Josh Groban In Concert (2002)

Josh Groban in Concert has all the ingredients to be a middle-of-the-road hit: a young, good-looking performer with a golden voice; songs in Italian and Spanish for the crossover crowd (think Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman) and pop and movie songs for the mainstream crowd; guest stars galore (David Foster, John Williams, Angie Stone, Andrea Corr, Lili Haydn); a large orchestra; and striking but not obtrusive visual effects. The centrepiece of this DVD/CD combo is the 80-minute concert DVD, filmed in Pasadena, California, in October 2002 and featuring numerous songs from Groban's debut CD, including "You're Still You", which catapulted him into stardom when he sang it on Ally McBeal. There are also two new songs--the ballad "Broken Vow" accompanied by Foster, and "For Always", with the orchestra conducted by John Williams, who wrote the song for the Steven Spielberg film A.I.

The 37-minute CD offers seven songs performed in the concert (including the two not on the previous CD, "Broken Vow" and "For Always"), plus "O Holy Night". The DVD has excellent picture and sound (PCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS), interviews, and backstage footage and the combination with the CD is an excellent value. Groban's fans, of course, will consider it a treasure at any price. --David Horiuchi