Josh Groban

“Closer” (Reprise)

Compare to: Sarah Brightman, Michael Crawford, Brian Lane Green

In a music industry where bare midriffs are often more common than talent, Josh Groban’s unequivocal vocal talent is a fresh reprieve.

“Closer” is Groban’s follow-up to his self-titled triple platinum debut. Since his debut, Groban’s style and presentation have matured, which is evident in his inflections and phrasing.

Groban’s voice has been compared to that of tenor Andrea Bocelli. This isn’t an outrageous comparison, but Bocelli’s voice contains a richness only developed with age. However, Groban’s voice is quite developed for his young age.

At 22, with the foundation of a career already laid, he has taken up his pen and written two songs on the new album. He wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music on “Remember the Rain.” The song looks at a tear-stained memory of loss. The accompaniment is straightforward and unobtrusive to the lyrics.

Seven of the 13 tracks are in languages other than English, including Italian and French. His voice seems more suited to these tracks than the English tracks on the album. His tremulous vibrato and ability to sustain is most apparent in Italian.

The highlight of the CD is “Mi Mancherai (il postino)” a compilation with violinist Joshua Bell. Bell’s playing is like honey through the introduction. The song is a harmonious blend of these two talents.

The orchestration of the accompaniment is reminiscent of Yanni — strong piano, beginning with a simple melody and building into an intense climactic point midway through the song. This type of orchestration can become overly predictable, especially about halfway through the disc.

“Hymne a L’Amour,” placed towards the end of the album, moves away from the dynamic orchestration. Groban’s French pronunciation is commendable. The shorter phrases and simpler accompaniment of the song make it a welcome break from the heavy orchestration.

Groban’s album presents a high quality of musical talent, appropriate for a romantic winter evening, as opposed to much of the commercial music on the market today.

– Sarah Kloewer

The Format

“Interventions and Lullabies” (Elektra)

Compare to: Better Than Ezra, Sponge, The Verve Pipe

If a “sleeper” means an album that will make listeners doze off from a lack of interest, “Interventions and Lullabies,” the first full-length album from The Format, is one of the most important sleepers of 2003. While the album works pretty well as background music, it’s not too hot as something to actively absorb.

The album has plenty of good attributes for a background band — singer Nate Ruess has a decent voice, but it’s not excellent. He has no unique vocal traits that set him apart from the rest of the singers out there. The lyrics aren’t obnoxious, but they are neither catchy or well thought-out.

For example: “Today’s been a career day/ Futures made and fortunes lost/ As I’m standing in the lobby waiting for the elevator to take me away/ Up to 9 or 10 maybe 11.”

Oh? Nine or 10? Maybe 11? Looks like somebody needed a couple of extra syllables. Also, while each song doesn’t exactly sound the same, the tone of the songs as a whole stays the same throughout the entire album.

This is mid-’90s semi-acoustic rock all the way, which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. Unfortunately, this means none of the songs really stand out from the rest.

The members of The Format have also decided to push the envelope by making themselves a two-man band. Perhaps they decided to do this because the pair wrote every song together.

Or, it could be because they have large enough egos to tour with three or four other guys and pretend that they don’t matter. Nate Ruess says it himself in the album’s first single, cleverly named “The First Single.” He says, “I’ve just gotta get myself over me.”

Overall, the album seems pretty lukewarm. Kind of like mashed potatoes without gravy or butter. The album is kind of unpleasantly squishy, fairly tasteless and devoid of any color — which is just fine for listeners to play on their computer while they surf the Internet, but no one should expect to find themselves tapping their foot too often.

— Campbell DeSousa

Limp Bizkit

“Results May Vary” (Interscope)

Compare to: Korn, Insane Clown Posse, Drowning Pool

Every rock band needs to have a strong frontman. Unfortunately for all of humanity, Limp Bizkit has the worst frontman in the history of music.

From the opening track, Fred Durst bombards the poor helpless suckers dumb enough to buy this album with juvenile, sophomoric lyrics. Durst proceeds to piss on the classic rock staple “Behind Blue Eyes” and hip-hop staple, “Microphone Fiend.”

The album’s “hit single” — a term that applies loosely — is “Eat You Alive.” Durst takes a stab at the stalker song, a style perfected by The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” and R.E.M.’s “Losing my Religion.” Just like Sting and Stipe, “Eat You Alive” finds Durst waxing over unattainable love. But Durst’s lack of lyrical dexterity and tact make it impossible to group the song with such rock institutions.

Another annoying tendency about Durst is his pension for the word “motherfucker.” Durst wants to let his 15-year-old fans know that once you become a man, you can swear. And swear he does. To Durst’s credit, at least he uses his expletives with bravado.

It’s apparent from the liner notes Durst isn’t above pandering his wares to teens with low self esteem. He writes a touching — at least by Durst’s standards — poem “to the crazy ones.” It wouldn’t be surprising to find out they are outcasts because they still buy Limp Bizkit records.

Not to say everything within this album is bad — the band is quite talented. They play the music with the force necessary to be considered modern rock. It’s just too bad they’re saddled with Durst. If they hooked up with ex-Rage Against the Machine frontman Zach de la Rocha, they could make some engaging music. The band should take a cue from Wes Borland and ditch Durst.

Everything about this record screams “give more money to Fred Durst.” He exemplifies what is wrong with the music industry. In “Gimme the Mic,” Durst tells the world he’s sick of the radio and is bent on destroying all of the “crazy wannabe ba-ba-ba bands.” Let’s just hope he’s a kamikaze.

— Padraic Cepek

Mike Errico

“Skimming” (Velour)

Compare to: Dan Bern, Pete Yorn, Ben Kweller

Listening to a CD shouldn’t be a painful experience. Unfortunately, anyone who picks up Mike Errico’s new album will feel like they’re in line for a root canal.

The criticism is harsh, but justified. Errico tries to merge a slow, repetitive acoustic sound with a voice of soul, or hip-hop, or something. The final product comes off as a third-rate Dave Matthews at best.

The album opens with “When I Get Out of Jail,” which by itself is not profoundly bad. Errico seems to attempt a disheveled love song. It doesn’t work, mostly because the feeling evoked is pity, not sympathy.

Any thought of an upward turn in Errico’s music is thrown out the window with the album’s title track. A stale and unoriginal guitar riff starts the beat and leads nowhere. The sound continues on the same downward spiral throughout the next eight songs, with one ballad incongruously leading into the next.

The bland sound can also be attributed to the lyrics. Errico’s songs cover a variety of interests and topics, from pondering the illusion of sanity in “Free” to abandonment in “(Not So) Sad,” but nothing draws listeners in. All anyone will remember is his loud, repetitive chorus tracks.

In a strange twist, the album ends with a sweet epilogue, entitled “Coney Island.” Much like “Jail,” it stands out as a particularly sincere attempt at empathy. Errico seems to have gotten the bookends of his album right, but forgets there needs to be a body of work placed in between to complement.

Consumers expect a standard of quality in music. We pay around $15 for 50 cents worth of plastic and some pictures, and we’re forced to endure the eternal struggle between man and security sticker. When your reward is something like this, no wonder so many people just steal music off the Internet.

There is good music out there. There are musicians who can fuse the sounds of soul with acoustic and showcase it with tremendous effect. Hopefully, one of these days, Errico will see a musician with such talent and realize he needs to put some real soul into music.

— Keith DuCharme