Let’s all say this together: Josh Groban’s last album sucked.
Wow, that felt good.
Finally the time has come, however, to put the woes of “Illuminations” behind us, because the long-awaited new album – “All That Echoes” – is here.
The album starts off strong with its first single, “Brave.” You may have heard this one on the radio lately.
In his familiar old style, Groban sings about having the gumption to go after what you really want. Sounds like a keeper, right?
What really makes the song good, though, is its instrumentation. It starts with a variety of strings, which stay constant through the song. There’s some minimal piano – can Josh even sing without piano? – but it’s primarily the strings, including electric guitar, and percussion that drive the song.
It’s definitely something new from the usual Josh Groban, but in the best way possible. That’s why this is probably the best song on the album.
A close second to “Brave,” though, is the album’s closing song: “I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever).”
Unlike “Brave,” this song begins with the soft ooh’s of an a cappella choir, which eventually sings some words into the rest of the song. This song is also driven by a lot of strings and percussion, but the main instrument is clearly a violin, as opposed to the electric guitar.
The choir, however, is what makes this song a clear winner. It rises from its simple beginning to full-on gospel status in about four minutes. Groban, of course, intersperses the choir’s refrain with some genius vocal improvisation to change things up.
It wouldn’t really be a Josh Groban album if he didn’t get all the glory, right?
But one thing that’s so great about Josh Groban, as opposed to a lot of other popular artists, is that he’s always happy to share the stage. He gets all the credit because of his godly voice; not because he demands it.
He demonstrates his ability to share through multiple duets on most of his albums. “All That Echoes” contains two, not including “I Believe.” Coincidentally, both duets are in foreign languages. (Probably Spanish, but don’t quote me on that.)
Even if you don’t know what they’re saying, both of these songs are worth a listen. They sound absolutely nothing alike, which is another quality that makes this album both different and better than many of Groban’s previous albums. (Especially “Illuminations,” but we’re supposed to be forgetting that that ever happened.)
If it’s possible for him to be known for anything other than his iconic voice, Groban is known for constantly including a variety of languages on his albums. On this one, though, he also includes a variety of genres. And they all work surprisingly well together.
Something many people may not be so into is “She Moved Through the Fair,” which is a traditional Irish folk song. Most non-Irish listeners probably won’t have any experience with the song, but Josh spices it up so it’s actually not boring.
Well, not if you like Josh Groban.
It features some sweet bagpipes and more power from that still-glorious voice, so if you buy the album, make sure you don’t skip over it. Even if you’re not a leprechaun.
Each song on “All That Echoes” is unique, which is why this review could go on forever. But alas, it needs to end at some point.
The element of surprise is waiting for you in the remaining eight songs on the album. Pick it up if you’re into that sort of thing.
And if you’re not, then you probably think along the lines of some Knight staff members who insist that all of Groban’s songs sound the same.To which I will say, why did you even read this?
