04. Abide With Me
05. Imagine
06. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
07. Bridge Over Troubled Water
08. The Impossible Dream
09. Oh Happy Day
10. You Raise Me Up (Featuring Lakewood Church Choir Live)