Title : Russell Watson · The Voice
Author : Ennio Morricone
Release Date : 20010417
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $11.79
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Editorial Reviews : Russell Watson's story is a classic rags-to-riches fairy tale: The former welder, after years of singing in pubs and clubs, traveled from Salford, his hometown, to London. He turned up unannounced at the Decca offices and was promptly signed up by one of the most important classical labels in the world. Vocal coaching followed, as did a number of successful live appearances supporting Cliff Richard. Now, we have this recital CD, which explores a wide range of musical styles. Watson's Italian is a little ponderous in tracks such as 'Amor Ti Vieta,' but this is more than offset by his captivating and utterly natural-sounding tenor voice. The inevitable popular arias are here, namely 'La Donna è Mobile' and 'Nessun Dorma,' sung with a refreshing and youthful vitality. Pop tracks, including Ultravox's classic 1980s hit 'Vienna' and a witty cover version of 'Barcelona' sung with former Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder, sit comfortably on the disc. Watson performs them with integrity, not simply paying lip service to the music of his generation. Watson has the potential to do for classical music what Jamie Oliver has done for cookery, and there are few people who won't find this debut CD appealing.
Buyer Reviews : I had heard in classical music circles that Russell Watson was this not very good tenor who had become very popular without being very good. Nothing had prepared me for the experience of listening to him myself. First of all, no comparison should be made between Russell Watson and a genuine classical music performer. Despite the fact that some of his tracks are adapted from great masterpieces (with wind chimes and things added), there is no more reason to consider him a classical musician than there would be to consider Jim Carrey a serious sportsman if he suddenly decided to throw a football around during half-time at a big game. But we live in an age of this kind of singing... There is a big difference between the cream of the crop having a bit of fun and making a few million dollars by putting on a popular show, and someone whose appalling vocal technique would not survive un-miked in an opera house for even one full season and whose musicality is next to nil. Watson misses the inconvenient step of being an opera singer and goes straight for the commercialism...There exists something in the world called kitsch. The idea of kitsch is that you take a great masterpiece of art, say for example the Mona Lisa, and you make a cookie jar out of it, or a plastic backlit reproduction of it. That's what this music is. No more than a glow-in-the-dark David or a [short story magazine] Dostoevsky should this be confused with the real thing. The art of singing opera requires discipline and great technical skill, as well as thorough musical training, and it is consequently very rewarding when done with care and genuine feeling. Thomas Allen, one of the premiere opera singers of the past thirty years, has described Russell Watson as a pub tenor. It's not a friendly description, but it's true. Go to the original. If you like the music Russell Watson sings - with his added sound effects and rewritten orchestration - hopefully you will like the real thing even more...
As an afterthought - I really have to say that to call this album 'The Voice' is an insult to whoever buys it, whether they genuinely enjoy the music or not. It's awful to have to put it like that, but he has a dreadfully inadequate voice which is very nasal and poorly placed... The present album is the musical equivalent of [hamburger restaurant] changing the name of their hamburger to a steak sandwich and expecting people to think it's prime corn-fed Iowa. It's amazing the things people do for money.
