Balladeer Does What Thrills and Chills Him in Concert
The Vancouver Sun
August 16, 2007
By Amy O'Brian
Josh Groban credits music producer David Foster's initial encouragement
for letting him go on doing what he wants to musically
Judging from Josh Groban's dramatic publicity shots and the ballad-heavy bulk of his pop-opera repertoire, the singer appears to come from the same mould as tuxedo-wearing international boy group Il Divo.
Both acts sing classical crossover tunes in several romance languages. They both perform in stadiums around the world. Groban was discovered and nurtured by hit-making producer David Foster, while Il Divo is the brainchild of American Idol genius Simon Cowell.
But that's where the similarities end, insisted Groban in an interview from a tour stop in Milwaukee.
"In any genre, you're going to find people who are doing things originally and people who are doing things because their record label told them so," he said.
"And I think that -- with no disrespect to Il Divo, because they're nice guys and they're talented guys -- they made it quite obvious from the beginning that this was put together by a mastermind and they're not hiding that. It's fabricated by Simon Cowell."
Groban's first two albums were produced by Foster and contained mostly classical and adult contemporary covers, as well as some songs written specifically for the young rising star.
The 26-year-old says he -- and his team of producers and writers -- were forging a new path and creating a new model during the early days of his career, rather than following a formula.
"I wasn't told to stick to any formula because, to be honest, when I was first signed, the record label didn't think it would sell anything, so they left me alone, which is a good problem to have I guess," he said.
"So many young artists don't get the opportunity to express themselves the way they would ultimately like to because the formula is now in place and because they don't get signed unless they agree to stick to the formula.
"I feel sorry for the artists who come after me in my kind of thing because I think it has developed a little bit of a formula . . . But for me, I feel like I can kind of go on doing what I want, which is a nice feeling."
On his third and most recent album, Awake -- the supporting tour for which lands in Vancouver Friday night -- Groban was able to experiment a bit, moving into realms of jazz, world music and even funk on songs that he proudly co-wrote. He collaborated with an eclectic variety of musicians, including Imogen Heap, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dave Matthews and Herbie Hancock.
Machine, the last song on the album, features Hancock on piano and a somewhat surprising funk beat that marks a significant departure from the classically inspired tunes on the rest of the album.
"I've always had a classically trained voice and I've also always had orchestral and classical influences. But at the same time, there's a part of me that's just as passionate and just as focused on rhythm and on experimentation and on trying new sounds," he said.
"So I said, 'Yeah, I'm going to experiment a little bit. I'm going to work with people who are outside my comfort zone and see what happens.'"
Groban is determined to continue to push himself and try new collaborations and sounds, but he also knows the importance of keeping his fans happy. And for the most part, his fans expect to hear his rich, full baritone voice singing melodramatic songs of love and longing.
But Groban needs to keep himself satisfied, too, and he needs to challenge himself in order to stay interested.
"It's important for me to keep scaring myself a little bit and trying new things," he says.
"It has to be a combination of staying true to what you have always done well and what your fans want and at the same time, not being afraid to go outside of that and show people different sides of you."
Co-writing songs for Awake was a new experience for Groban, who says it was really just a natural progression in his career.
"You start getting a very strong sense of what you want and what you don't want to hear," he says.
"I think that rather than listen to songs where you say, 'Well, I like that part but I don't like this part,' you say, 'Okay, well get off your ass. If you don't like it, what is it that you want to hear? Go and sit down and write down what you're missing. And so it basically came out of frustration."
Groban will be performing songs from his three albums, accompanied by an orchestra made up of local Vancouver players and the Marcus Mosely Choir -- a Vancouver-based gospel ensemble. (At every tour stop, Groban performs with that city's local musicians.)
He insists it will be a lively show, not just a "sit-on-your-hands orchestral experience," and says the music might even get people up and dancing.
"I just want to go out and do what thrills me. I just want to go out and do what gives me the chills."
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AT A GLANCE
Josh Groban
GM Place
7:30 p.m. Friday
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