By the grace of WBR, executives putting together Idina’s upcoming Warner Bros. Records album gave me the chance to come in to preview a small (but impressive!) chunk of the CD’s tracks. As promised, I’ve come to report back about what I am at liberty to talk about, including the planned # of tracks, my thoughts on the album versions of the songs, etc.

Songs Previewed:

“Brave” (new remastered version) – A beautiful track, reminiscent of Mandy Moore’s recent single “Extraordinary” in its simplicity, maturity, and grace, but with more punch at the end, making it a true power ballad.

“Gorgeous” (final album version) – This song is a true winner! A rock song that greatly reminds me of her 2002 Joe’s Pub originals, with intense guitar and passionate vocals. This is the track for Idina’s “Still I Can’t Be Still” fans! So far, this is my personal favorite.

“I Stand” – The fully orchestrated version of this song has overwhelmingly (in a good way!) strong vocals, truly a woman’s empowerment song. There is a lot of buzz about this track among the WBR team putting this CD together, and it’s on a lot of ‘favorite’ lists. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see this as a single; if not the first, then the second or third. It’s just very catchy, with a bridge and climax that is quintessential Idina.

“Better to Have Loved” – the version of this that I heard was about 3 versions ago, so I can’t give a full report on what will be on the album. The opening of this version didn’t really fit with the vocals later in the song, or the feel the song was going for overall. But the lyrics are stunning, working well with the faster tempo. The newest version will be different, with a re-mixed opening, so I’m looking forward to hearing it.
— I didn’t have time to preview the whole album, so this was it for now. I’ll hear the others soon, though, so maybe I’ll be able to fill you guys in.

Some facts I’ve been able to gather:
– The introductional video (played before her MSG appearance) is being re-edited and fine-tuned, and I’ve been given permission to put it up on the site once Idina has approved it. So look for that both here AND on her official site. (also, HIGH-RES versions of those photoshoot shots – which are beyond gorgeous! – will also be viewable on her official site once it’s up. Hopefully here, too. )
– Idina-Here may get the chance to feature exclusive video material of Idina during the recording process, interviews, etc. (I can’t make any promises, but I’ll fight hard to get some stuff on the site for you all!)
– Idina.com is slowly, but surely, being put together. All the promo images need to be put together to create the perfect “feel” for the site (not to mention how Idina herself will be presented to the public), so be patient for those updates. I DID make a point to tell them that, as Idina fans, we want anything and everything they’re willing to put out. They made an enthusiastic note of that.

Not all of the tracks have been remastered and fine-tuned for the album, but that’s going to be done this week. I should be getting a full preview sometime next week (give or take a week), so hopefully I’ll have more to report later. [and NO, I’m sorry, I will not be posting download links to the preview tracks, so don’t even ask. It’s disrespectful to Idina and WBR’s hard work.]

edit: I also found out what Idina sang last night at the Dinner of Champions Benefit. She sang “Brave” and “Defying Gravity”.

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Having made her way back to Los Angeles, Idina made an appearance tonight at the Dinner of Champions 2007, which benefits Multiple Sclerosis research. I have added a few pictures to the Gallery to start with, but hope to get some HQ versions shortly. To view the album, click on the thumbnails below.

I also have some great news to share with everyone! I don’t have time to go into detail at the moment, but hopefully within the next day, I can post a bit about a little preview listen I got this morning of some tracks on Idina’s upcoming album, plus some news about future promo plans. Stay tuned!

I have just added 53 beautiful pictures of Idina from tonight’s “One Nite with Lite” concert at Madison Square Garden to the Gallery, and there are many more to come! I’m trying to get some HQ pictures, which will be stunning, and I’ll add those once I get them.

Idina was a major success at the concert tonight (from what I’ve heard), and she sang 3 tunes from her upcoming album: “I Stand,” “Brave,” and “Gorgeous” — promotional images are beginning to make appearances at these events, giving hints as to the look and feel of Idina’s album cover/insert. If I get any good quality versions of those pictures, I’ll try to add them too. But for now, enjoy these performance images!

edit: more images added!

Thanks to whomever saved and uploaded the live video feed of Idina’s appearance yesterday morning on “Wake Up with Whoopi” onto YouTube, I’ve now added downloadable versions of the vids onto the site’s Video Archive. They are split into two different videos, but nothing is cut out. They are in .flv format, so download the free player if you haven’t already.

You can access the videos by clicking on the DOWNLOAD links below, or going to the Talk Shows page in the Archive.

 

Thank god for Idina’s incredible fans! While I was lazy and couldn’t wake my sorry butt up, Idina’s fans were on it, capturing the stream of Idina’s radio appearance this morning on “Wake Up with Whoopi”! Contrary to what her people at WBR told me, Idina did not end up singing “Where Do I Begin?,” but instead treated us to a brand new song, never-before-heard from her new album, named “I Stand.” As previously posted, she also performed her new single, “Brave.”

The below download is thanks to Ava over on the So Beautiful forum, and it’s the entire show, including a pre-interview with Whoopi on the air. During the show, Idina revealed that she and WBR are still in the process of deciding on the album title – so hopefully we’ll find out once a final decision is made! So please click below to download the appearance, and enjoy! (I will not be adding the individual songs, since they are going to be on her album – but the entire thing together is alright )

Idina Menzel on “Wake Up with Whoopi” – 9/14/07

Also, a low-quality video has surfaced of Idina’s performance at the Save the Children benefit last week, where she sang with the Young Peoples’ Chorus of New York. Click here to watch the video on YouTube.com.

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