Hayley Westenra - Live From New Zealand

Format: DVD Runtime: 70 Minutes

Hayley Westenra's live concert in her native New Zealand treads much of the same ground as other similar programs, including Charlotte Church, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, and Celtic Woman. Drawing heavily from her Pure album, the then-17-year-old covers a gamut of styles. The more classical pieces include "River of Dreams" and "Never Say Goodbye" (which are based on Vivaldi and Ravel, respectively), Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasilierias No. 5, and Carmina Burana's "In Trutina." She sounds beautiful on Enya's "May It Be" from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (which still hasn't been overexposed quite yet), but less successful are the "hipper" attempts into crossover territory, such as the Brightman-esque "Beat of Your Heart" and "Who Painted the Moon Black." Still, it's hard to fault a young artist for trying something different. Guest stars include younger sister Sophie, Teddy Tahu Rhodes (whose heavy voice tends to overpower Westenra's), and groups as diverse as the Te Orowa Maori Dance Group and the Wellington Cathedral Choir.