I bought this CD on a whim, having been a fan of Brightman and her clear coloratura soprano since her "Phantom" days. I loved her show tunes and arias but found it difficult to listen to them for hours -- NOT so with "Dive." Within an hour of receiving this CD, I was absolutely hooked. "Dive" is by far Brightman's best -- and most personal -- work. The entire CD paints a hypnotic portrait in colors grey, blue and green, a world seen through water -- sweet, bright, sensual, deftly layered music. Brightman gets the chance to play mermaid while showing off her pop roots (and after this I wish she'd return more often), and her sweet, clear voice and emotional delivery combine with the song-to-song flow of the album to make it a must-repeat experience. I've been playing it for a week straight and can't get enough. Every single track is a jewel, from the haunting title track, to the beautiful intricacy of "Second Element" or the sexy sensuality of "Once in a lifetime." A must for listeners to such diverse artists as Enya, Kate Bush, Enigma, or even Mike Oldfield.

I was somewhat surprised by Dive! I had read previous reviews that idicated it was more of a pop, soft-rock album versus her operatic past projects. I knew who Brightman was, yet never really paid attention to her music; Nice voice, but I don't care for opera. Also, I was curious and happened to come across this c.d. at a used record/ c.d. store. With the title of Dive and Brightman decked out in her mermaid diva make-up and outfit I assumed it was going to be another empty headed dance club music c.d. from an artist trying to explore other musical territories than her norm ( the likes of Crystal Waters, LaBouche, C.C. Peniston); Thank God it wasn't. It has a bit of an Enigma sound ( thanks to her producer-husband Frank Peterson who also co-worked with Michael Cretu of Enigma in the past).Dive consists of mostly ballads with quite a few mid to up tempo tracks.The track La Mer has a very strong Enigma sound (whispering lyrics done in the fashion of Sandra Cretu from Enigma) and anti-animal mistreatment and cruelty song Johnny Wanna Live ( which was done more in a hip hop fashion by Enigma's Sandra Cretu on her import album Paintings in Yellow). All in all the album is very captivating and flows just as peaceful as the ebb and tide of the ocean. What I like is the album's thematic continuity; The listener is never thrown out of the fantasy seaworld created by Brightman and producer Peterson. I highly recommend this album if you are an Enigma fan or just like good adult pop music; There's nothing sugar coated or "too hip" for anyone's taste on this album if they like to listen to artists experiment a little out of their general genre range...

WOW! A water album. Good work. I recommend this cd to anyone who likes music about the ocean & appreciates the beauty of nature. Sarah has captured all her feelings and sings them to us. The entire album is amazing.

"Dive" is the intro to "Captain Nemo" which is a magnificent idea from paper to sung words. Sarah sings it in her Kate Bush voice. The band is great. The lyrics are haunting and unusual, as she is singing about being friends with a whale. "The second element" is another track with unusual lyrics. I don't actually know what she is singing about, but it is beautiful anyway. "Ship of fools" is a sentimental, short track. She expresses that she needs the love of her partner right now. The piano & guitar arrangements are nice. "Ship of fools" goes right into "Once in a lifetime", which is a beautiful track,with unusual lyrics again. It's a very catchy pop tune which should've made it to radio.

"Cape Horn" and "A salty dog" are the most haunting of the lyrics & melodies. "A salty dog" is sung in such emotion, it puts the hair up on my neck. There are amazing minor chords in the keyboards section. Above all, they stand out the most. "Siren" is a vocalise that runs right into "7 seas". The keyboards emphasize Sarah's voice here. Sarah sings about beautiful blue & deep oceans. She makes me want to hear more "Theme" music from her. I like "Johnny wanna live" because Sarah expresses herself about the cruelty to animals. I'm glad she's aware of it.

"By now" is a quieter track, bringing Sarah's voice closer to the mic. The male voice is comforting in the refrain. She makes me think of a mermaid on land in the track. "Island" is one of my fav tracks on the disc. The lyrics are soulful and deep. The last 20 seconds of the track are where all the feeling is. "When it rains in America" is cool. It shows her love for her partner. Every time I hear this track, it makes me feel close to home. "La mer" or "The ocean" is my absolute fav track on the disc. The piano opening solo is amazing. Between the piano & Sarah's voice, I don't know which is better. The lyrics are just magical. This track has to be played at full volume. Powerful! I could listen to it 3 or 4 times over & over. I must mention the keyboards too. In "La mer", the keyboards are like star dust twinkling, as it falls from sky to ground. The last track is called "The second Element II". It's a reprise of the 3rd track, with an acoustic guitar solo & soulful peasant-like choir. Amazing.

The photos are nice & extremely different from her more recent material. They are "water" themed too. She's even dressed as a glamourous mermaid on the back cover. I love the "do" on the front cover. Very original. When it comes to imagination, Sarah leaves nothing out. The disc is definitely 5 stars. Go buy it, as it's usually on sale everywhere now. Enjoy! Hope you enjoyed my critique.

