Michael Bolton - Gems the Very Best Of (Album Review)
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Written by Heather McDaid
When an artist reaches the point in their career to be able to release ‘Best Of...’ albums, it’s always guaranteed to be a treat to the huge fans they’ve accumulated along the way. Not content with a mere compilation of his greatest hits in the form of ‘The Very Best Of’, Michael Bolton is treating fans to a second disc – ‘Gems’ – a collection of duets.
The first disc is relatively self-explanatory, including a string of his biggest hits such as ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’ and ‘When A Man Loves a Woman’. Having a career that renders him a multiple Grammy Award winner with sales in excess of 53 million records worldwide, there’s a good collection of tracks to celebrate his exceptional career to date.
More interestingly, the second disc offers a mix of collaborations for fans to sink their teeth into. The likes of ‘Fields of Gold’ featuring Eva Cassidy is simply nice, there’s no finer word for it. ‘Love is Everything’ alongside country icons Rascal Flatts adds another string to his bow with that quintessential country sound. From the first two tracks, it’s a fair assumption that this will display his vocal capabilities alongside an array of styles. So far, so good.
Delta Goodrem has – personally at least – been off the radar for quite a while. Her number ‘I’m Not Ready’ alongside Michael really reminds the listener why she used to be as acclaimed in the UK. Her voice is wonderful, the light orchestral backing to the primary piano accompaniment really highlights their light vocal offerings. This is – like the others – no surprise sensation. The duo in fact performed this live on Dancing With The Stars in 2011.
‘When A Man Loves A Woman/It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ alongside Seal has some of the smoothest vocals you’ll likely hear in a while. Seamlessly bridging the gap between the two songs to make the longest – and one of the best – track on the record, fans can revel in the smooth jazz sounds to two classic tracks.
On a personal note, his collaboration alongside Orianthi proved the most anticipated. To those unfamiliar, she is a key female singer/ guitarist at present – chosen to perform with Michael Jackson on his ‘This Is It’ tour and the touring guitarist for Alice Cooper, she has quite the resume at a young age. While she’s associated with a string of genres through her work, this appears a neat stadium-esque track with soaring sing-a-longs and Orianthi’s neat rock flair on guitar. Her sleek solos are sublime but never steal focus from a relatively anthemic track.
For fans of Michael Bolton, this will go down well. While it’s not necessarily entirely new to you, it’s still a good collector’s item. Each track on disc two offers a different vibe; each artist stands on their own merit and are able to flaunt their own styles throughout. Definitely a nice addition to your CD collection.
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The first disc is relatively self-explanatory, including a string of his biggest hits such as ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’ and ‘When A Man Loves a Woman’. Having a career that renders him a multiple Grammy Award winner with sales in excess of 53 million records worldwide, there’s a good collection of tracks to celebrate his exceptional career to date. 
