Josh Groban

Josh Groban (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 20, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B00005RGNI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,056 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #708 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > Vocal & Song
  #3 in	Music > Opera & Vocal > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > Cantatas
  #37 in	Music > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Vocals
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 20-NOV-2001

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, January 21, 2002

By A Customer

Is he singing about ravioli? I wouldn't know, I don't speak Italian. I wouldn't care if he was, his Italian songs are so beautiful and romantic as well as those in English and Spanish. This is an extremely talented young man with an exceptional gift. A voice beyond his years and beyond belief. I don't know if it's possible to wear out a CD, but if so, I'm well on my way.
I have played this CD over and over and I truly never tire of it.
Josh sings with such maturity and such feeling it filters thru your ears and into the soul. If you really love a beautiful voice, treat yourself to this CD. . The only track I can criticize is The Prayer with Charlotte Church, I feel her voice is too weak to blend with Josh's. It would have been better for him to go solo. I can't recommend this CD highly enough.

93 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful New Young Talent, January 25, 2002

By	Brian S. Hunt "PCalaf" (Wallington, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a find. For someone so young, his voice has a wonderfull warmth and passion. The album is for the most part wonderful, with his English pieces being his showcase. The foreign language songs, which grow on you with each listening, tend to be a bit too modernized to match his voice and don't tend to reach the same level of passion as the English. As with any young singer you notice a few inperfections, but still a joy to listen to over and over. The biggest disappointment is the duet between Mr. Groban and Ms. Church. Her performance is horrible, lacking the ability to match the quality of his voice in color, expression, range or power. Age is not helping her young voice.

92 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!!, January 25, 2002

By	Terry McCauley (Mobile, Alabama) - See all my reviews

There was a question asked some time back and that was, "would America ever find another Bryn Terfel. Well, the answer is right her in this CD, and that answer is YES! His name is Josh Groban and he is destined to join the ranks of some of the great voices of our time. His versatility is also aptly demonstrated in this CD as he travels from classical to show to pop. The only correction I would have made in the selections herein would have been to delete the duet he does with Charlotte Church on "The Prayer". Miss Church's school-girl like voice has absolutely no congruency with Josh's, thus the number sounds like a father/daughter rendition with only the father's voice standing out. But if you can tune out Miss Church's singing, you are left with a great "solo" rendition by Josh.