Michael Bolton

I do love Michael Bolton and am not ashamed to admit it! He has a pleasant voice and I like his songs. I like his interpretations of other artist's songs also. Call me corny or crazy, I don't care.I have lots of his music and this CD is a good one for a well rounded selection of his material. He was a big part of my life in the 90's.Many women in my age group like him!!

Michael Bolton is one of my favorite 80s singers. This cd is a good collection of his music from that time period.

It must be hard to be Michael Bolton. Blessed with an unfathomably powerful voice, he nonetheless harvests love and grimaces only in about equal measure. He pays tribute to some sturdy old songs and gets labeled as a cover-only singer. It's enough to drive a man to play baseball or something. Which he does. Softball, actually, but you get the picture.

This 1995 collection of a decade's worth of hits shows off Bolton's prowess and production in a way that sheds some light on the ambivalent reception he's earned. In truth, fifty-three million albums may not be a definition of ambivalence you're familiar with. Yet the sheer quantity of anti-Bolton reviews that surface on websites everywhere suggests that the a-word is not a bad place to begin this assessment of MICHAEL BOLTON, GREATEST HITS 1985-1995.

Let's get one thing up on the table straight out: Bolton's voice is not subtle. It's either on or off. This can be an exceptionally good thing when you want to hear the boy wail as he does on--let's pick one--'(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay'. This old saw has been done by a lot of artists but never with more passion. That's what Bolton brings instead of subtlety : passion. And this is precisely where that one half of humanity that hates Michael Bolton--yes, I exaggerate a little--launches their first assault.

This reviewer is a lover of ballads. I think most top-tier vocalists do their best work when they wax balladesque. Yet in countless listenings to this album in preparation for reviewing it, I've come to the conclusion that Bolton's stock-in-trade is just the opposite. *Ballads* require a certain suave restraint. Bolton doesn't have that. He's at his best when he goes *anthemic*. The rock or soul anthem takes one simple idea and absolutizes it, celebrates, shouts about it, weeps about it, pretends for a moment that the world is made of it. Think of Jagger on `You're So Hot'. It's a hilarious song because it boils all of life down to life at the groin level. You don't expect the Stones to explore the angst of the thing, to paint it in a dozen hues. It's an anthem of sorts.

On this album--an artifact, if you will, of a decade of performance--Bolton goes into anthemic orbit time after time. This is precisely when he's very, very good. The parade example is the testosterone-charged WHEN I'M BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN. What guy--I'm one of them--has not found this song momentarily the truest description of life as he lives it that has ever been voiced. It's all about the comeback and, dammit, Michael is not gonna' let go of this bone until he's done chewing it as loudly as he can.

Or take `Time, Love, and Tenderness'. (You can have it, the cynics may respond ...). The point is not that this tune is great art. It's that Bolton lets fly, with exceptional instrumental and vocal backup, and he gets you singing in your car as though this song were the only thing that mattered today. Or ever. Now how can you hate *that*?

I could go on (turning to `This River', for example). But you get the point.

Let me make another observation about Bolton, who lavishly thanks his band on the CD liner, something that comes clear on about the sixth or seventh listen to this anthology: this album (and therefore Bolton's decade) would not be half of what it is without Tommy Cain at the drums. This man is one awesome exemplar of rhythm-restraining percussion work. You need this on an anthem because the energy either makes you speed up or slow down. Cain is always holding things back a millisecond from where you think they're going. The effect is critical to the music.

Occasionally, he simply blows the roof off. Listen to his craftsmanship at 3:00 of track nine (`When a Man Loves a Woman').

Maybe the ambivalence that surrounds this gifted singer comes from asking him to be something that he is not. He can occasionally excel on the ballad, with all its emotional freight, as in the semi-balladesque `Said I Loved You ... But I Lied' (which, by the way, is one of the purely great tunes on this album). But he wants to wail, he's gonna' wail, and none of us is gonna' stop him from wailing. That's what Bolton does.

He wails. He wails on songs that lots of other people have recorded. It's a free country and a man with pipes like Providence has given to Michael Bolton can do that if he wants to, not least when 53 million people have said `I'll buy that'.

You might consider just letting it be what it is and then, one fine day when nobody is watching, you may find yourself belting out some worn old line of lyrics as though you'd just now made'em up yourself.

It's a pretty good sound, really.

This cd has all his best. The sound is excellent! I knew the music was going to be great but the recording makes it an even better. I always judge a cd by the sound quality and this one is high quality. If you are looking for good music on a great sounding cd this is it.

