Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was surprised a couple years ago when I went to see what I liked so much playing on my Pandora and it was Josh Groban. His voice reminded me of a powerful Billy Joel with a gigantic range. Songs like "Awake," "Weeping," and "You Rise me Up," just seemed to resonate in my head. So I admit I like the David Foster days more than anything and the last album was a little bit of a let-down. None-the-less his voice has always remained strong and magnificent, so it's not like I thought "Illuminations" was total trash or anything. Overall, "All that Echoes" is a charming, more layered and complex album than "Illuminations" and it's a welcome addition to the other five CD's he has released. I expect other fans will feel as I do, which is that this is the best Groban has been in a while, and certainly since the David Foster days that many people originally fell in love with. First off, the songwriting on "All That Echoes" is some of Josh's best. This is completely apparent in the first few tracks, as they are as great as they are varied: "Brave" and "False Alarms" both use interweaving plucked strings throughout with piano support. The songs build and show Josh growing in his songwriting and entering new territory that is definitely welcome. The sound is new and I find it exciting and it lets his voice go to places that weren't so often heard before. "Falling Slowly" is a throwback to the Groban of old. And it's fantastic. The song has one of his best chorus' and easily may be my favorite song on the album. A few other gems include: "Happy in my Heartache," A medium paced songs that is incredibly uplifting for a break-up song. The lyrics are quite sappy, and make me laugh a little in their ridiculousness, but that's part of what you get with Groban, love it or hate it, it's still catchy as hell. "Below the Line," A similar pace and tone to "Happy..." as above. I really have to hand it to Rob Cavallo, as he's done an excellent job producing this album. The instrumentation is spot on all the way through. This song is the best showcase of that with Paul Simon like guitar vamping and galloping drums. "She Moved Through the Fair," A little bit of a surprise here in instrumentation and tone. Includes a semi dark tone if you can believe it (well dark for Groban) and utilizes bag-pipes throughout. Has a hypnotic feel and I love the Cliff Martinez like meditative electronic back-drop. Really great feel throughout. In the end, this is a must buy album in my opinion. The album is listenable all the way through. If you're like me and listen to the music around the house, while trying to get work done, or when you're out walking the dog, then you want a versatile album. This is by far his most varied, and takes his music in a welcome new direction. Highly recommended.