On the weekend I was channel-surfing when I stumbled upon a Josh Groban special marking a PBS 10th Anniversary broadcasting live! in Las Vegas.
At first blush, it was obvious the concert was a sly (deceitful) effort by Groban's handlers to stir up the passions of the pop vocalist's die-hard fans - and ultimately - jazz up his sagging image on the concert circuit around the country.
For instance, the editors weaved together a fast-paced montage of short clips geared towards seducing the viewing audience.
In a nutshell, the slick images were intended to manipulate and jolt the emotions - and pull at the heart strings - in the final analysis.
As a result, music-lovers - and fans alike - were unable to discern what had just washed over them.
Oh yes, there were shots of Groban - moaning mournfully, reaching out to the audience tenderly, wiggling a little butt - you name it.
Josh solos on drums!
Josh tickles the ivories!
Shameless.
Granted, when Mr. Groban warbled signature tunes such as - "You Raise me Up" - he was right on the "money".
His strong masculine voice appeals, after all.
In contrast, when he took a musical risk with original interpretations of established standards, the outcome was usually an abysmal failure.
When he crooned in Spanish, it was laughable, too.
At one point, Groban appeared for all-the-world like a nice little Jewish kid, dressed-up and at-the-ready to attend a Bar Mitzvah.
But somehow - by a quirk of fate - the warbler managed to end up on a concert stage instead (stripped bare and naked to the world).
In a prior critique last year, I opined that Josh Groban lacked the "presence" and "stature" to hold his own in such a setting with world-class musicians at his beck-and-call.
To his credit, this time out, Josh surrounded himself (in a few entertaining segments) with a handful of his contemporaries that succeeded in boot-strapping him up.
But clearly, as a solo "concert" act, he sucks!
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