Josh Groban in Concert [CD & DVD] - Groban, Josh (CD 2002)

Preamble
So one night in November, I'm home, bored, and flipping channels. I hardly ever go to our PBS station but for some reason that night I did.

Guess what I found?

Gasp!

That's right. The Josh Groban concert was just about to premier. I couldn't believe my luck! With the boys out of the house (husband and son) and no other commitments that night, I giggled at the thought of enjoying a girly-girl night in front of the television. I immediately changed into some flannel jammies, grabbed a mug of hot chocolate (extra marshmallows), turned all of the lights down low, and wrapped myself up in my blankie on the couch.

Ah! Just me and Josh.

Who Is Josh Groban?
As if you can't tell from the picture you see on the front of his cd cover, he's a very attractive dark-haired man, complete with scruff. Too bad he's only 21! Just a youngster! At least he can drink. Last year when I reviewed his debut cd, he was still underage...

Josh is one of those young men who had the talent and was in the right place at the right time.

Although he started singing in seventh grade (you know, the school choir thing), his big break came while he was attending the Interlochen Arts Program. He had begun to buckle down and get serious and part of getting serious was studying under the guidance of a vocal coach.

Coincidentally, pop-producer David Foster was friends with this vocal coach and one day, he had called him to see if he had any singers who could participate in the Governor of California's Inauguration. Josh was his guy.

His performance must have bowled over Mr. Foster because when he was in a pinch at the Grammy Awards, he called Josh to step in for Andrea Bocelli and rehearse The Prayer with Celine Dion.

Soon, Mr. Foster was booking him for several events and Josh had a decision to make - Carnegie Mellon or a record deal. Hmmmmmmm.........

Lucky Us!!!!

Now About The Artist And His Music
When I first heard Josh last year, I had a difficult time placing him into some sort of box. He's not pop. He's not opera in the classical sense. My friend Jen says that he's this generation's answer to Barry Manilow. She scares me when she talks like that however, there is a little bit of saneness in her thought process. Instead of saying Barry Manilow, I would prefer the term Adult Contemporary. He has a leg up on many adult contemporary artists because he appeals to so many different demographics. Part of that is his physical features, some of it is his material, and the rest is his vocal abilities.

When you hear Josh's voice, you hear a lot of classical training. Although Josh's website classifies him as a baritone, his range is so wide that I think that he could easily be classified as a tenor. His range - both breadth and depth is incredible. And the scary thing is, with time, I think he'll only get better.

While I like opera, I'm no expert in it. When I compare to some of the other giants, there are some noticable differences, but only slight. Some of his Italian doesn't seem to be as precise as his English or Spanish. Or maybe he's just more nervous singing in Italian. I'm not sure what it is. It just seems like he sacrifices some of his emotion so that he can concetrate on diction.

I told you last year that, when you listen to his music, your first instinct is to embrace the person you love and dance around the room, like you're floating on air. One year later, his voice still gives me that same feeling.

If you've never heard Josh sing, the first time you do, you'll probably think that you've heard him before. His early exposure was on Ally McBeal two-three years ago where he sang You're Still You and To Where You Are. These are two thoughtful songs that sound very classical and old - like something you might have heard out of some deep, romantic time period. Credit goes to Foster's wife, Linda Thompson and balladeer Richard Marx for writing songs that sweep girls off of their feet.

What You Get
When I went to go pick this up at Target I was in sticker shocked. $26.88!!! That's when I looked closer and saw that this was Josh Groban in concert - on dvd and cd. What a cool marketing idea! So many times, they release the cd and then later, the dvd and then you're out $35-$40.

The dvd contains his live concert performance from PBS, including all of the audience claps (hey - that's what makes it live - right?!) In addition, you get 2 Bonus features - Making of the PBS Special and Chris Groban's Backstage Footage.

Featured Songs
Alla Luce Del Sole
You're Still You
Vincent (Starry Starry Night)
Gira Con Me Questa Notte
Un Amore Per Sempre
Alejate
Broken Vow
To Where You Are
Cinema Paradiso
For Always
Home To Stay
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
Canto Alla Vita
The Prayer
Let Me Fall

All of these songs can be found on his debut cd, Josh Groban with the exception of O Holy Night, Broken Vow, and For Always.

The cd has a smaller selection of the songs from the live concert performance.

Tracks
Un Amore Per Sempre
Alejate
The Prayer
For Always
Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Broken Vow
O Holy Night

I gave you a general feel of Josh - his approach to singing and how I felt about his material. What's the incentive to buy this cd since 90% of the material is on his debut cd?

That's actually an easy question to answer!

First, the dvd offers us something we've never had before - Josh performing live. It's one thing to hear a studio recording, it's another thing to watch music performed in front of a live audience. Josh has a special something - call it professionalism, call it artistry, call it musicianship - whatever you want, he definitely has a presence that brings his material to life.

Second, Angie Stone steps in for Charlotte Church on The Prayer. If you don't remember how I feel about Charlotte, let me remind you. I think that she's talented however her arrogance overshadows her performance. When she teamed up with Josh for this song on his cd, I felt like I was in the middle of a Celine Dion track (but just when she sang). Although this isn't something I would consider Angie Stone material, I think that she complemented Josh well. The drama was held to a minimum and I enjoyed the song for what it was.

Third, you get to watch/hear world famous composer John Williams who wrote one of the extra songs, For Always, perform with Josh. The song, which was written for the movie, A.I. has a very mystical feeling to it.

The End
A must have for Josh Groban fans. Those of you bored by popular music should give him a listen, especially you romantic folks :).

I am anxiously awaiting new material from Josh. Until then, this 2-fer will do.

Great Music To Play While: Dreaming that you're a princess and that Josh is your white knight.