One of the most notorious, most successful thief in modern music history.
But give this singing charlatan & his handlers credit! They have made off with more dinero than even most banks could count.
Surely, most of the mega-millions that he has lured into his Cayman accounts has been female money; but I digress, maybe there are guys out there who are so accustomed to forgery, that the real thing " is a thing of the past."
I just saw a picture of this vandalizer & was wondering who he's ripped-off lately. Does he have his eyes set, on a say, Justin Timberlake, the late Robert Goulet, a Brad Pitt " Retrospective, " or maybe a duet with Barry Manilow singing, " Mandy?"
Women, like everyone else, have to grow-up & if you're from the 60's then there is No hope for you.
But if you are content with this very poor facsimile, then you get everything you deserve.

I'll admit it: I was coerced into participating in a local production of Titanic The Musical recently and while I never had, nor do I have any desires to perform on stage, I almost reluctantly fell in love with this incredibly moving story that involves an absolutely amazing musical score. I played Benjamin Guggenheim, who along with some of the most famous millionaires in the world (John Jacob Astor, George Widener and the Thayers, literally the Bill Gates and Donald Trumps of their day) died as the Largest Moving Object on the earth slipped beneath the waves, April 15th 1912.

First, one major difference between this re-telling of one of the greatest maritime disasters of all-time and others, there really isn't any two or three characters that stood out as lead roles. The story was carried almost collectively with a large group of people--ALL based on real passengers and crew of the ill-fated luxury liner. Oh, and Molly Brown is entirely absent from the tale having already been done to death many times before.

Second, the music--oh the music! If you are a fan of wonderful music, you simply owe it to yourself to experience this soundtrack. Everything from the opening number to 'Doing the Latest Rag' and so many in between to the closing 'Sail On, Sail On Great Ship Titanic' evokes a tremendous amount of emotion (which was exactly as planned) and is at once music you don't have to LEARN to love.

Kudos to those who helped to bring this magnificent story to the Broadway Stage. The Titanic will forever be one of my favorite stories, and now I add the musical to my long list of reasons to be utterly fascinated by what happened all those years ago in the North Atlantic.

One of my favorites. Although it is wonderful as a whole, there are little bits and pieces of amazing that pop up which are what really make this album soar. Moments such as

Barrett and the other sailors optimistic, "Fare thee well my darlin', I'll be back before a fortnight has passed..."

Alice Beane expressing her longing to be apart of the first class: "I want more than we've got Edgar. Why don't you?"

Jim Farrell coaxing Kate McGowan onto the lifeboat by singing [the semi-reprise], "You're going to be a lady's maid! Lady's maid in America!"

Also, "The Blame" is an excellent song. Highly reccommended.

Wow a great musical do not understand why it was cancelled in this country. The music and lyrics are very moving and make great listening. I will have to visit USA to see it I suppose.

This is my all-time favorite musical! It really works out when you're in love with Broadway Musicals and Titanic, like me! Michael Cerevis really shines as the builder Thomas Andrews in the song "In Every Age", as does Brian d'Arcy James as stoker Frederick Barrett in "Barrett's Song". This recording is definately worth your money for the most part and you'll probably love it almost as much as do.
Godspeed Titanic!

Robyn
aka Mrs Harold Bride :)

Very good CD not normally that easily available but delivered on time for a reasonable price.

Now, I like Michael, don't get me wrong. The whole Essential thing?? That doesn't work for me. I must have really sensitive equipment because to me, the mastering is not what it could be and as far as the Essential series goes, this is not the only entry in the series that needs to be looked at. Barry Manilow, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Alabama, and Ronnie Milsap should be listened to again and the mastering Engineer reproached for disinterest in the final results of what should be fine compilations highlighting highs in the various artists careers. No, these sets frustrate me and leave me wanting to investigate better compilations.

My mother loves Michael Bolton and finally has a CD player in her car. She will love it!

One of the most notorious, most successful thief in modern music history.
But give this singing charlatan & his handlers credit! They have made off with more dinero than even most banks could count.
Surely, most of the mega-millions that he has lured into his Cayman accounts has been female money; but I digress, maybe there are guys out there who are so accustomed to forgery, that the real thing " is a thing of the past."
I just saw a picture of this vandalizer & was wondering who he's ripped-off lately. Does he have his eyes set, on a say, Justin Timberlake, the late Robert Goulet, a Brad Pitt " Retrospective, " or maybe a duet with Barry Manilow singing, " Mandy?"
Women, like everyone else, have to grow-up & if you're from the 60's then there is No hope for you.
But if you are content with this very poor facsimile, then you get everything you deserve.

