What people search:
 | Title : Josh Groban
Author : Josh Groban
Release Date : 20011120
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.49
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Editorial Reviews :
There are worse things in life than making your acting debut on the much ballyhooed season finale of Ally McBeal, though teen operatic baritone Josh Groban doesn't seem destined to encounter them anytime soon. As the awkward high school student-client who asks the typically romance-jinxed Ally to his senior prom, Groban performed this debut album's 'You're Still You' (adapted from film-composing legend Ennio Morricone's Academy Award-nominated score for Malèna, with lyrics by Linda Thompson) as a heart-tugging, literal showstopper. The young phenom was just 17 when veteran producer-writer David Foster tapped him to fill in for Andrea Bocelli at rehearsals for the 1999 Grammys, where Groban found himself suddenly dueting with Celine Dion.
Indeed, such were his fortunes that the young Foster protégé was forced to drop out of Carnegie Mellon when professional commitments--including this record--interfered. And if this collection tends to hew sometimes uncomfortably close to Foster's own MOR sonic instincts, the material offers enough challenges to display Groban's talent and the potential of his warm, mature voice: a lyrical take on another Morricone classic, 'Cinema Paradiso'; melancholy readings of Don McLean's 'Starry, Starry Night' and Albert Hammond's 'Alejate'; masterfully dramatic takes of the Neapolitan 'Alla Luca Del Sole' and 'Canto Alla Vita,' the latter featuring the Corrs. Many of Groban's performances here, including a neo prog-rock-opera take on Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' (with Lili Haydn), seem both bigger and bolder than their precious musical frameworks, a telling hint that Grand Opera can't be far from his grasp. As said earlier, there are worse things in life.
Buyer Reviews :
It really surprised me when I read reviews (e.g. _Entertainment Weekly_'s) that strongly criticized not only the content of the songs, but also Josh's voice, singing ability, and Italian pronunciation. While I agree that this album is not as spectacular as most of his fans make it out to be, I think those hyper-critical reviewers were a liiittle to harsh. I honestly am very impressed with Mr. Groban's voice, and I didn't find many places on the album where he seemed to struggle with the music. As a student of Italian, I can say that Josh's Italian pronunciation isn't perfect, but it's not bad either.
However, I do take issue with the songs themselves. Firstly, the lyrics to several of these songs really aren't all that creative or poetic. The lyrics to 'Home to Stay' are particularly unimaginative. 'Show, don't tell' used to be my writing professor's mantra when helping us to write descriptive pieces. I also agree that 'Vincent' was a bit cheesy... I was surprised to see that Don McClean had written it. However,I do like most of the lyrics to the foreign language pieces. 'Alla Luce del Sole' is quite lyrical even when translated into English. Second, almost all of these pieces are essentially about the same thing: love. I would like to see Groban use his gorgeous voice to cover a somewhat wider subject matter.
As a lapsed classical singer and a lover of several different genres of music, I like to think that I can pick out the good from the bad. As I've said, Josh's album isn't my favorite, but it definitely showcases his potential to be great.
(by lagitane)
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