Josh Groban awakes

It has been nearly two years since young baritone Josh Groban notched a milestone with his album Closer. His second release, it made No. 1 in the pop charts thanks to the hit singles You Raise Me Up, Broken Vow and My Confession. Two years before that he was the gawky 19-year-old who became a star after he sang To Where You Are to Ally MacBeal and mesmerized televiewers all over the world.

Back then, Groban seemed like a novelty, a kid who sang like the opera singers of old, a budding Bocelli but no teen heartthrob. Nobody thought that he had a chance of becoming a pop star save for his discoverer and producer David Foster. One of the most successful in the business, he has created hits for Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Toni Braxton and others. He would also later discover Michael Bublé. Foster knows stars when he sees them and he knew Groban was one. So with the one-two punch of the albums Josh Groban and Closer, Groban did become a star and a very big one at that.

Now comes the new album entitled Awake. Basically, it adheres to the already twice over successful Groban formula. It is a showcase for the voice and is either inspirational as in the first single You are Loved (Don’t Give Up), or romantic as in In Her Eyes, in content. It mixes opera with rock and pop and English songs with Italian and Spanish. The materials are old, like the sweet love song So She Dances and the adaptation of the Romeo and Juliet theme A Time for Us, Un Giorno Per Noi (Romeo e Giulietta) and new as in February Song, which credits Groban as one of the writers.

Aside from the fact that he is now doing serious songwriting, he also co-wrote Machine, Lullaby and Now or Never, there are other interesting changes or maybe I should say improvements. Groban, for one is now a grown-up 25-year-old. Not only is his voice fuller, he now knows how to work it to achieve the best results. I find it amazing how he now soars with his falsettos and the full command he exhibits with power ballads. Take note too of how at ease he is with the languages.

What is most important though is that Groban is also off to explore other types of sound. This is truly a daring move for any artist with an established following, particularly for somebody who is only on his third album. His Lullaby is performed in a cappella with the Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a famous group in the field of World Music. This tribal approach is repeated in Weeping. Then for a jazzy feel, Groban goes to Herbie Hancock for the closing track, Machine. The combination does not always work but I like the fact that he is willing to try new sounds. Besides, should anything untoward happen, that voice will surely bail him out.

Now, now, where on earth is the title cut Awake. A friend told me that the song is included along with a few others in a special edition version of the album. I do not know if it is available locally but if not, I am sure it will be included in some future Groban album. Other tracks included in Awake, the regular addition are Mai, Un Dia Llegara, L’Ultima Notte and Solo Por Ti.

Violin Masterclasses by Takako Nishizaki

Now some good news in the local classical music scene. Naxos, the world’s leading classical music label, presents Violin Masterclasses by Takako Nishizaki. This will be held at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music tomorrow and at the St. Scholastica’s College of Music Department on Nov. 15.

Ms. Nishizaki was a winner of the New York Levenritt International Competition and the Julliard Concerto Competition and has performed with various orchestras all over the world from the Moscow Symphony to the Hong Kong Philharmonic. She is the first student to complete the now famous Suzuki Method of music education and her recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons has sold over one million copies making her one of the best-selling violinists of all time.

Naxos will also give An Inside Look at the Classical Music Industry through the eyes of its founder Klaus Heymann. It will be held at the UST Conservatory of Music tomorrow and at the University of the Philippines College of Music on Nov. 16. Naxos has been providing classical music lovers with quality recordings for almost 20 years. It was awarded with the Gramophone/Classic FM Label of the Year award in 2005.