Rating:  Summary: For pianists, the arrangements are fantastic! Review: As a pianist with about 8 years of lady-next-door training and 3 years with college professors, I find these arrangements to be challenging, yet very playable, and very unique. They follow the melody enough to be enjoyable for anyone hooked on Josh's CD, yet have beautifully arranged accompaniments as well. I don't like it when I buy the piano version only to find it doesn't resemble anything I heard on the CD, or that the melody line is omitted, to be filled in by the singer - it makes them less enjoyable to play. These arrangements are not like that, but provide everything they should - great music to enjoy playing!
Rating:  Summary: For pianists, the arrangements are fantastic! Review: As a pianist with about 8 years of lady-next-door training and 3 years with college professors, I find these arrangements to be challenging, yet very playable, and very unique. They follow the melody enough to be enjoyable for anyone hooked on Josh's CD, yet have beautifully arranged accompaniments as well. I don't like it when I buy the piano version only to find it doesn't resemble anything I heard on the CD, or that the melody line is omitted, to be filled in by the singer - it makes them less enjoyable to play. These arrangements are not like that, but provide everything they should - great music to enjoy playing!
Rating:  Summary: Awesome piano music... Review: Hard enough to work at, easy enough to enjoy right away. My only nitpick? Alla Luce del Sole was put into an easier key. Makes it sound WAY different. I would have preferred working in A flat minor, personally. Other than this, it's exquisite.
Rating:  Summary: How can a million plus buyers be wrong? Review: How can a million plus buyers be wrong? Remember, once upon a time, lots of people thought that Christopher Cross (no great vocalist by any standard, it's safe to say) was the last word in entertainment.What folks have to realize, is that guys like David Foster are not in the business to present or promote great art or polished performers. Foster and his collegues are quite adept at taking the mass audience's temperature, though. They are also masters in the presentation and promotion of a product/performer that will make them some quick cash. Josh's album was marketed as "classical" because it doesn't fit into rap or pop or R&B or jazz. It contains no opera arias or art songs, however. All the songs are Italian pop songs or English ballads written for movies & TV. Still everyone keeps going on about what a great opera singer Josh is. The truth is that Josh's voice is ready for prime time TV, but not ready for the opera house. This is not to say that he WON'T be cast in an opera somewhere before he is ready--some opera people may find justification for cashing in while the cashing in is good... It's hard to imagine Josh as Figaro in "The Barber of Seville" without a lot more vocal and artistic maturity. The higher notes on these songs are clearly a challenge for Josh. Josh has a quavering vibrato and intonation is suspect at times. Josh also needs to focus upon improving his diction. When all is said and done, Josh is a typical vocalist for his age in a large international sea of other vocalists; many of whom have equal or better voices but do not have a publicity machine behind them. If Josh has the guts to turn down the money, he will retire and take 10-12 more years of serious training before embarking on a singing career. For a young American singer you might enjoy, go to ...
Rating:  Summary: Fantastic Voice...Fantastic Arrangement Review: I am not nearly as gifted in the vocal department as Josh is, however, I do play the flute, and after getting hooked on his cd, I got this book. The wonderful things about this book is that since the melody is there, I can play the melody. The songs are in an easy enough key, and the notes are never out of reach. Josh Groban is young still, and I simply can not wait to see what his voice will be like in 10 years. If you like to play excellent music, this book is wonderful. You may find, however, that it will be necessary to raise the songsb y an octave (mainly due to the limitations of your instrument) but the result is the same, and still powerful.
Rating:  Summary: Just Josh... Review: I don't play a musical instrument, I don't know how to read notes, but I do know that this book is a must have if only for the pictures and its importance to music history. Josh is destined to be the music super-star of this century..There's no one like him.......
Rating:  Summary: HE IS A POP SINGER! Review: In fact, Josh has never said that he is an "Opera" singer. Never. He specifically said he's a pop singer. Josh said he wants to try to sing opera after 10 years, it's the medias who keep labeling him as an opera singer. The songs he sings are pop songs with classical influences.
Rating:  Summary: HE IS A POP SINGER! Review: In fact, Josh has never said that he is an "Opera" singer. Never. He specifically said he's a pop singer. Josh said he wants to try to sing opera after 10 years, it's the medias who keep labeling him as an opera singer. The songs he sings are pop songs with classical influences.
Rating:  Summary: Down With The Naysayers! Review: It is true... there aren't any true classical art songs in this collection. And yes, Josh may not be ready to sing opera. HOWEVER, he is still in training and he defintely has an opera voice in the making. The songs in this collection are amazing, Josh is amazing and whoever thinks otherwise is jealous and in denial.
Rating:  Summary: Reponse to La Pierre Review: Josh has never been categorized as Opera, and that's something you should no. Fans have said that because they don't know what opera is, but he is NOT classified as opera and never has been. He says this himself, that is not and will never be opera. He is easy-listening, classical-pop-vocal, almost genreless, but they gotta put him somewhere in the music store. That place is easy-listening. Maybe know the facts before you write a really negative review?
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