CD: Josh Groban - Awake
A few years ago a CD crept on to shelves that paved the way for an avalanche of imitators. It was Josh Groban’s excellent eponymous debut album and it became a bestseller. People around the world were quick to embrace this new musical genre which combined pop and opera into a hybrid that became known as ‘popera’. Since then we have been inundated with similar acts (Il Divo, Alessandro Safina, Mario Frangoulis, Patrizio Buanne, Vittoria Grigolo et al) yet Groban has maintained his position as one of the most popular artists in the category.
His second album, Closer, varied slightly in style and although a hit, wasn’t as good as the first. Still, Groban’s star did not diminish; he lent his voice to film soundtracks, did Live DVDs and CDs and toured the world. Now, five years on, Groban is back with his third studio album, Awake.
This collection shifts even further away from his debut and features a diverse mix of songs taken from all corners of the globe. Although super-producer David Foster (Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Barbra Streisand) is still involved, the album lacks the polish that the first album had. Whereas the first album featured songs such as To Where You Are (written by Grammy Award winner Richard Marx), You’re Still You (based on a theme by Ennio Morricone and with lyrics by Linda Thompson), Cirque Du Soleil’s Let Me Fall, Don McLean’s Vincent and The Prayer, where Groban was joined by Charlotte Church, the song choice on his follow-ups, particularly Awake, has left a lot to be desired, boasting at best a few singles that demand a repeat listen.
Now, that isn’t to say that Awake doesn’t feature a stellar cast behind the scenes, it does. Here Groban works with the likes of Guy Sigsworth (Bjork, Seal, Britney Spears, Madonna), Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson, Alanis Morissette, Quincy Jones, No Doubt), Dave Matthews, Herbie Hancock and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The problem with Awake is that it lacks a common thread, jumping around too much in style to be coherent. One minute it is standard popera, the next moody pop, then African spiritual. For my mind there are too many cooks in the kitchen. His debut was quite obviously guided and carefully orchestrated by Foster, resulting in the album that it was, however as Groban has become more successful and more people have become involved in the creative process (including Groban who now writes and produces) the work has suffered.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though. The album isn’t bad, it just isn’t great. You could use it as a nice little soundtrack for your next dinner party, just don’t expect guests to ask what is playing. When played straight through it ends up sounding a bit naff. All of it? Well not quite, there are stand-outs and they come in the form of two songs with Ladysmith Black Mambazo (one penned by Groban and Dave Matthews, the other, Weeping, was discovered by Groban on a trip to South Africa) but good parts aren’t enough to save the whole.
Nevertheless, this CD is probably going to sell well over the Christmas period, but I won’t be buying it for anyone. Although Groban can sing and is certainly very talented, a fact he does show off on Awake, perhaps it is time to go back to basics and remember what got him started in the first place.
