BUY THE CD

I’m a sucker for a good voice. And this singer definitely has a good voice. I’m at risk of sounding like a teenager with a crush when I talk about this young singer’s voice, which is surprisingly rich and full for his teenage years. The words “swoon” and “melt” come to mind—I would be tempted to use them if they didn’t sound so, well, girly and mushy. I won’t use them, then—but I will say that this is great candlelight dinner music—and appeals to a wider audience than some classical music.

Most likely, hardcore classical music fans would say this CD isn’t classical enough for them—and to be honest, the background music sounds a bit pop to me as well at times. However, the songs on this CD are well-chosen to display Groban’s soaring voice, which manages to be operatic but not overly so.

By the way, if you’re one of those people who insist on understanding all the lyrics on a CD—and don’t speak Italian and French—this CD may not be for you. A sampling of older classical music and soaring modern songs flow together in this mix. The song that consistently seems a bit off to me is the one where Groban sings with The Corrs—their voices are such a different style from his that it seems almost discordant.

But this CD deserves its success—it’s a fairly strong debut for a strong voice.