Russell Watson's story is a classic rags-to-riches fairytale: the former welder, after years of singing in pubs and clubs, travelled from Salford, his hometown, to London. He turned up unannounced at the Decca offices and was promptly signed up by one of the most important classical labels in the world. Vocal coaching followed, as did a number of successful live appearances supporting Cliff Richard. Now we have this 14-track CD which explores a wide range of musical styles. Watson's Italian is a little ponderous in tracks such as "Amor ti vieta", but this is more than compensated by his captivating and utterly natural-sounding tenor voice. The inevitable popular arias are there, namely "La donna è mobile" and "Nessun dorma!", sung with a refreshing and youthful vitality. Pop tracks, including Ultravox's classic 1980s hit "Vienna" and a witty cover version of "Barcelona" sung with former Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder as well as two new songs sit comfortably on the disc--Watson performs them with integrity, not simply paying lip service to the music of his generation. Watson has the potential to do for classical music what Jamie Oliver has done for cookery, and there are few people to whom this debut CD will not appeal. --Rebecca Agnew

Customer Rating:
Summary: Russell Watson, album number 1 (The Voice)
Comment:
The Voice, released in May 2001, is Russell Watson's debut album and marks the end of his progression from the pub and club circuit, and the start of his recording career after signing with the Decca label.

The album hit No.1 in the UK Classical charts and reached No.5 in the UK Album Chart. Following its release in the US it also hit the top spot, making history as the first time a British artist has topped both the UK and US Classical Charts, and if that wasn't enough, it was awarded `Album of the Year' and 'Best Selling Classical Album' at the Classical BRIT awards in 2001.

The songs are a mix of classical and popular, with the emphasis on the classics to enable its eligibility for that chart: 60% of the playing time must consist of `classical or traditional music' to be accepted.

The classical choices are mostly familiar pieces, many of which are drawn from Watson's repertoire used for the stage performances from which he had recently emerged, and while the tracklist may not be groundbreaking, the performances certainly help break the mould for the stereotypical opera tenor. Watson, the `factory boy from Salford' may not yet have mastered the Italian language but the versatility of his voice and the delivery of the songs - `Nessun Dorma' included - cannot conceal his passion and enthusiasm for the music. Watson remember, even before this debut album, had learned his stagecraft from grass roots pub level to an altogether different grass - a magnificent performance of Nessun Dorma at Manchester United's Old Trafford Football ground at their final match of the 1999 Premiership season.

Of the classics on the album I liked Ennio Morricone's `Nella Fantasia' (In My Fantasy), `A mor ti vieta' (love forbids you) from the opera Fedora and, one of Watson's trademark songs, `la donna e mobile' (the woman is fickle) from Verdi's opera Rigoletta.

`Vienna' and `Bridge Over Troubled Water' provide some pop relief, while the slightly wayward `Barcelona' duet with Happy Mondays singer (and fellow 'Salford lad') Shaun Ryder is perhaps a little too extreme for some, but it's a fun song nevertheless.

My favourite though is the version of Nessun Dorma, a powerful and emotionally charged performance which I think challenges the best singers around. Don't expect a comparison with one of the late great tenors from me though. Watson himself may find such comparison with one of his idols flattering, but more likely a little embarrassing and largely irrelevant.

`The Voice' label incidentally originated from those management people around him at the time who, to Watson's slight irritation, insisted on asking `how's the voice today Russell?' rather than `how's Russell today Russell?' The name stuck, while the voice got better.

In summary, I think this is a debut album fully deserving of the success it enjoys.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The voice - more like the reverb!
Comment: Russell is on OK singer, no better than that. He is certainly not a great tenor. He is let down on this recording by the record company trying to make him what he isn't. Using electronics to make his voice sound bigger, and have more depth, does not work. The recording quality, as a result, is the worst I have ever heard - it's harsh, edgy and with so much echo and reverb that it sounds as if it was recorded in an enormous toilet. I could not listen to the album for any more than a few minutes at a time. Do not buy this album - if you want to hear a real tenor pick up any recording by Pavarotti, Domingo, Bjorling, Gigli, Corelli or even Ramon Vargas (if you want a relatively new "kid").

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Comment: I loved it. He may not be classically trained and may have received a lot of criticism from the classical buffs but to me it was great. Having the mix of classical and more popular on one CD kept me entertained, enthralled and never bored. On my long commuter journey to work I sat back, earphones in, eyes closed and his voice both relaxed and uplifted me to another world.

As you have gathered I thought it was great - and I have already ordered another of his CD's.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Russell Watson------ What Voice??
Comment:

Decca must, indeed, have clambered to sign the Salford wonder, what with Pav fast nearing the end of his recording career, and with only so many people not posessing the original 3 Tenors recording. Andrea Bocelli not really a viable commodity to any real remunerative degree this side of Europe, (foreigner etc. etc..). "...........what we need is a home-grown 'Golden Boy', ....... pity that nice Aled Jones couldn't sing once his voice broke............Russell who???........Give us a song then, sonny.......very dishy I'll give you that.........ooooh, the girls will love you......................................"

