Russell Watson CD - That's Life
In the early noughties, self proclaimed "people's tenor" RussellWatson was the talk of the popera town. Jostling in a market place with the likes of Il Divo, Andrea Bocelli, Alessandro Safina, Josh Groban et al, Watson produced four albums of quasi-classical pop opera which sold millions of copies and won a swag of awards. Then he disappeared.
This exile from the public eye wasn't the result of a career change or disinterest from fans, rather it was Watson's discovery that he had a brain tumour - reportedly the size of two golf balls. He got the news of the diagnosis two days before he was due to begin recording his latest album, now titled - surely with some irony - That's Life. He immediately began treatment, setting aside all work commitments to focus on his recovery.
When he finally returned to the legendary Capitol Studios in L.A to record the CD, Watson says the direction of the album changedcompletely. What was originally intended to be a collection of pop opera material similar to that featured on his other releases became instead a collection of classic big band numbers. Watson says that this is the type of music he enjoys singing most (having begun his career as a singer on working men's club circuit around the UK). And following the serous jolt of the cancer and its treatment, he felt he needed to record them.
The passion Watson has for this material shines through in his performance of songs such as Strangers in the Night, When I Fall in Love, Summer Wind and Smile, making That's Life arguably his best album to date. Watson's powerful voice is well suited to these big songs and his interpretations prove that he isn't just singing them but really feeling them.
At times That's Life, with its lush arrangements by Jorge Calandrelli (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion) excellent production by Nick Patrick and Watson's voice, really does sound like something that would have been produced in the era when Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Nat King Cole ruled the airwaves. Simply a must have CD.
Russell Watson. That's Life. Out now through Universal Music.
