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Awake
Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock
Retail Price (not our price): $18.98
Release Date: 2006-11-07
Manufacturer: Reprise / WEA
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Product Description
The Josh Groban phenomenon continues with Awake, his third studio album. Both of the extraordinary singer's first two studio discs have been certified five times platinum

2) Amazon.com
Josh Groban is making it hard for anybody who can't say "classical crossover" without smirking to maintain an acceptable level of snobbery. Awake, his third studio disc and arguably his most personal--he co-wrote four tracks and favors his native English over Italian--boasts as many bold names as any tricked-out hip-hop disc: Dave Matthews, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Imogen Heap, and Herbie Hancock contribute in various capacities, and a slew of behind-the-scenes collaborators best known for their work in mainstream pop circles deepen the dimensions of a style widely considered claustrophobic. For all the studio doors that got opened to create Awake, though, Groban's signature sound never once slipped out to take the air; "the voice"--that hypnotic, spun-silk wonder of an instrument--is as concentrated as ever, and Awake, in addition to showing off its many splendors, serves as a vehicle for parading its versatility around. While "Un Giorno Per Noi," the deeply romantic theme to the 1968 film Romeo E Giulietta, delivers the Groban that fueled the sale of 16 million previous discs to soft-hearted fans, "Machine," with Hancock, gives up a new form of funk: dignified, classy, and surprisingly unstiff. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Music! The Universal Language For Which Josh Is A Master Communicator   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Incredible. A word so often over used in todays society and yet that singular description speaks of Josh Groban's music. This album is perfect for long road trips. Ensconced in that new car, the world outside muted so that not even pot holes in the road interrupt the peace inside, this album is all one needs to while away the miles. What a blessing it is to find Josh Groban on CD. Otherwise that gifted voice would be kept all to himself.

2) Josh Groban at his best ... love his music!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Josh Groban will always be one of my music choices. His songs touch my soul. I love music; good music. Music that makes my heart sing, and my spirit soar!

3) Not the best   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
I thought Josh's first two CDs were fantastic. While not terrible, this one was definitely a step down. His voice is as beautiful as ever, but most of the songs didn't work for me. Neither did some of the stylistic choices. The inclusion of Ladysmith Black Mambazo as a background chorus, for instance. Not that their singing is bad, but it isn't a good stylistic mesh with this type of music. This is particularly evident in "Weeping." When the chorus suddenly jumps in two thirds of the way through, it feels so random and out of place it's almost silly. It works a little better in "Lullabye," but even then it feels a bit heavy-handed and intrusive. It's as if the CD's producers no longer trust Josh's voice and music to stand on its own, they have to dress it up somehow. Personally, I thought these songs would have been better without the extra singers and stylistic frills.Other songs ("You Are Loved," "In Her Eyes") are competently written, yet feel somehow lifeless, as if they're just going through the motions. To be fair, I guess they're no more cliched than some of his earlier songs, but those earlier songs had some indefinable quality that made them come to life, made them the kind of songs you could listen to over and over without getting bored. I still listen to his first two CDs, but I have a feeling I won't be listening to "Awake" very much in the future.I will still buy any future CDs that Josh Groban makes, and his voice is always a pleasure, but this one was just an average listen for me.

4) Josh is fabuloua once again!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Josh Grobans awake album is another great album from a awesome talent,he is up there with the best of them.

5) Groban's "You Are Loved": Among the Masterpieces   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
"You Are Loved" may be one of the most lyrical and gorgeous ballads of the year. Lyrics that speak to the fundamental experience of love and belonging, the desire for connection within all of us, set against a beautifully balanced arrangement--and made a classic by Groban's extraordinary vocals. Like X-Patriate's "The Cost" and "I'd Rather Close My Eyes" from Greetings From Lafayette Park, or S and G's Bridge Over Troubled Water, sweeping music combined with a deep and powerful voice that creates shivers up my spine.