As Close As I Can Get (Closer - Josh Groban)

Member Name: sirg0508

Product:	Closer - Josh Groban
Date:	14/03/05 (1937 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Powerful vocals and lyrics

Disadvantages: Language barrier and lack of lyrics in the booklet

‘Closer’ is the second album from Josh Groban released in 2004 after his debut self titled album from 2001. He has an almost classical style to his music and has worked along many of the big names such as Charlotte Church, The Corrs and Lara Fabian while also having a starring role in Ally McBeal which was a big starting point in his musical success.

I first heard of Josh through watching Ally McBeal (thank you so much for re-runs!) where he played a choir singer facing the daunting task of singing in front of his class mates at his Prom. The powerful voice just grabbed me but it wasn’t until much later that I decided to see what I could find out about him. ‘Closer’ was about to be released and it contained one track I couldn’t wait to hear – ‘Broken Vow’. The original of this track is by Lara Fabian who I am also a big fan of and their styles are very similar. Josh and Lara have sung together many times although this is Josh’s solo version. There were several ads on TV when the album was released but by the time I saw them, I was already singing along to most of the tracks.

One of the best ways I can show you how much Josh made an impact on my musical tastes is the fact that he is the only male in my all-female CD collection. Really this is quite an honour and I have also recently bought his debut album so can’t wait to get stuck into it!

As I mentioned at the start, the album is quite classical and will probably not meet many people’s tastes. Another crucial factor some may face in deciding whether or not to buy this is the language barrier – there are 13 tracks on this album: 6 are in English, 5 are in Italian, one in Spanish and one track is in French. One of the huge downsides of the CD is the lack of lyrics in the booklet but they are readily available on the internet which does help the situation.

1. Oceano (Italian)
2. My Confession (English)
3. Mi Mancherai (Il postino) feat. Joshua Bell (Italian)
4. Si Volvieras a Mi (Spanish)
5. When You Say You Love Me (English)
6. Per Te (Italian)
7. All Improvviso Amore (Italian)
8. Broken Vow (English)
9. Caruso (Italian)
10. Remember When It Rained (English)
11. Hymne A L’Amour (French)
12. You Raise Me Up (English)
13. Never Let Go feat. Deep Forest (English)

Personally I do not speak Italian/Spanish and still in the process of learning French so my listening of the album used to be confined to the English tracks and the one French track. With my knowledge of French and knowing ‘Hymne à l’Amour’ as previously being sung by Patricia Kaas and Johnny Halliday, I was able to pick up the weaknesses in some of the pronunciation of the French lyrics. Josh has put his own spin on the track so it is quite different and the lyrics slightly adapted at the end. Josh has a strong voice and the accent on the French track is succeeded by the accordion. There are several climaxes in the song leading to a satisfying final note.

With my lack of understanding in the Italian department, the six tracks took a back seat and only were really played if I was busy and didn’t change the track. Even though I have absolutely no idea what is being said, each have their own charm and each are a delight to listen to even if it is just to hear the astounding instrumentals or Josh singing his heart out. If I were to choose my favourite, I’d have to say ‘All Improvviso Amore’. The track begins with a soothing start building up to an action type climax before turning to Josh and again slowing in tempo. The chorus picks up the pace which keeps the track going. It may sound strange but at times it reminds me of the tracks from the Disney film Aladdin. I’m not quite sure why. ‘Oceano’ was probably the first track I tried to learn the lyrics of but failed miserably as I was only going by listening rather than visually looking at the lyrics. There is a steady pace and Josh’s voice never falters leading to a remarkable chorus which is quite powerful as he grasps every note.

So onto the songs I know the best – the English ones. The first single release, ‘You Raise Me Up’ has been hugely popular and is even featured on Classic FM TV if you are lucky enough to see it. At first, this track was my favourite – it had everything I looked for in a song: a powerful voice, a ballad type style and complementary instrumentals. I can certainly see why this was chosen to be released – it will grab anyone’s attention. Josh is accompanied a prominent piano and by a choir on the track. I think it is all female but it just gives the track a little something extra that may not have been achieved with the instrumentals used.

‘Never Let Go’ is one I wasn’t so keen on when I first heard it as it seemed to have a very long introduction before the song began – I was getting impatient – 44 seconds was a long time! I usually skipped the track but after hearing the whole thing, I was hooked – the song stayed on repeat for what was probably hours. Back to ‘Broken Vow’ which as I mentioned before was originally by Lara Fabian. When writing the review of Lara’s album ‘Lara Fabian’ released in 2000, I compared both tracks only the find that I preferred Josh’s version to Lara’s. They equally have very powerful singing voices but Josh just somehow managed to evoke more feeling than Lara did. The only real noticeable difference is the adaptation of the lyrics of ‘his’ and ‘her’ to suit the gender.

I tend to link Tracks 5 and 10 together when I think of the album. Both English tracks have very similar styles and tempos with compelling lyrics but they are never high on my list to be played first. Contrary to this, my favourite out of all 13 tracks has to be ‘My Confession’. How one man feels about the woman he loves but he actually manages to put these feelings into words. Like so many people, this love was taken for granted and after it is taken away, it is realised what has been lost. The lyrics are expressive and it is probably one that many would listen to thinking about someone they have loved and lost. I wouldn’t say this track really fits a certain musical genre – it isn’t really classical and certainly not pop but something in the middle of the two.

After taking the album as a whole and understanding the lyrics to the tracks (only the English and French – still no idea what the Italian/Spanish ones mean), it is very clear that the album has a strong implication of support a person has for another yet the irony that it all ended because love had blinded them from seeing how much love and giving had been given to them. All that is now left is the memory of what once was. It’s powerful, not only vocally but also lyrically and to me Josh is one of the best male singers that I have heard for a long time. I am extremely happy that I decided to take the plunge and buy the album which has broadened my musical tastes a little more through hearing (and trying to learn) the Italian tracks but giving my collection a lot more classical style to it.

I’d say a very well deserved 4.5 (0.5 stars taken off for no lyrics and me not being able to understand the Italian tracks). I’ll just round it up to 5 stars :)

www.JoshGroban.com

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