A Romantic Soul
Las Vegas Magazine
April 1-7, 2007
By Alan Katz
For all its allure, rock music doesn't offer much in the way of romance. Once the music of adolescent rebellion, it's now the centerpiece of american culture. The dominance of rock leaves a lot of romantic yearnings unfulfilled, which brings us to a dashing young southern California singer named Josh Groban.

Groban, you may recall, is the baritone who set a national forest of female hearts on fire during a season-ending episode of Ally Mcbeal a few years back. So fervent was the response to his singing that he signed with a big-time label at the behest of David Foster, one of the most respected record producers this side of Quincy Jones.

Foster is viewed as a singer's Svengali and under his tutelage Groban's career took off immediately. He starred in two PBS Great Performances concerts, toured worldwide, performed at the Superbowl, the World Series, the Olymics and the Oscars. Two of his first three albums went platinum, and his latest, Awake, is doing well. Now only 26, he's a frequent guest on Oprah, owns a home in Malibu-and , along with Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, he's the hottest "popera" star on the planet.

Well, hey, if the bobby soxers and baby boomers could have a popera star, why shouldn't Generation X? Influenced by Radiohead, Groban brings a contemporary twist to the quasi-operatic genre which blends the passion of Puccini with the accesibility of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He lends a little high culture and respectability to good old fashioned sex-appeal, and audiences bask in it.

Each generation since WWII has produced at least one popera sensation. Although the great Caruso sang popular music at times, popera's pioneer was probably Mario Lanza, a former truck driver from Philadelphia whose tenor voice shook up Hollywood in the late 1940's. Lanza popularized the crossing over from opera to Broadway and Tin Pan Alley-more or less the formula that made Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Bocelli into multimillionaires.

Then, along came young Groban, only 17 when he made his national television breakthrough in 1999. Poised to become a household name, Groban now has a polished act in which he showcases music by the likes of Bach, Herbie Hancock, Don McLean and Ennio "Cinema Paradiso" Morricone.

Call it popera or schmopera or anything else you like, the underlying secret to Groban's success is his mesmerizing effect on women. If you plan to catch Groban at the MGM Grand, beware of flying room keys. After all, this is Las Vegas, and we have our classical traditions too.


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