2 albums to watch for

The kids now much prefer downloading or streaming songs to buying the physical album and this situation is killing the music industry and in a way, also the way to fully appreciating music. With this return to the singles market, today’s music lovers have also lost the chance to experience varied emotions that listening to a complete album brings. 

An album tells a story, conveys feelings and allows the listener to savor a complete experience. With singles, you take the music piece meal, content yourselves with three or four minutes of a song that is quickly superseded by another and another. It makes me think of multi-tasking with one’s emotions and memories. No wonder people end up harried and stressed nowadays. 

All is not lost though. With downloading and streaming sites making music, instant and disposable, there are artists who are fighting back with a vengeance. They are recording concept albums that command to be listened to in their entirety. One of these is Engelbert Humperdinck. The British pop star who named himself after a 19th century opera composer has a new release titled Engelbert Calling and it is a spectacular, big-budgeted package, no one will regret spending money on. 

Just like most recordings today, you can download or stream a cut or two from Engelbert Calling and it would be okay. But then you would be so curious about what he did with the other songs that it would be best to get the whole, physical copy of the album and listen to the whole thing. Make sure you do because Engelbert really outdid himself with this one.

Engelbert Calling is a two-disc set of 22 duets by Engelbert with some of the biggest music stars of today. He really shot for the top with guest artists, ranging from Johnny Mathis to Gene Simmons of the rock band Kiss, to even his kids, Louise and Bradley, singing with him in the bonus tracks Better and Father And Son. They sound good.

He also did not allow himself to be confined to a specific time frame or music type. He has country and rock ’n roll, his own hits and those by others. He simply put his guests at home and let loose with the songs. The result is a very different, very relaxed Engelbert who, I must say, is in an excellent vocal form in every cut. I honestly find it hard to believe that he is 78 years old. 

I love Engelbert having fun with Gene Simmons in Spinning Wheel. He blends really well with Kenny Rogers in She Believes In Me. Kiss Me Honey with Tini is a cute novelty number. Johnny still sounds dreamy in A Certain Smile; and Since I Lost My Baby with Cliff Richard and I Need You Now with Lulu are very pop moments. My sentimental favorite though is The Hungry Years, still one of Neil Sedaka’s most beautiful songs.

Then there are also: Something In The Way You Look Tonight by Elton John; Never Never Never with Olivia Newton-John; Spanish Eyes with Il Divo; Make You Feel My Love by Willie Nelson; Real Love by Shelby Lynne; Release Me by Wynonna Judd; Ain’t That Peculiar by Andrea Corr; It Matters to Me by Dionne Warwick; She with Charles Aznavour; It’s Impossible/ Somos Novios by Armando Manzanero and others.

Want another album you would do well to buy and listen to in its entirety in one seating instead of downloading or streaming a cut or two? Then, I heartily recommend Inspirato by Yanni. You know Yanni. He is the Greek musician and New Age star who stages concerts in places like the Acropolis in Athens or the Taj Mahal in Agra or the Forbidden City in Beijing and sells a lot of albums where he mixes pop, classical, World and other influences to create his own kind of sound. 

Inspirato is Yanni’s latest although this is not really Yanni performing. This is music by Yanni, actually his biggest hits over the years in a concept similar to the Truth of Touch album from some years ago. The difference is that the melodies were given new Italian lyrics and then sung by some of the best opera voices in the world today. Yanni’s usual producer Rick Wake is on hand but a new collaborator is Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, whose son Placido Jr. wrote some of the new lyrics and also sings.

Yanni fans will surely want to know what was done to their ultimate favorite melody, Aria from the Dare To Dream album. The song is presented here as Ode A L’humanite by Pretty Yende and it sounds as heavenly as always. Of course, it now also comes across as more classical and more opera because of the lyrics. This makes me think that an opera with music by Yanni might now be in the drawing board.

The other cuts are I Genitori (To Take To Hold) by Renee Fleming; Ode Alla Grecia (The End of August) by Domingo; L’Ombra Dell’angelo (Nice To Meet You) by Katherine Jenkins; Hasta El Ultimo Momento (Until The Last Moment) by Placido Domingo and Renee Fleming; Riconsimento (Tribute) by Domingo, Pacheco, Placido Domingo Jr., Micaela Oeste and Chloe Lowery; Incanto (Enchantment) by Russell Watson; Il Primo Tocco (First Touch) by Domingo Jr.; and others.