Centre Stage

by

Michael Ball

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Released in September this year, this is the most recent Michael Ball solo album. Maybe it is the strong connection between musicals and Michael Ball himself, for another time, Michael chose the songs from musicals. But it sounds a little different this time. It is so beautiful, and yet, with a trace of melancholy through out the album. Michael is on top of his shape, his voice and skill keep getting better and better. Besides these, there are something new and something more.

You can feel the strong emotions of struggle in "The Boy From Nowhere", a great song from a not-so-great musical "Matador", a song that fully shows Michael's powerful voice. It is simply amazing to hear him crying out "Another dawn, another born, a boy from no where...", bringing the song to climax. This time Michael is not in the role of Marius, which he perfectly defined in "Les Miserables", instead, he portrays Jean Valjean, who had been through the vicissitudes of life, singing the song "Bring Him Home". Although Michael's voice sounds a little too young for this song, he certainly brings out new feelings. Unlike Colm Wilkinson, Michael sings the song more peacefully and mellowly. Lingered in the air, in a beautiful, beautiful voice, is the most touching prayer for God. There is not the charming love-struck boy, but the mysterious phantom. What a voice singing the phantom in the duet of "The Phantom Of The Opera" with Lesley Garrett! With this voice, Michael gives us a controlling and cruel, and yet, sexy and irresistible phantom. There are, of course, love songs in the album. But instead of expressing the passion and power of love, Michael reveals the feeling of pain and pathos in "The Winner Takes It All", a song from ABBA's "Mamma Mia". It is simply magic the way Michael expresses the helplessness of giving-up and the heartlessness of losing love. Talking about the sentiment in Michael's singing, there is the song, "Music Of The Night", which was written brilliantly, showing the richness in Michael's voice and the fineness in his song-interpretation. Never has this song been sung so wonderfully! It is a song made for Michael's voice. His incredible vocal range is more than equal to task the undulate music melody; his subtlety is more than enough to express the quintessence of the lyric; and his passion is the best to deliver the musicality of the song. Just like that time can enrich one's experience of life, certain emotions can only be sensed at certain age. Michael thrills us with his excellent rendition of Stephen Sondheim's beautiful song "Send In The Clowns", through which he conveys the complicated emotions vividly. The artistic appealing in his pure and smooth voice is so strong as he leads us through the emotions of regret, sad and a little sarcasm.

This is another great work of Michael Ball. To some extent, it shows another level of his singing. If you like Michael's voice; if you like Michael's singing, you don't want to miss this album.