Josh Groban - Noel

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Title: Noel
Artist: Josh Groban
Audio CD (October 9, 2007)
Original Release Date: October 9, 2007
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Christmas
Format: Free Lossless Audio Codec


Track Listing:

01. Silent Night
02. Little Drummer Boy [Featuring Guitarist Andy McKee]
03. I'll Be Home For Christmas
04. Ave Maria
05. Angels We Have Heard On High [Duet with Brian McKnight]
06. Thankful
07. The Christmas Song
08. What Child Is This?
09. The First Noel [Duet with Faith Hill]
10. Petit Papa Noel
11. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
12. Panis Angelicus
13. O Come All Ye Faithful [With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir under the direction of Craig Jessop]


Amazon Review:
The Grammy-nominated, twenty-something, pop-classical phenomenon's fourth studio album is an expertly accomplished entry to the holiday marketplace. Noël tackles the familiar sounds of holiday music with a charmingly eclectic array of guest vocalists and a wide range of material. The songs range from the sacred to the secular, while Groban--buoyed in spots by none other than the London Symphony Orchestra--soars in his duets with Brian McKnight, Faith Hill, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. There's even a song with a gospel choir directed by Kirk Franklin. Produced yet again by crossover maestro David Foster, the arrangements never overwhelm the songs. Groban's smooth and supple vocals can be hard to categorize--seeing how his range is somewhere in-between a high baritone and a low tenor--but he always finds and emphasizes the emotional core of these songs. And whether they have origins in pop or classical music seems not to matter. The addition of messages from troops stationed in Iraq on top of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is undeniably heart-wrenching, while the album's highlight is its most spare song, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," which finds Groban alone at his piano, sounding very much like some kind of angel.

Allmusic Review:
Vocalist Josh Groban delivers his first Christmas themed album with 2007's Noel. Once again produced by longtime "man behind the curtain" David Foster, the album features more of Groban's dewy, supple vocals set to Foster's cinematic orchestrations. As per the holiday theme, these are primarily classic tunes of the season including such chestnuts as "Silent Night," "Ave Maria," and, of course, "The Christmas Song." However, also included are a few lesser-known traditional songs as "Panis Angelicus" and "Angels We Have Heard on High." Similarly, while most of the productions here should appeal to longtime fans of Groban's particular classical-crossover sound, some cuts like soft rock inflected "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" and the Celtic folk leaning "Little Drummer Boy" do expand upon the Groban/Foster palette in a pleasing way. Notably, also showcased here are guest appearances by country superstar Faith Hill, R&B stalwart Brian McKnight, and perennial holiday backing band the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.