Music is enjoyable to listen to, and the songs have a good beat. Some songs are more appealing than others, but the CD is great.

For a singer who has been around for 30 + years is do for a boxset. I noticed that there is nothing from his first two albums. So it is a best of from 1987-1999.
The remastering is great. The problem I have is his song selection. It has the songs it should have. All his hits from 1987-97. It's also filled with obscure songs that were not hits. For 20 bucks you can't go wrong with a double CD.
So I decided to make my own Essestial Bolton. Here are the songs
Disk 1
1. Fools Games
2. Back in My Arms Again
3. Everybody's Crazy
4. Call My Name
5. You Don't Want Me Bad Anough
6. (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
7. That's What Love is All About
8. How Am I Supposed to Live Without You
9. Soul Provider
10. How Can We Be Lovers
11. When I'm Back On My Feet Again
12. Georgia On My Mind
13. When A Man Loves A Women
14. Love is a Wonderfull Thing
15. Time, Love, and Tenderness
16. Missing You Now
17. Forever Isn't Long Anough
18. To Love Somebody

Disk 2

1. I Said I loved You But I lied
2. I'm Not Made of Steel
3. You Ain't Got Nothing If You Ain't Got Love
4. Lean on Me
5. Can I Touch You There
6. A Love So Beautiful
7. Love is Power
8. This is the Time
9. The Best of Love
10. Go The Distance
11. A Safe Place From The Storm
12. Nessum Dorma from Turnandot
13. Sexual Healing
14. Tired of Being Alone
15. Once in A Lifetime
16. Only A Women Like You
17. Dance With Me

If I could give this 6 stars I would, this is a wonderful CD and I'm so glad I got it.

This Christmas CD by Michael Bolton is much better than the first one he did. I really like it.

Not a lot different from "Greatest Hits 1985-1995," this album is exactly what its title says. It's all of Michael's most famous love songs. "In The Arms Of Love" is one of my favorite songs ever, and I'm very glad he included it. My only issue with the album is the exclusion of "Steel Bars" and "To Love Somebody," but otherwise a great album for Boltheads, and perfect for the first-time listener.

I went somewhere a few weeks ago and only young people were there. Their ages ranged between sixteen to no more than twenty two. I found them listening to Michael Bolton.
I asked "Wait a minute whose CD is this?"
One of them told me which one of them owned the CD. I looked at her, she is no more than eighteen - just graduated. I said to one of them, "Ah, but can you tell me the name of the singer."
One of the young men smiled and replied, "Michael Bolton. Don't everyone listen to him?"
I replied "Yes, but..."
He interrupted me, "You think we are two young to listen to him."
"Well, I am surprised."
Still smiling he said, "Mrs....., his songs are good, when songs are good they transcend generations."
"I guess so." I responded with a shake of my head. "Do you want a copy?" He asked.
I said "No, I like originals. For me it must be the real thing or nothing." I did what I came to do and I left the young people listening to their Michael Bolton CD.
To myself I said, "This man has really transcended generations, women who could be my mother were listening to him while I was a child. Now young people younger than me are enjoying his songs."
When I got to my vehicle, I inserted my key into the ignition and as the engine turned, one of my Michael Bolton CDs electrified through my speakers. I drove off smiling, my eyes partly closed. That man Michael Bolton is just too sweet. like good wine, he gets better and better. No wonder people are stealing my CDs.
I have other CDs covering most of the songs on this particular CD, there are two songs on this one that I do not have though and I am thinking about buying it. "In the arms of love" sounds so sweet I want it. Even when the man sings soul I close my eyes and forget he is white with the most beautiful eyes. Hey, listen to "Tired of Being Alone" close your eyes and his soul comes from a heart as red blooded as my own. He is hot, hot, hot!

Another compilation of this guy's songs, could life get any sweeter!!? The last true crusader of adult contemporary schlock has bestowed upon us another aural jewel sent straight from the heavens. If you don't own a MB album the you do not know what it is like to live and I am ashamed of you. Get on your knees and pray to this princely man!

Ideal for Michael Bolton fans who enjoy love songs, Micheal Bolton fans who don't particularly enjoy love songs but like Michael Bolton so much it doesn't matter, love song enthusiasts who wouldn't normally listen to Michael Bolton but are prepared to make an exception if he is singing love songs, or for anyone wishing to lay a trap for a Michael Bolton fan who already owns Michael Bolton: Greatest Hits 1985 -1995.

