One Heart is an album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on March 24, 2003.
It is her eighth English language studio album and 30th overall.
Content The release of this album marked the
beginning of A New Day..., Dion's five-year concert arrangement in the
Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
"I Drove All Night" was chosen as the leadoff single. The original cover
version of this song was recorded by Cyndi Lauper in 1989. A version by Roy
Orbison, of whom the song was originally aimed, was aired in 1992. Dion's
recording became a hit, reaching number 1 in Canada, Belgium and Sweden.
Although "Have You Ever Been in Love" was already featured on Dion's previous
album A New Day Has Come, it was released as the second single from One
Heart in the United States and third in selected countries. The title track
promoted the album as the second single outside the United States. There were
also two radio releases at the end of 2003: "Stand by Your Side" and "Faith".
A song called "Reveal" was written by Cathy Dennis who also wrote "Toxic" for
Britney Spears and "Can't Get You out of My Head" for Kylie Minogue among others.
"Sorry for Love" was actually an original version of the song. The dance
version was released a year earlier on A New Day Has Come. Already available on
the A New Day Has Come 2002 special limited edition, "Coulda Woulda Shoulda"
was included also here. The last track on the album, called "Je t'aime encore"
was recorded also in French and included on Céline Dion's next album 1 fille & 4
types. In the United States, "I Drove All
Night," "Have You Ever Been in Love," "One Heart," and "Love Is All We Need"
were used from 2003 to 2004 in an advertising campaign for
DaimlerChrysler, and the CD's inlay cover had the Chrysler logo and slogan.
In June 2004, a bonus DVD called One Year... One Heart was included on some
editions of A New Day... Live in Las Vegas, containing the recording of "I
Drove All Night" and "Have You Ever Been in Love," and the making of "One Heart"
music video among other features. Reception
= Critical response= The album received mainly mixed reviews
from most music critics. AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine
rated it two-and-a-half stars out of possible five, writing that the
collaboration with Britney Spears's producer Max Martin in three tracks was
a sign of "desperation that underscores every minute of One Heart, where it
seems like Dion will do anything to stay on the charts." Erlewine also wrote that
"One Heart favors a smooth Vegas-showstopper gloss to radio-ready
sheen, which only accentuates the lack of cohesiveness here" and that the album
"reveals all her weaknesses." Chuck Arnold of People wrote a mixed review
towards the album's songs, calling it "a bit jarring at times" and that "Dion
sounds so strangely subdued on some tracks, you keep waiting for her to
really let rip." Either way, she wrote positively that "There is a lightness to
One Heart that has been missing from much of Dion's previous work, as she
leans more toward upbeat dance numbers, easy-listening rock and even borderline
country-pop." Entertainment.Ie's Andrew Lynch was more
negative, writing that "The problem is, Dion's songwriters seem to have been
under strict instructions to keep the material as bland as possible. And while
her glass-shattering voice is as spectacular as ever, she still doesn't
sound as if she believes a word of what she's singing. One Heart is certainly
one of her better collections - but frankly, that isn't saying very much."
The Guardian's Betty Clarke wrote that "Dion proves she can be more than a
series of hollow - if album-shifting - sentiments." Darryl Sterdan wrote a very
negative review for Jam!, saying that "it's bad enough the 14-song CD is full
of unoriginal, instantly forgettable fluff -- leftover Britney bubble-pop
from Max Martin, cliche chest-pounding power ballads, a title cut that's a
blatant Shania soundalike and a Cher-style Eurodisco revamp of the Roy
Orbison hit I Drove All Night, which she's already turned into a Chrysler
jingle." Instead of the mixed and negative
reviews, a positive review came from Amazon's Rebecca Wallwork, who praised
Celine for "an unrelenting theme of joy and believing in one's self" and
highlighted the album for "being both well timed and well executed." But she
revealed that "it contains no surprises, but then, besides her voice, that's one
of Dion's biggest assets." In a more positive review, Entertainment Weekly's
Elisabeth Vincentelli questioned "why Celine get so little respect?" and later
went to praise the album for "Dion's uncanny ability to infuse sincerity into
aural Hallmark cards and sound like the only person on earth who believes in
true love." In the end, she wrote: "And in our age of postmodern ironists, isn't
it refreshing to encounter someone who so genuinely loves her job?" Slant
Magazine's Sal Cinquemani praised "the album as a whole", saying that "she
continues the restrained approach of her last record, both in production and
performance." He finished the review, noting that "One Heart may be the
smartest album Dion could make at this stage in her career." Billboard praised
the album by concluding: "One Heart may not crackle with the noise of an "event"
record, but it succeeds at something far more important: It is a fine piece of
music." = Chart performance=
The IFPI revealed that One Heart was the tenth best selling album around the
world in 2003. It has sold five million copies worldwide.
The album sold 431,657 copies in the United States during the first week,
opening at number two. To date, One Heart shipped two millions copies in the
US and was certified two-times platinum by the RIAA. In Canada, One Heart shot
to the top of the Canadian albums chart, selling 97,000 copies in its first week,
making it the biggest debut of the year, according to data compiled by Nielsen
SoundScan. It was certified 3x Platinum. After selling over one million copies in
Europe, One Heart was certified Platinum by the IFPI. In France, it debuted at
number one and remained two weeks at the top, and was certified Platinum. The
album reached also number one for two weeks in Belgium Flanders and Denmark,
and for one week in Switzerland and Greece. In the United Kingdom it has
sold 204,075 copies, and was certified Gold. In Australia, One Heart was
certified Platinum. = Awards=
In 2003, Dion won the American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary
Artist and was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. In 2004, she
also won Dragon Award for International Female Artist of the Year and "Have You
Ever Been in Love" won ASCAP London Award and BMI London Award for one of
the Most Performed Songs in the United States. Dion was also nominated for four
Juno Awards of 2004, including: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Fan
Choice Award. Nominations for other awards include: Billboard Music Award
for Hot Adult Contemporary Artist, MuchMoreMusic Award for "I Drove All
Night" and Félix Award for Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success in a
Language Other Than French. Track listing
Charts Certifications and sales
Release history See also
List of number-one albums from the 2000s List of number-one albums of 2003
List of number-one singles of 2003 References