More sexed up than Blairs' dodgy dossiers, Mr. Watson is thus presented, et al, described and introduced by Al Fayed at a recent 'Classical Awards' ceremony as possessing a "better voice than Pavarotti". Which is analogous to describing the Grimsby second eleven as better than Manchester United.

'The Voice', intimates that not only does he have one, but that it is so good that epithets alone are insufficient to describe just how good it is, consequently it must be referred to as 'THE voice'. If you've never heard the Voice(es) of Bjorling, del Monaco, Caruso, Krause, Corelli, Gigli, de Stefano, Bergonzi, Cura, Schipa, Mcormack, Locke, to name but a few, then you just might buy the hype. That isn't a 'stuffy, snobbish purists opinion. It's the whole truth. There must be a hundred thousand, if not more, amateur operatic performers and classical singers who groan with dismay at the mere mention of Mr. Watson's name, knowing deep down that they have an infinitely more talented voice. And they'd be right. Yes, he CAN sing; quite pleasantly, in fact. Good pitch, 'Raw' natural tone, fair upper register. But that isn't enough to compensate for a voice devoid of any character, passion, resonance, depth, intonation or any REAL beauty.

He is, technically and aesthetically so POOR, that even the critics give him little space in column inches. Funnily enough, they tend to lambast Bocelli's attempts, in some cases rightly so. But Bocelli, whilst no Operatic Tenor of any real merit, DOES posess a startlingly exquisite voice of REAL beauty. It is of no saving grace that Watson proclaims to be trying to introduce and convert his fans to the world of opera and "serious music", (that tired old mantra was Pavarotti's also, probably at the behest of the mandarins at the same record label, Decca). It is to be hoped, for his sake as well as his backers, that he spectacularly fails in this mission to convert, because should his 'groupies' actually acquire a palate for Puccini, Verdi, De Curtis along with the other Neopolitan pieces he croons, they will rapidly discover that Watson is to Classical Music what Eddie the Eagle was to Ski-Jumping; what Les Dawson was to pianoforte. What the Grimbsby second eleven are to Manchester United.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Russell Watson------ What Voice??
Comment:

Decca must, indeed, have clambered to sign the Salford wonder, what with Pav fast nearing the end of his recording career, and with only so many people not posessing the original 3 Tenors recording. Andrea Bocelli not really a viable commodity to any real remunerative degree this side of Europe, (foreigner etc. etc..). "...........what we need is a home-grown 'Golden Boy', ....... pity that nice Aled Jones couldn't sing once his voice broke............Russell who???........Give us a song then, sonny.......very dishy I'll give you that.........ooooh, the girls will love you......................................"

Mr. Watson is thus presented, et al, described and introduced by Al Fayed at a recent 'Classical Awards' ceremony as possessing a "better voice than Pavarotti". Which is analogous to describing the Grimsby second eleven as better than Manchester United.

'The Voice', intimates that not only does he have one, but that it is so good that epithets alone are insufficient to describe just how good it is, consequently it must be referred to as 'THE voice'. If you've never heard the Voice(es) of Bjorling, del Monaco, Caruso, Krause, Corelli, Gigli, de Stefano, Bergonzi, Cura, Schipa, Mcormack, Locke, to name but a few, then you just might buy the hype. That isn't a 'stuffy, snobbish purists opinion. It's the whole truth. There must be a hundred thousand, if not more, amateur operatic performers and classical singers who groan with dismay at the mere mention of Mr. Watson's name, knowing deep down that they have an infinitely more talented voice. And they'd be right. Yes, he CAN sing; quite pleasantly, in fact. Good pitch, 'Raw' natural tone, fair upper register. But that isn't enough to compensate for a voice devoid of any character, passion, resonance, depth, intonation or any REAL beauty.

He is, technically and aesthetically so POOR, that even the critics give him little space in column inches. Funnily enough, they tend to lambast Bocelli's attempts, in some cases rightly so. But Bocelli, whilst no Operatic Tenor of any real merit, DOES posess a startlingly exquisite voice of REAL beauty. It is of no saving grace that Watson proclaims to be trying to introduce and convert his fans to the world of opera and "serious music", (that tired old mantra was Pavarotti's also, probably at the behest of the mandarins at the same record label, Decca). It is to be hoped, for his sake as well as his backers, that he spectacularly fails in this mission to convert, because should his 'groupies' actually acquire a palate for Puccini, Verdi, De Curtis along with the other Neopolitan pieces he croons, they will rapidly discover that Watson is to Classical Music what Eddie the Eagle was to Ski-Jumping; what Les Dawson was to pianoforte. What the Grimbsby second eleven are to Manchester United.

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