This CD is so beautiful. The music makes you want to float on air. Michael Bolton does not have to worry about any of the negative criticism about him. He has everything that it takes to make it. I will always listen to his music, and I hope that he keeps on recording beautiful music for all people to enjoy.

Since I adore Michael Bolton and his beautiful voice. I loved this CD and would readily suggest it to other Michael Bolton fans. It's beautiful and great for Christmas.

One of the most notorious, most successful thief in modern music history.
But give this singing charlatan & his handlers credit! They have made off with more dinero than even most banks could count.
Surely, most of the mega-millions that he has lured into his Cayman accounts has been female money; but I digress, maybe there are guys out there who are so accustomed to forgery, that the real thing " is a thing of the past."
I just saw a picture of this vandalizer & was wondering who he's ripped-off lately. Does he have his eyes set, on a say, Justin Timberlake, the late Robert Goulet, a Brad Pitt " Retrospective, " or maybe a duet with Barry Manilow singing, " Mandy?"
Women, like everyone else, have to grow-up & if you're from the 60's then there is No hope for you.
But if you are content with this very poor facsimile, then you get everything you deserve.

A classic, but with a special touch from the great voice of a great performer like Michael Bolton.

This album is great if you enjoy Christmas songs. Michael does what he does best: He takes classics and makes them his own. These are new, refreshing renditions, instead of the boring, conventional style you usually hear in these songs. A good album for fans at Christmas.

I played the original CD so much I wore out thus I am ordering a new one tonight. Michael Bolton has found the right medium in expressing himself through Christmas songs. This CD provides the right atmosphere for the holiday season. Should be played at every holiday party.

I'm a Bolton fan, but doing Sinatra is a mistake for him, as it was for Rod Stewart. The title, "...Swings Sinatra" is insulting...SINATRA swung Sinatra, for God's sake. If anything, it swings quite a bit -less- than it did in the first place. Some styles aren't meant to be combined: As Aretha awkwardly inflicted her soul riffing into Italian opera, Bolton does the same to standards. Standards,(and opera), have a fully developed aesthetic of improvisational possibilities. Artists must learn the riffs -already- available to them before they try to "update" the music with riffs they brought in from their signature style.

"Bolton Swings Sinatra" has some excellent renditions of famous Sinatra recordings. "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" slinks with an urbane arrangement with horns and flutes, "Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter & Mars." Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a great tune with the clarinet giving an urgency to the mix. Bolton also gives an excellent reading of Cole Porter's "Night & Day," "Why is it so that this longing for you follows for you wherever I go? In the roaring traffic's boom, in the silence of my lonely room, I think of you." "The Girl from Ipanema" sways enticingly with Bolton's wispy vocals suiting the material perfectly, "When she walks, she's like a samba that swings so cool & sways so gentle." I'm sure Bolton had a great time recording "The Second Time Around" with fiancee Nicollette Sheridan from TV's "Desperate Housewives." It's not my favorite track. The CD concludes with a big Broadway-style splash with Fred Ebb's & John Kander's "New York New York." This CD is a good homage to one of the great singers, Frank Sinatra. Enjoy!

FRANK SINATRA IS MY FAVORITE. I LIKED THIS VERY MUCH.
BOLTON ALONG WITH A FEW OTHERS ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN SING HIS MUSIC.

He lost his strong voice in week songs, seems his choice get worse the more he gets older. Do not like this cd. Besides it is very expensive in Wal Mart. I could have saved 6 dollars if I got it from amazon. The bottom line it is not worth even $1.

Nice renditions of Sinatra favorites. Bolton hasn't lost his voice with age. I just wasn't wowed.

Since I adore Michael Bolton and his beautiful voice. I loved this CD and would readily suggest it to other Michael Bolton fans. It's beautiful and great for Christmas.

One of the most notorious, most successful thief in modern music history.
But give this singing charlatan & his handlers credit! They have made off with more dinero than even most banks could count.
Surely, most of the mega-millions that he has lured into his Cayman accounts has been female money; but I digress, maybe there are guys out there who are so accustomed to forgery, that the real thing " is a thing of the past."
I just saw a picture of this vandalizer & was wondering who he's ripped-off lately. Does he have his eyes set, on a say, Justin Timberlake, the late Robert Goulet, a Brad Pitt " Retrospective, " or maybe a duet with Barry Manilow singing, " Mandy?"
Women, like everyone else, have to grow-up & if you're from the 60's then there is No hope for you.
But if you are content with this very poor facsimile, then you get everything you deserve.

A classic, but with a special touch from the great voice of a great performer like Michael Bolton.