This is a really incredible CD, and since it was originally released in the early nineties, the price is very low.

This was the first CD where Sarah really took the reins and experimented with what she wanted to do. On this CD you can see better than on any other how she got the style she has today. The tunes are beautiful and haunting, her voice usually has a beautiful clarity, and the theme is well-developed. The only overall complaints I have are that the lyrics in many places are really poorly written, and in some spots Sarah sounds like she has a cold: at this point, of course, she was just experimenting with singing methods, but one would think she'd know to open up her resonators instead of keeping everything forward in her nose...

Track-by-track-review:

-1.Dive - A short intro track that can't stand on its own at all, but works really well to set the mood for the CD. Very haunting. Sarah reads a cool line from a poem about whales. -2.Captain Nemo - This could have been a great song, if whoever wrote the lyrics had any kind of talent. It starts out very ambient, and moves into a great dance track by the end, with a great tune and beat. The line "waiting down there" could quite possibly be the single most beautifully sung line of Sarah's career. -3.The Second Element - Hearing thirty seconds of this song made me buy the CD. WOW. Sarah sings with more emotion on this song than I've ever heard her do, with the possible exception of the Richard Marx duet. The lyrics about a woman who can't get over a separation and deep and moving. Sarah sings perfectly here. -4.Ship of Fools - Very sad. Not really anything special, except for one line where the music just completely cuts off and Sarah sings 'Now I need you' acapella...gives me goosebumps every time. -5.Once in a Lifetime - What a spectacular song! One of the few songs that is both gorgeous and has a great beat to dance to. The only problem with this is that the lyrics are a tad out-of-control...wet black leather? Pools of sin? Please. -6.Cape Horn - Dialogue from 'Mutiny on the Bounty' with maybe two alternating notes in the background. -7.A Salty Dog - This is a seriously odd song...something of an acquired taste, I think. I hated it the first time I listened to it, but it grew on me. Now I just don't like it. -8.Siren - Wow. Pity it's only a minute fifteen seconds...this is the best part of the CD. Ever wondered what a Greek siren sounds like? While this song doesn't exactly make me feel like throwing myself off a boat, the beautiful instrumentals and Sarah's haunting vocals can almost make you see a mist-shrouded ocean... -9.Seven Seas - Boring new age 'pop'. -10.Johnny Wanna Live - Once you learn to ignore the really really awful lyrics that might have an important message if they weren't so hilariously badly written, this is a great song. The tune is good, and Sarah sings really well. -11.By Now - This song is kind of ho-hum. I like it when I listen to it, but I never actually purposely play it. Typical late 80s pop. -12.Island - Much like Seven Seas, only a bit more upbeat. -13.When it Rains in America - All I can say is wow. This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It starts with a rainstorm effect, then goes straight into a keyboard solo and Sarah's vocals. The keyboard bit sounds like rain, and the lyrics are really beautiful. Actually a bit Irish; the flute in here is great. -14.La Mer - Very cool: new age mixed with rock, and she made it work. Most of the song is spoken/whispered; the very few lines that she sings have beautiful clarity. -15.The Second Element II - Great, although very different from The Second Element...the first one is like a Madonna song; this one is like a folk song.

Sarah Brightman may have gone through more "theme" albums than anybody still recording today. And the theme of "Dive" is the ocean -- drowning, swimming, raining, ships, whales, islands and sirens. Unfortunately, the result of Sarah's mermaid phase goes less than swimmingly.

"Dive" opens with a track of the same name, briefly mentioning how the whales rule the ocean. Then it bursts into the ethereal pop (the puzzling but pretty "Captain Nemo," the gauzy "Siren" and poignant "Second Element"), fluting techno and electronica (the coyly sexy "Once in a Lifetime" and flittery "La Mer"), and solid. The biggest misfires are the animal-rights ode "Johnny Wanna Live," and the grating "By Now."

Somewhere inside the waterlogged "Dive" is a beautiful album. But it's buried under sand and driftwood. Brightman deftly evokes the fluidity of water and the seas in much of the album, with flowing electronic and acoustic music and soft vocals. Then she loads it with an old sailor talking about frozen corpses, heavy percussion, and musical minimalism.

Sarah Brightman's voice is a beautiful thing. It can soar, whisper, and get as high and light as a sunbeam. "Salty Dog" simply has Brightman singing uncertainly with almost no background music. She doesn't sound like she's entirely sure what she's doing. However, in songs like "Island," the exquisite "Second Element," and the underrated "When it Rains In America," Brightman's voice is given the room and rhythm to work its magic.

Were "Dive" stripped of the grittier seafaring stuff, it would be a truly exquisite musical (and nautical) experience. As it is, it's rather soggy, but two thirds of it sparkle like the Caribbean.