Susan Boyle aims to turn celebrity into album sales

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish singer Susan Boyle, one of the biggest stars of the Internet age, seeks to turn global celebrity into record sales next week with the release of her debut album "I Dreamed a Dream."

Named after the song from the musical "Les Miserables" that made her famous, the 12-track album is a mix of pop covers like Madonna's "You'll See" and The Monkees' "Daydream Believer" and Christian stalwarts like "Amazing Grace" and "Silent Night."

The Sony Music record hits stores in Britain on Monday and in the United States on Tuesday, and the early commercial signs are promising.

The album is the largest ever global CD pre-order on online retailer Amazon.com, with sales reportedly in excess of 100,000, and is the bookmakers' favourites to top the British chart over the lucrative Christmas period.

"She's definitely one of the frontrunners for the Christmas number one spot," said Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for Britain's HMV music retail chain.

Her main competition for the coveted slot comes from other stars of television talent contests like Leona Lewis, Cheryl Cole and JLS, he added.

Early reviews have been unfavourable, however, with the Times newspaper calling it "an uncomfortable package" in a two-out-of-five star review, the same rating as the Guardian.

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