Josh Groban - Noel
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Josh GrobanBrand: Heart Beat Records
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2007-10-09
Music Label: WEA/Reprise
Soundtracks:
- -Silent Night
- -Little Drummer Boy
- -I'll be home for Christmas
- -Ava Maria
- -Angels We Have Heard On High
- -Thankful
- -The Christmas Song
- -What Child is this
- -First Noel
- -Petit papa Noel
- -It came upon a Midnight Clear
- -Panis Angelicus
- -O Come all Ye Faithful
Free Music Notes for Noel
Free Music Review: A new Christmas classic...
Hit: 5 Stars
Noel is the type of Christmas album Josh Groban's fans have been hoping for ever since he burst on to the music scene in 2001 with his self-titled debut. The following year teased fans with the release of a gorgeous, classical rendering of "O Holy Night" - a bonus track on his Josh Groban in Concert (with Bonus DVD) project. It's been a five year wait since then for a full Christmas album, but Noel proves it's been worth the wait. It's chock-full of Christmas classics, and thanks to production by David Foster, each song is now stamped with Groban's signature sound - lush, orchestral arrangements that perfectly frame his exquisite vocals. What sets apart so many of the recordings of familiar carols on Noel from the countless other versions out there is the smart pop sensibility woven throughout many of the arrangements. While the songs feel familiar the arrangements are fresh and there are new melodic hooks that set Groban's performances apart from the vast slew of Christmas music that's available. For example, "Little Drummer Boy," featuring guitarist Andy McKee, is one of the standout tracks on the album. It's transformed from a sweet carol into a soaring pop anthem with a stirring penny whistle solo that lends it a Celtic feel (somewhat reminiscent of "You Raise Me Up"). Similar to this is "What Child Is This?," where the lilting rhythm of the music turns it into pure ear candy. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," featuring Josh on the piano, is beautiful in it's simplicity which How one views "I'll Be Home for Christmas" depends on your tolerance for songs containing dialogue. Here, Groban's exquisite reading of the lyric is interspersed with Christmas greetings from soldiers stationed overseas. The combination recalls the song's origins as a World War II anthem of hope, and when you keep in mind the historical context of the song and listen to the heartfelt messages from soldiers today, the effect is incredibly moving. (And I'm not biased just because one of the solders is a friend of mine. ;-)) The one original song on the album is "Thankful," a lovely David Foster-Carol Bayer Sager ballad about remembering in the midst of the craziness of life to be thankful for the blessings in our lives. Only time will tell if this song will become a holiday classic like the Foster-penned "My Grown-Up Christmas List," but the potential is there. Groban duets with Brian McKnight on laid-back, guitar driven version of "Angels We Have Heard On High" - McKnight's smooth voice provides a nice counterpoint to Groban's more robust baritone - it's a nice juxtaposition of vocal styles. He also sings "The First Noel" with Faith Hill. I'm a huge Hill fan but she sounds a tad hoarse here, and one gets the sense singing opposite Groban really pushed her a bit beyond the range she sounds most comfortable singing. I would've preferred to hear Groban sing with the likes of Carrie Underwood on this track instead - she has a crystalline purity to her voice that would've been a gorgeous foil to Groban's vocal. The disc closes with a stunner - "O Come All Ye Faithful," featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, where Groban unleashes the full power of his voice and soars. Noel is an instant Christmas classic, thanks to Groban's magnificent voice, timeless songs, and fresh arrangements that play to Groban's strengths as a vocalist and while breathing fresh life into beloved Christmas music.
Noel Poster
Bringing Josh Groban?s majestic yet intimate voice to Christmas music is truly a gift this holiday season. The young Adult Contemporary star?s fourth studio album brings together the traditional such as Silent Night with the contemporary such as I?ll Be Home For Christmas and the new, Thankful. Featuring duets with Country?s Faith Hill and R&B?s Brian McKnight, and inspirational music?s master choir, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and produced by the illustrious David Foster the album?s wide appeal promises that a timeless Christmas music classic will be beneath the tree this year.Josh Groban Photo
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The Grammy-nominated, twenty-something, pop-classical phenomenon's fourth studio album is an expertly accomplished entry to the holiday marketplace. Noël tackles the familiar sounds of holiday music with a charmingly eclectic array of guest vocalists and a wide range of material. The songs range from the sacred to the secular, while Groban--buoyed in spots by none other than the London Symphony Orchestra--soars in his duets with Brian McKnight, Faith Hill, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. There's even a song with a gospel choir directed by Kirk Franklin. Produced yet again by crossover maestro David Foster, the arrangements never overwhelm the songs. Groban's smooth and supple vocals can be hard to categorize--seeing how his range is somewhere in-between a high baritone and a low tenor--but he always finds and emphasizes the emotional core of these songs. And whether they have origins in pop or classical music seems not to matter. The addition of messages from troops stationed in Iraq on top of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is undeniably heart-wrenching, while the album's highlight is its most spare song, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," which finds Groban alone at his piano, sounding very much like some kind of angel. --Mike McGonigal
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