Celine Dion A New Day Has Come CD

This album represents Celine Dion's return to recording after a lengthy hiatus (nobody ever believed that "retirement" guff) taken to spend time with her family. As such, the aptly titled A NEW DAY HAS COME finds everybody's favorite French Canadian diva audibly reveling in her return to the vocation for which she was born. The title track finds Dion's elegant voice resplendent amid a pool of twinkling synthesizers, full of energy and joy. "Right in Front of You" opens with some attention-grabbing violin-sawing before giving way to a Euro-synth sound that falls halfway between power ballad and dance tune a la Cher. There's no question about the balladic nature of "Have You Ever Been in Love," it's the kind of heart-on-sleeve tune Dion's big, soaring voice was made for. Elsewhere, Dion stretches out a bit, touching on R&B with "Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)" and a poignant version of Eden Ahbez's standard "Nature Boy," but that familiar vocal stamina is consistent throughout A NEW DAY HAS COME.

Personnel: Celine Dion (background vocals); Eric Kupper (guitar, keyboard programming); Richie Jones (guitar, drum programming); Andreas Carlsson, Robert John "Mutt" Lange (guitar, background vocals); Chieli Minucci, Esbjörn Öhrwall, Sébastien Chouard, Michael Hart Thompson , Michael Landau, Paul Jackson, Jr. , Terry Britten (guitar); Dan Warner, Kevin Breit (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Dorian Cheah (electric guitar); Kevin Fox (cello); Stockholm Session Orchestra (strings); Harry "Slick" Sommerdahl, Jorge Calandrelli (piano); Walter Afanasieff (keyboards, programming, drum programming); Kristian Lundin (keyboards, programming); David Siegel, Mark Portmann, Simon Franglen (keyboards); Guy Roche (synthesizer, drum programming); Marcus Brown (drums, percussion, keyboard programming); Rafael Padilla (percussion); Christian B. (programming); Claytoven Richardson, Sam Watters, Nana Hedin, Jennifer Carr, Francis Benítez, Sakai, Maryanne Morgan, Janie Barnett, Joey Diggs, Kenny O'Brien, Margaret Dorn, Mary Griffin, Anders "Bag" Bagge, Richard Page, Shania Twain, Shelene Thomas, Skyler Jett, Steve Morales, Sue Ann Carwell, Jeanette Olsson, Yvonne Williams, Keith Fluitt, Chantal Kreviazuk (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Bernard Löhr; Humberto Gatica; Kristian Lundin; Mick Guzauski.

Liner Note Author: Celine Dion.

Recording information: Bananaboat Studios, Burbank, CA; Chartmaker Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Cove City Sound Studios, Li, NY; Deutsches Filmorchester Studios, Berlin, Germany; Endeavour Studio (Suresnes); Endeavour Studios (Suresnes); Maison De Musique, Canada; Master Plan Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; metropolis Studios, London, England; Murlyn Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Paradise Sound Studios, FL; Piccolo Studios, Montreal, Ontario, Canada; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; Sony Oasis, Canada; Sony Scoring, L.A; SR Studio 2, Stockholm, Sweden; Studio Piccolo, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; The Enterprise II, L.A; The Hit Factory, Miami, FL; The Location, Stockholm, Sweden; TODD-AO Studios, L.A; WallyWorld, CA; Westlake Audio, L.A.

Photographer: Gerard Schachmes.

Arrangers: Guy Roche; Humberto Gatica; Mark Portmann; Anders "Bag" Bagge; Simon Franglen; Steve Morales; Walter Afanasieff.

Personnel includes: Celine Dion (vocals); Dorian Cheah (guitar, violin); Michael Thompson, Paul Jackson Jr (guitar); Felipe Elgueta, Simon Franglen, Guy Roche (programming); Chantal Kreviazuk, Richard Page, Sam Watters, Mary Griffin, Sue Ann Carwell, Yvonne Williams, Joey Diggs, John Stoddast (background vocals).

Producers include: Ric Wake, Gerald De Palmas, Robert "Mutt" Lange, Simon Franglen, Anders Bagge.

Entertainment Weekly (3/29/02, p.72) - "...Dion is back to celebrate the joys of motherhood..." - Rating: B-
Q (May 2002, p.110) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...There's no vocal histrionics--she's good enough not to need to grandstand--but she handles the airy title track, the power ballads...plus even the Euro disco...with grace and class..."