Groban shows range on Awake

By Jess Camp

Published Nov. 10, 2006

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up Josh Groban's new album, Awake. All I knew about Groban was that I had seen him on Oprah singing a duet with that lady who married a creepily old dude — you might know her as Celine Dion. Other than that, the only thing I knew was that he sings in a classical/opera style, which I was hesitant to listen to. When I think of opera, I think of excessively large, Italian men with sweaty faces belting out tunes in an annoyingly shaky baritone.

As it turns out, I was in for a pleasant surprise. Josh is anything but fat and irksome.

I was right about the Italian, though. Three of the 13 tracks are sung in Italian, two are in Spanish and the rest are in English. I wasn't sure how to handle the Italian songs. I contemplated hanging out at The Olive Garden in hopes that an authentic hunky Italian dude would stroll along and help me decipher Groban's lyrics. Instead, I opted for the easier route and looked them up online.

The album opens with an Italian song, "Mai," which means "never." Although I didn't know what he was singing about, I felt that the song was happy. It starts with a simple piano and then Groban joins in. The song continues to crescendo until it explodes with an instrument similar to timpani. After looking up the lyrics, I discovered that it is about a man who realizes that his lying lover doesn't love him anymore and that he will never fall into a relationship like that again. Maybe it's not so happy.

The next song is "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)." It is a very uplifting tune. I'd listen to it if I were sad and were wishing that I had a special someone in my life. It's about how he (I mean Groban) will be with you and to hold on because everything's going to be OK. "Don't give up/ It's just the hurt that you hide/ When you're lost inside/ I'll be there to find you," is the best lyric from this song. He sings the chorus in an amazing falsetto, which just makes me melt. I just love a guy who lets loose and goes for the high notes.

"February Song" is about someone who messes up and loses his friend. He's sorry that he's not perfect and hasn't been the best friend possible, but promises he'll come back and be better. It has a sad vibe, but it's one of my favorites on the record because it's relatable. The next time that I want to rekindle a friendship that I've screwed up, I can just play this song to my forsaken friend instead of actually having to say what I feel.

"So She Dances" has nice sing-songy chorus. It's about a guy watching a girl from afar, and he knows that he has to stop just watching and make a move. It makes me wonder who watches me and wants to take the next step. They should go for it.

The last track, "Machine," is by far my favorite song on the album. Some of the sections make me think of Maroon 5. I think it's Groban's effort at being edgy.

The songs that weren't in English, other than the one I mentioned before, all had a depressing feel to them. I know that Italian and Spanish are love languages, but the songs really just sort of lowered my spirit.

The whole album is filled with Groban's booming voice. He has an amazing range and is very powerful. His voice could fill a room sans microphone. Although I wouldn't blare this music in my car or listen to it everyday, I have to admit that Josh Groban is amazingly talented.