The Very Best of Michael Ball: In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
After making his name as Marius inLes Misérables, Britain'sMichael Ballhas showcased his strong tenor in both theater roles (Aspects of Love, Stephen Sondheim'sPassion) and a solo career that can get heavy on the schmaltz. Fortunately he's on relatively good behavior in his 1999 concert from London's Royal Albert Hall. It's a combination of retro pop culled from hismovies album--disco ("Hot Stuff"), '60s folk-rock ("Everybody's Talkin'"), '70s Neil Diamond ("Love on the Rocks"), aBlues Brothersmedley, and '90s power balladry ("My Heart Will Go On")--and moments from his musical-theater roots, including a New Testament medley taken fromGodspell(his first show) andJesus Christ Superstar, as well as his two signature tunes: "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" and "Love Changes Everything." He even performs the theme song fromFriendsand a pleasant though undistinguished song he cowrote, "Someone Else's Dream." He's accompanied by three backup singers and a full orchestra and probably supplies less chatter during this 77-minute recording than he did in his segment of theLondon Sondheim tribute. Serious fans will of course welcome this release, while others might have to wade through a bit of schtick to find the Marius Michael they know and love.--David Horiuchi