MOVING ON
2003

Performance:
Arrangements:
Creativity:
Tracklisting:
Overall: (?)

Classical < < < > > > Pop

Highlights: Toccata, Krwling, Now We Are Free

After six years, Moving On still stands as Myleene Klass’s only studio album. Which is a shame, actually, considering there are very few piano albums that are as radio friendly as this one. Whilst this is a purist’s nightmare (as is most crossover albums, but this one particularly so) Klass demonstrates a certain talent for arranging the classics in pop format (perhaps her brief days in pop band Hear’Say contributed to this).

I won’t lie to you. Her arrangements leave a lot to be desired in regards to her piano playing. It is all very five finger friendly whilst a clash of violins and drum machines fill in the rest; this is particularly true for her ‘Gymnopédie’ piece which was originally composed for the piano, but Klass gives the chords over to the violins to play whilst she can singularly whack keys in the treble clef. Likewise, on some tracks (’Toccata’, for example) she records certain passages on their own and then layers them together. A bit disappointing if you wanted to hear a virtuoso, but that does not make this album worthless.

Like so-called singers who can’t really sing making somewhat decent albums, Klass does so with her piano playing. She still has expression in her notes (especially in ‘Now We Are Free’), and whilst kept relatively simple, this is all surprisingly effective. Her arrangement of ‘Toccata’ is exciting and fresh, really epitomising what classical crossover does for a relunctant classical audience, whilst tracks like ‘Krwling’ (a Linkin Park cover) and ‘If You’re Not the One’ (Daniel Beddingfield) are really trying to reach out to the younger audience.

What makes this album so right (putting aside the arrangements) is the exact balance of the tracklisting. It has the few unexpected pop songs that grabs the attention, it has the film score pieces that helps hold it, and then old classics slot neatly into place, as if someone like James Horner or Hans Zimmer composed them all in the first place. The arrangements are so unique that not one track on here sounds as if it has been copied and pasted from other performers. Her leading track, ‘Toccata’ is actually a very good representation of the album as a whole.

It is somewhat surprising, but the woman that annoys us by presenting too many TV shows, and doing endless bikini photoshoots has created a good album for any crossover fan. I am quite confident in recommending this. That is, of course, if you can forget or accept that she is not that advanced on the piano.

Track Listing
1. Toccata
2. For the Love of A Princess
3. Allegretto
4. If You’re Not the One
5. The Hearts Asks Pleasure First
6. Moonlight Sonata
7. Krwling
8. Pavane – Moving On
9. Adagio
10. Sarabande
11. Now We Are Free
12. Gymnopédie – Live the Dream
13. Moonlight Sonata (Classic Version)