Search - Michael Ball :: The Very Best of Michael Ball: In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall

After making his name as Marius in Les Misérables, Britain's Michael Ball has showcased his strong tenor in both theater roles (Aspects of Love, Stephen Sondheim's Passion) 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 his movies album--disco ("Hot Stuff"), '60s folk-rock ("Everybody's Talkin'"), '70s Neil Diamond ("Love on the Rocks"), a Blues Brothers medley, and '90s power balladry ("My Heart Will Go On")--and moments from his musical-theater roots, including a New Testament medley taken from Godspell (his first show) and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as his two signature tunes: "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" and "Love Changes Everything." He even performs the theme song from Friends and 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 the London 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