Heroes

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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Jon O'Brien
Best-known for his starring roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber productions The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, and The Woman in White, and more recently his Olivier Award-winning turn as Hairspray's Edna Turnblad, Michael Ball has recently started to move away from the musical theater-based material that defined his early recording career. Following the contemporary MOR of 2006's One Voice and the lounge-pop of Back to Bacharach, his fourteenth studio album, Heroes, is a collection of romantic classics originally performed by some of the musical icons he grew up listening to. The array of song choices may have changed, but his signature sound remains the same, as its 15 ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Jon O'Brien
Best-known for his starring roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber productions The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, and The Woman in White, and more recently his Olivier Award-winning turn as Hairspray's Edna Turnblad, Michael Ball has recently started to move away from the musical theater-based material that defined his early recording career. Following the contemporary MOR of 2006's One Voice and the lounge-pop of Back to Bacharach, his fourteenth studio album, Heroes, is a collection of romantic classics originally performed by some of the musical icons he grew up listening to. The array of song choices may have changed, but his signature sound remains the same, as its 15 tracks stick to the same easy listening orchestral arrangements of their predecessors, with the tempo never straying beyond walking pace, besides an enjoyable duet with '70s crooner Tony Christie on his The Protectors' theme tune, "Avenues and Alleyways." A rare spark of invention occurs on his rendition of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind," which cleverly opens with a few bars from George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," but elsewhere, Heroes is very much faithful to the originals, and includes covers of songs from the '50s (Nat King Cole's "When I Fall in Love," Johnny Mathis' "Misty"), the '60s (Tom Jones' "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," Long John Baldry's "Let the Heartaches Begin"), and and the '70s (Barry Manilow's "Weekend in New England," Neil Diamond's "Play Me"). Of course, when performing tracks by such legendary icons as Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, Ball is always going to come off as second best, but although he occasionally descends into tribute act territory, particularly on the likes of Elvis Presley's "I Can't Help Falling in Love," for the most part he manages to inject enough of his own personality into the material to avoid it being a pure karaoke affair. Heroes' old-fashioned nature means it's unlikely to transcend his loyal, predominantly older, female fan base, but it's perfectly timed for Mother's Day, and will undeniably preserve his status as the natural successor to Michael Crawford.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 3/22/2011
  • Label: Universal Uk
  • UPC: 602527629797
  • Catalog Number: 2762979
  • Sales rank: 9,271

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Michael Ball Primary Artist
Simon Gardner Trumpet
Neal Wilkinson Drums
Tony Christie Vocals
Mary Pearce Vocals
Neil Angilley Piano
Billie Godfrey Vocals
Julian Poole Percussion
Bryan Chambers Vocals
Louise Claire Marshall Vocals
Martin Williams Tenor Saxophone
Phil Laughlin Bass Guitar
Callum McLeod Conductor
Neil Sidwell Trombone, Bass Trombone
Pete Walton Guitar
Lewis Osborne Guitar
Pete Billington Keyboards
Technical Credits
Eddy Arnold Composer
Kris Kristofferson Composer
Neil Diamond Composer
Billy Joel Composer
Erroll Garner Composer
Lonnie Donegan Composer
Cindy Walker Composer
Joe Allison Composer
Johnny Burke Composer
Peter Callander Composer
Luigi Creatore Composer
Tony Hatch Composer
Edward Heyman Composer
Hugo Peretti Composer
Johnny Mercer Composer
Robin Sellars Engineer
Nigel Wright Arranger, Producer
Victor Young Composer
Dick Beetham Mastering
Michael Ball Liner Notes, Executive Producer
Tony Christie Duet
Jackie Trent Composer
Tony Macaulay Composer
Ron Miller Composer
Orlando Murden Composer
Audrey Allison Composer
Hans Bradtke Composer
Mitch Murray Composer
Louise Claire Marshall Vocal Arrangements
John MacLeod Composer
Callum McLeod Arranger, Musical Director
Yann McCullough Vocal Editing
Paul Chandler Pro-Tools
George Weiss Composer
Neil Sidwell Arranger
Heinz Meier Composer
Gordon Charlton Orchestral Coordinator
James Currie Composer
Randy Edelsman Composer
Phil Bowdery Executive Producer
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Customer Reviews

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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Posted April 8, 2011

    Beautiful

    This is really one of Michael's most beautiful albums, his respect and love for the songs and original artists is evident throughout. Definitely recommended for any fan. "Joanna" is a favorite of mine, but hearing it in Michael's fabulous baritone is a wonderful treat.

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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review