Name: Michael Bolton - Gems: The Very Best of
Brand: Sony Uk
SKU: 30040687
Price: 17.02 USD
Availability: InStock

Michael Bolton - Gems

Rating

Album: Michael Bolton - Gems: The Very Best of
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Soul Provider	More Info...	0:04
2)	(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay	More Info...	0:04
3)	How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?	More Info...	0:04
4)	How Can We Be Lovers	More Info...	0:04
5)	When I'm Back On My Feet Again	More Info...	0:03
6)	Georgia On My Mind	More Info...	0:05
7)	Time, Love and Tenderness	More Info...	0:04
8)	When a Man Loves a Woman	More Info...	0:04
9)	Missing You Now	More Info...	0:04
10)	Steel Bars	More Info...	0:03
11)	Said I Loved You... But I Lied	More Info...	0:05
12)	Lean On Me	More Info...	0:04
13)	Can I Touch You... There?	More Info...	0:05
14)	I Promise You	More Info...	0:05
15)	I Found Someone	More Info...	0:04
16)	A Love So Beautiful	More Info...	0:04
17)	This River	More Info...	0:05

Album: Michael Bolton - Gems: The Very Best of
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Soul Provider	More Info...	0:04
2)	(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay	More Info...	0:04
3)	How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?	More Info...	0:04
4)	How Can We Be Lovers	More Info...	0:04
5)	When I'm Back On My Feet Again	More Info...	0:03
6)	Georgia On My Mind	More Info...	0:05
7)	Time, Love and Tenderness	More Info...	0:04
8)	When a Man Loves a Woman	More Info...	0:04
9)	Missing You Now	More Info...	0:04
10)	Steel Bars	More Info...	0:03
11)	Said I Loved You... But I Lied	More Info...	0:05
12)	Lean On Me	More Info...	0:04
13)	Can I Touch You... There?	More Info...	0:05
14)	I Promise You	More Info...	0:05
15)	I Found Someone	More Info...	0:04
16)	A Love So Beautiful	More Info...	0:04
17)	This River	More Info...	0:05

Performer Notes

Considering his last genuine hit was way back in 1997, Michael Bolton's back catalog has been the subject of a surprisingly high number of compilations. If you're wondering what 2012 collection Gems: The Very Best Of can offer what the other 20-odd flooding the market haven't already, the answer is not a lot. Indeed, apart from the substitution of "That's What Love Is All About" for his take on Bill Withers' "Lean on Me," its 17 tracks are exactly the same as his hugely successful Greatest Hits 1985-1995 (albeit in a different order). It therefore means that the 11 studio albums he's recorded since are entirely ignored, but with only one of his 17 U.S. Top 40 hits ("Go the Distance") charting outside that time frame, it remains to be seen whether the lack of recent material should be an issue. Unsurprisingly the bulk of the track list comes from his late 80s/early 90s heyday, from the long-haired power balladry of "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?" to his renditions of soul classics from Percy Sledge ("When a Man Loves a Woman"), and Ray Charles ("Georgia on My Mind") to his soft rock uptempo songs like "How Can We Be Lovers?" and "Time, Love and Tenderness." Bolton's star had started to wane by the mid-'90s, and while several of the tracks recorded specially for his first major-label retrospective, such as the unadulterated schmaltz of "I Promise You" and "A Love So Beautiful" explain why, the cheekily seductive world-pop of "Can I Touch You.There?" and a straight-forward rendition of "I Found Someone" (the track he penned for Cher) are arguably two of his best songs. Tacked on as a bonus disc, the 2011 duets collection Gems shows he can still belt it out with the best of them, particularly the covers of U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful." But casual fans will be more concerned with the first hits-packed disc, which may do its job, but ultimately, is indistinguishable from the mountain of similar compilations. ~ Jon O'Brien