When Girls Aloud‘s Kimberley Walsh announced a solo record deal with Decca Records in November, a vision of 25 electric angels dancing in the rain quickly flashed before my eyes. And then, when it was further announced that the album would be a collection of musical covers, life got cold.
But alas: Never judge a book (or album) by its, um, description, because after hearing the first track off of the upcoming album Centre Stage (that’s Center Stage for American eyes) on February 4, there’s still hope that this will actually be an incredible album–even if it’s only got one or two original songs.
“One Day I’ll Fly Away,” which was originally a R&B song recorded by Randy Crawford and later popularized in musical form with Baz Luhrmann‘s endlessly amazing Moulin Rouge, is Kimba’s first cut from the collection. And really, she sounds absolutely fantastic.
Everything about the song is solid: The majestic orchestration, the dramatic production, the show-stopping vocals–especially at the 2:20 mark. Is that the biggest note we’ve ever heard from Kimberley on record? Quite possibly. Along with the original studio version (which is now out on iTunes UK–preview here), there’s also the Alias club remix, which takes the track and literally smoothes it on top of Psy‘s “Gangnam Style.” Oppa Kimba Style!
We all know Kimberley loves her musicals endlessly, so it’s actually really pleasing to see/hear her living out her dreams–or Passions, if you will. Proud Aloud!
“One Day I’ll Fly Away” was released on January 4. (iTunes UK)