Closer --- Josh Groban --- 2003 (Reprise/Warner)
I first heard Josh singing “Remember when it rained” on an unnamed American internet radio station, and was so impressed that, although I couldn't remember his name, I had a very basic idea of it and searched the record shops around Dublin, asking questions until I finally found out who he was, and bought this album. When I first hit PLAY I was initially a little disappointed/taken aback,as the first track (and seven others on the album, out of 15) were sung in a foreign language. I could hazard they were (some of them) Spanish, Italian, maybe Portuguese, but the truth is I didn't then and don't now know. However I persevered; the voice was so enthralling, and so I luckily avoided making a major and ill-informed decision that would have been to my detriment.
In other words, I listened on, and even though I could not tell what he was singing about, the songs were so beautiful and the voice so captivating that I found I didn't care. I would find myself trying to sing along with efforts like “A quiera sella mon ni ere!” which means absolutely nothing, is not correct and probably nothing like what's on the track, but hey, I really liked them that much that I had to (try to) sing along!
That's the beauty of Josh Groban's music. It really doesn't matter what language the songs are sung in, and whether or not you can understand them, or know what they're about
: the songs are enough on their own, and to be fair, it's a rare artist that will convince me, through the pure power of their songs and their singing, to ignore, or try to surmount, the language barrier.
Most of the songs on this, his second album, are sung in a classical/operatic style (think Andrea Bocceli or Il Divo), with powerful and effective orchestral arrangement, and the whole thing is wonderfully produced by one of the top men in the field, David Foster who, I'm reliably informed, actually discovered Josh Groban and gave him his first big break.
There are tracks sung in English too (hey, if there are 15 tracks on the album and 8 are in other languages, then there are 7 in English, right?), but the beauty of this album is that it really doesn't matter either way. “Si volvieras a mi” is just as enjoyable as “Broken vow”, and “Caruso” stands up perfectly beside “When you say you love me”, or his wonderfully understated version of the late Michael Jackson's “She's out of my life.” Music that transcends language barriers, without doubt.
They're pretty much all slow ballads ---- what many people would refer to as Easy Listening, which is probably where you'll find Josh Groban's albums stored in a music shop, or on itunes, but some of them are very powerful, like the opener, “Oceano”, once it gets going, and “Per te”, later on. Other tracks are gentler, more restrained, such as the heartbreakingly smooth vocal delivery on “Remember when it rained”, and the triumphant yet low-key cover of “You raise me up”. Although none of these songs are written by Josh (you can't have everything!) he makes each and every one his own, even “She's out of my life”, made mega-famous by Michael Jackson, although it was actually written by Tom Bahler in 1979.
“Closer” is an album I find perfect for relaxing to, even falling asleep to, though that's not to say that it's in any way boring. True, it's not an album you'd put on to work out to, or while driving down the highway with the top down, but it's an excellent, flawless album which deserves a listen. Don't be put off by the non-English songs: they're worth getting into, and you may after a short while find yourself, like me, very unsuccessfully trying to sing in another language as you try to sing along to “Caruso” or “Mi morena”....
TRACKLISTING
1. Oceano
2. My confession
3. Mi mancherai (Il Postino)
4. Si volvieras a mi
5. When you say you love me
6. Per te
7. All'improvviso amore
8. Broken vow
9. Caruso
10. Remember when it rained
11. Hymne a l'amour
12. You raise me up
13. Never let go
14. Mi morena
15. She's out of my life
Suggested further listening: "Awake", also "Here's to the heroes" by the Ten Tenors