This album is great if you enjoy Christmas songs. Michael does what he does best: He takes classics and makes them his own. These are new, refreshing renditions, instead of the boring, conventional style you usually hear in these songs. A good album for fans at Christmas.

I played the original CD so much I wore out thus I am ordering a new one tonight. Michael Bolton has found the right medium in expressing himself through Christmas songs. This CD provides the right atmosphere for the holiday season. Should be played at every holiday party.

Michael Bolton is in his element in tossing off this 2003 collection--a very short one, it must be said--of fine old bluesy-romantic pieces. Gone for the moment is the flamboyant wall of musicians that backs up his more anthemic rock and roll pieces. The music here is supplied by a diminutive assortment of soft-spoken instrumentalist. All that's missing is a smoky stage and a cover charge.

It's enough to get a man to wondering about the possibilities that Bolton and, say, Diana Krall might team up on a similar collection in the future. Bolton, truth be told, needs the variety a second voice would bring to this style of intimate singing. His voice is distinctive, strong, assured, but not supple. The give-and-take of a duet would raise the bar here.

Bolton always assembles the best available package to make the music that happens behind him. The result? A light, appealing, exceedingly short tribute to songs well written, long ago.

as they once said in the movie office space, "mb is a no talent azz clown".

I never thought I would own a Michael Bolton CD! I heard this one playing at a cocktail party while on vacation and I fell in love with the mix. This is a great CD to play while relaxing in your kitchen at home---cooking a great dinner for two. I highly recommend it...

This is one of the most romantic CD's I have ever heard. Bolton is in top form with this one. Perfect with a glass of wine, candles and the most important person in your life.

This was an okay album. Michael doesn't seem to put any emotion into the songs, almost like he was forced to do the record. I definitely wasn't feelin' it. As much as it hurts to say it, I can only squeeze 2 stars out of this one.

A WAY-TOO-overhyped, scratchy-voiced cover "singer" who should be screeching tunes in a cheap, smoky lounge for dollar tips, tries to tackle the music genre of Caruso. The horror...the horror.

I was happily surprised that I was able to find just the CD I was looking. It arrived very quickly and I have been enjoying listening to it on my new MP3 player. I would not hesitate buying anything from this sight again. And when I have time I will probably do some browsing!!

WHAT A BLESSING TO HEAR THE RESONANCE IN MICHAEL'S VOICE COME THROUGH IN THESE ARIA'S. HIS SECRET PASSION IS OUT OF THE BAG...IF YOU DON'T COMPARE THIS TO OPERA, YOU WILL BE DELIGHTED TO SEE HIS TALENTS ARE DEEP.....

HE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB. I WAS SO SURPRISED,I DID NOT THINK HE HAD
THE VOICE FOR OPERA BUT HE NAILS THE SONGS. I LOVED THE CD AND PLAY IT ALL THE TIME IN MY CAR.

As was his Sinatra tribute album. Those operatic elitists who disparage natural variation in range miss the point entirely. The best of crooners are limited by vocal cord length, width or strength. Audio quality is not to be found in the sheer power of one's instrument. Physical genes are inherent and greatness can be worked at by anyone. But passion is not learned. It resides in the heart and soul. And Bolton has it. In fact I did not become a fan of his until I listened to this CD. Which says a lot.

Comparisons of style are trivial when you consider this man's limited R&B pop range applied to a whole new body of work. The greatest performance artists in history were jacks of all showbiz recording art trades with the zestful arrogance to try anything. Bobby Darin comes to mind. And so does Mike. Yet I don't believe he's found his true niche in this life time. Since his arias are a lot better than the one dimensional blues of his blue eyed soul persona. How many can sound black but also sing opera?

We may never find out what the real Michael sounds like. But for now his healtfelt rendition of Nessun Dorma is a treat for the ages. This aria may be the most beautiful song of all time. You can't not have simpatico and sing this songbook. Bolton either has some Latin blood or he's an old soul. He has to keep changing his act and reinventing himself and not let anyone paint him into a box. The fact is, Mike can sing almost anything. And his detractors and critics are either biased, misinformed or jealous.

I wonder if Bolton is so good that he can mime the legends of the past. Because in a dark age of brain dead, tone deaf, music mediocrities we need real talents to remind us of the civilized innocence of yesteryear. He gets a free pass to do what he wants with this album. When I think of the alternative, I'd rather listen to Bolton become someone else than this generation be themselves. If the best has come and gone, MB's secret passion may be that he is the last musical chameleon who can do it all.