Awake by Josh Groban (CD, Nov-2006, 143/Reprise)

I'll preface this by saying I've listened to the CD straight through now four times, so this is my impression of the overall CD based on that.

I absolutely adore Josh's first two CDs and I expected to love Awake too; I like it. I don't love it, at least not yet. It is a definite departure, style-wise, in my opinion. Josh has kept the orchestra but has lost most of the strong piano-driven melodies. Nearly every song has a drum line, whereas on his earlier CDs, maybe one or two had a discernable drum. Josh himself plays drums on one of the songs. Josh also has songwriting credits on more of the songs; David Foster still appears here and there, but is less of a force than on the earlier CDs. There are also some collaborations with guest artists (some successful, some not so much).

Of the 13 songs, 8 are in English this time, and those 8 seem to me to be more "radio friendly" than some of his past work. Of those 8, the collaboration with Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik (February Song) is by far the most likely to be a big hit.

Some - and only some - of the foreign language songs seem to me to be lacking the passion present in earlier CDs. I enjoyed the remake of Romeo and Juliet and the first song, Mai, but the remainder left me feeling flat.

My overall impression of Awake is that Josh is exploring some new sounds and feelings in his music. There really isn't much on Awake that sounds like anything on his previous CDs; the tone is different, the production is different, even the way he uses his voice is different. The feel of the music is much more contemporary top 20, a little jazzy and bluesy, less pop/easy listening and traditional foreign language.

I'm hoping on further listenings that I'll like this more; right now, it just seems a little strange. There's no denying that Josh is gifted; it just feels like something's missing.

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68 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
Christmas came early this year, November 7, 2006
By Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews


The twenty-five year old phenomenon with the swoon-inducing baritone returns with his third studio album just in time for Christmas, and I'm guessing that many of his fans are going to give themselves a pre-season treat.

Groban expands his horizons on this album, writing and producing some of the tracks, and mixing it up with international artistes like Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Herbie Hancock, not forgetting Dave Matthews, Five for Fighting and of course David Foster. Following his earlier formula, there are tracks in English, Italian and Spanish, and although the lyrics may be in another language, this doesn't detract from the simple and timeless beauty of the music.

First single "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" is one of the most inspiring tracks, with lyrics like "Don't give up / It's just the weight of the world / When you're heart's heavy / I...I will lift it for you", but the crème de la crème as far as I'm concerned is the amazing "February Song" where he accompanies himself on the piano.

Not to mention he's a total hottie!

Josh Groban is one of the most talented artists ever. At such a young age he has an amazing voice and sings in both English and Italian. These are the songs on this CD:

1. Mai

2. You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)

3. Un Dia Llegara

4. February Song

5. L'Ultima Notte

6. So She Dances

7. In Her Eyes

8. Solo Por Ti

9. Now Or Never

10. Un Giorno Per Noi (Romeo E Giulietta)

11. Lullaby (With Ladysmith Black Mambazo)

12. Weeping (With Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Vusi Mahlasela)

13. Machine (With Herbie Hancock)

This is my first CD by Josh and it was given to me as a gift. Until that day, I have never even *heard* of Josh Groban!

Not knowing what I was getting into as I un-wrapped the case and placed the CD into the stereo, I was *very* pleasantly surprised.

The first song, entitled “Mai”, (I found out later that it is in Italian), is sung in a hauntingly enchanting voice. I was hooked right then and there. Wow, what a voice! The way that this song is sung reminded me of the similarly hauntingly enchanting voice at the end of the movie, “The Gladiator”. Obviously done in a lower key, but still very effective.

As I started to research this artist, I found out that the second song, “You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up)”, is a pop hit, along with another fan favorite, "Un Giorno Per Noi" (The love theme from Romeo & Juliet). In addition to these, my other personal favorite is “February Song”.

He has a very soothing and calming voice, which helps to wash away the stresses of the day, so you can relax in your favorite chair with a nice glass of wine.

I’ve also learned that this is his third CD, which was released on November 7, 2006.

To add to his repertoire, he does a song entitled “Weeping” with Lady Black Mambazo, which has an African feel to it. The last song, “Machine”, done with Herbie Hancock, has a sort of bluesy / jazzy tempo which is fun to listen to.

No matter what language he is singing in, Italian or English, you are sure to enjoy this album of 13 songs.

I personally am looking forward to getting his two earlier CD’s, and I have instantly become what fans affectionately call themselves…a “Grobanite”!

IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE VOTE. THANK YOU !!

Josh Groban released his third studio album, "AWAKE", on November 7, 2006. That was a day to celebrate for the millions of Josh Groban fans around the world. As a Grobanite myself, I knew that I couldn't go wrong buying his newset CD. I have heard the CD about 20 times. The basic version of the CD has 13 songs, including his newest single called "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)". That is a very beautiful and uplifting song. It's my favorite song of the CD right now. My second fav is "Un Giornio Per Noi", a.k.a. "A Time For Us", the love song from "Romeo and Juliet". It starts slow and becomes a stirring ballad. Other songs I rate as excellent are "Un Dia Llegara", "Now Or Never", "February Song", "Mai" and "L'Ultima Notte". Josh co-wrote the music and the lyrics on "February Song" (The lyrics were co-written with John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting.) The expanded version has two extra songs and a 33-minute DVD where Josh talks a little about each song on the CD. Josh Groban was in concert beginning in February 2007. I saw him at US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona on March 25, 2007 from section 115. It was a great concert. Josh Groban has an awesome personality. That concert tour has already ended. Learn more about Josh at his website www.joshgroban.com. You can also find information at my site, "El Mundo De Monte Mendoza" at http://home.att.net/~elmundode​montemendoza/index.html Monte in Mesa, AZ

I decided to buy this because I can't really get enough of Josh Groban. I believe this is his best CD to date because I think it reflects more personal growth on his part. He wrote several of the songs which I thoroughly enjoy, and the others are excellent and chosen well, and compliment his voice. The songs I enjoyed the most are "You are Loved(Don't Give Up)" "Un Dia Llegara", "L'Ultima Notte" and "Un Giorno Per Noi" (The love theme from Romeo & Juliet). I don't understand a word of Italian, but the three that are sung in that language just sound so romantic! The song I liked the least was "Machine" written by Josh and two other songwriters. In the little booklet that came with the CD, there are 2 pages of Josh thanking people, and including his fans in that thank you. I was impressed by that, and it seems as if my Joshie is still a down to earth person, and that's what I like the most about him.=)