Susan Boyle�s second album, due for release in US on November 9 on the SYCO/Columbia Records label, has topped the US charts on pre-orders six weeks before its official release. The official UK release date is November 8.

The Gift is number one on Amazon�s US music chart just one day after being made available to order. Boyle’s album topped the chart, beating new releases from Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Neil Young and Taylor Swift.

Susan Boyle's second album "The Gift"

Amazon declared this �the season of Susan� and said the interest in the Britain�s Got Talent sensation was unprecedented. “She has done phenomenally well going to the top of the chart in the US based on one day of pre-orders alone and she’s racing up the charts in the UK as well,� an Amazon spokesperson said. �She has really captured the hearts of the nation, both here and in the States.”

Susan Boyle�s debut album, �I Dreamed A Dream�, was a 9 times platinum record-breaking debut in 2009 to become the largest global CD pre-order in history; it went on to sell nine million copies and was the biggest selling album of that year. Judging by the buzz around the singer�s new release, she may just top that.

The album features ten tracks including Christmas classics �The First Noel�, �Away In A Manger�, �O Holy Night�, �Make Me A Channel For Your Peace,� �Auld Lang Syne,� and �O Come All Ye Faithful,�alongside covers of pop hits such as Leonard Cohen�s �Hallelujah�, Lou Reed�s �Perfect Day� and Crowded House�s �Don�t Dream It�s Over.�

The first single from the album is a cover of �Perfect Day�, a song originally written and performed by Lou Reed in 1972. SuBo was to perform �Perfect Day� on �America�s Got Talent� earlier this month but was prevented from singing it, leading to accusations that Lou Reed himself had refused her permission for the song. Representatives for Lou Reed said the song had been cleared for British television but not for the United States before the �America�s Got Talent� broadcast. Evidently SuBo and Lou Reed have buried the hatchet.

Susan launched an online talent competition called Susan�s Search to search for a duet partner where wannabe singers were invited to upload videos of themselves performing �Silent Night.� The competition was one of YouTube�s most successful, getting one entry every six minutes after its launch last July. Susan picked given ambulance medic, Amber Stassi, a shot at fame by selecting her for a duet on her forthcoming album. Susan Boyle�s �The Gift� presents the debut of Amber Stassi, singing a transcendent duet with Susan on �Do You Hear What I Hear?�

Amber Stassi

Susan said in a press release: �When making this album, I really wanted the songs to touch hearts. Music has always been a companion to me, particularly on special occasions. I wanted there to be a mix of songs that would flow with all our moods this holiday season. As much as the season is a time for reflection, it is also a time for fun and enjoyment with those closest to us.�

On another note, Susan Boyle recently moved into her new �300,000 house which she bought in March this year. The house is lovely, but modest by celebrity standards.

Susan Boyle's new house

It had been reported by Susan�s brother, Gerry Boyle, that she could not afford to furnish the home, as despite amassing �10,000,000 in royalties from the sale of her albums, the money was said to be �ring fenced� and Susan was reportedly living on just �500 per week.

With Christmas just three months away, Susan Boyle�s �The Gift� will be the perfect gift.

�The Gift��..Susan Boyle�s gift to the world!

On April 1 1961 (yes, April Fool Day), a Scottish girl was born to a couple who already had nine children. At her birth, her mother was 47 and during the difficult childbirth, the girl was briefly deprived of oxygen and was later diagnosed as having learning difficulties. She was often bullied as a child and was nicknamed “Susie Simple” at school.

After leaving school with few qualifications, she took singing and acting lessons. In 1995 her audition for Michael Barrymore’s “My Kind of People” was filmed. The amateur video shows Barrymore was apparently more interested in mocking her than in her singing ability.

After winning several local singing competitions, she was urged by her mother to enter Britain’s Got Talent. She almost abandoned her plan to enter the show as she believed she was too old and that it was a young person’s game. Her mother’s death motivated her to go on Britain’s Got Talent as a tribute to her mother.

In August 2008 she applied for an audition for the third series of Britain’s Got Talent and was accepted after a preliminary audition in Glasgow. She sang “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables in the first round. When she first took to the stage, the initially cynical attitude of the audience and the judges was obvious….she was “prejudged”� because of her appearance. This cynicism was transformed into a standing ovation when she finished her rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream”. Her initial demeanour and homely appearance caused the judges and the audience to be “waiting for her to squawk like a duck”.

A new superstar was born and the world came to know about this Scottish lady Susan Boyle. Boyle’s first album “I Dreamed A Dream” was released on November 23 2009 and has enjoyed phenomenal success worldwide, racking up sales of a few million copies so far! Her album raced to the top of the charts in US, UK and many countries worldwide.

Boyle’s story is a like a fairy tale about overcoming adversity and prejudice and a rebuke to people’s tendency to judge others based on their physical appearance. Her performance is a victory for talent and artistry in a culture obsessed with physical attractiveness and presentation.

I bought Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed A Dream” last week and have been enjoying her renditions of� “I Dreamed A Dream”, “Wild Horses”, “Cry Me A River”, “How Great Thou Art”, “You’ll See”, “Daydream Believer”, “Up To The Mountain”, “Amazing Grace”, “Who I Was Born To Be”, “Proud”, “The End Of The World” and “Silent Night”. You can find the album at Speedy Video in Miri……go buy it and enjoy the music!

I Dreamed A Dream by Susan Boyle