Michael Bolton Albums (21)
What The Critics Say
Michael Bolton was still sporting a full mane of hair and recording for Columbia/Sony when he released his last holiday album -- This Is the Time: The Christmas Album -- in 1996. Now, a sheared Bolton has moved to Concord, a jazz label, and has taken another stab at the holiday album on A Swingin' Christmas. The album's strongest selling point is that it gets right to the heart of the holiday song tradition, avoiding self-penned novelties and obscure carols for holiday favorites that everyone knows and loves. That means that fans who appreciate Bolton's vocal style, from his quiet rasp to his over-the-top dramatics, will now have his versions of ten classic Christmas songs in one place. Despite these qualities, however, some listeners may wish for something a little more invigorating. While Bolton may be inspired by the material, the production and arrangements are by the numbers, and while the title -- A Swingin' Christmas -- conjures up visions of jazzy big bands from yesterday, the result more often reminds one of a big band from a late-night talk show. Perhaps the biggest detraction for fans, however, is how short the album is at just 33 minutes. In other words, by the time one has poured the eggnog and cuddled up beside that significant someone, it will be time to get up and put another album on. Hardcore fans, however, will probably be unperturbed: repeat buttons, after all, were made for a reason. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
'Merry Christmas from Vienna'
Release Date 6/5/2007
Tracks 22
Label Sony
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Bolton Swings Sinatra'
Release Date 5/23/2006
Tracks 12
Label Concord
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What The Critics Say
So it's come to this: a Bolton record taking a page from Rod Stewart's successful career reinterpreting the American classics, which really isn't something new because Bolton's been doing it his whole career -- Stewart just had a brief phase to cash in on an aging baby boomer market that used to think he was sexy. Nevertheless, this is a treat for Boltheads to savor: a 12-song tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes from one of the late 20th century's most successful adult crooners. It's a session of well-polished, by-the-numbers renditions of some of Frankie's most well-loved anthems, including a duet with fiancée/Desperate Housewife Nicolette Sheridan. Bolton doesn't break any new ground here, but his consistent vocal stylings are comforting and resonate just as well as they did nearly two decades ago, when his pop career launched him into the stratosphere. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
'Til the End of Forever'
Release Date 9/13/2005
Tracks 18
Label Passion Group
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What The Critics Say
Til the End of Forever is a treat for die-hard Boltheads. The first half of the album is comprised of freshly minted material that follows the tried and true Bolton formula: well-polished, accessible ballads tempered with upbeat numbers that are wholly inoffensive to the ears. Duets with Liz Sharpe and Jim Brickman help pick the first half up when it could have easily dragged on into monotony, and it ends with a reggae version of Bolton's hit "Said I Loved You...But I Lied." Although it's inexplicable as to why he felt the need to re-record the song in this style, it is nevertheless enjoyable. However, it's the second half of the disc where Bolton truly shines. In a ten-song concert that also doubles as a greatest-hits survey of his career, Bolton tears his way through hit after hit with no filler in sight. While this may not be the ideal place for newcomers to start exploring the mighty Bolton catalog, Til the End of Forever is a must-have for die-hard loyalists. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
'All About Love'
Release Date 9/30/2003
Tracks 16
Label Sony International
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Joy to the World'
Release Date 6/1/2002
Tracks 8
Label Sony Special Products
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'Only a Woman Like You'
Release Date 4/16/2002
Tracks 11
Label Jive International
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Michael Bolton has been called many things over the years, but never savvy -- and that may actually apply, judging by his last few albums. He stopped having giant hits somewhere around the mid-'90s, but it took him only one album to realize that he need to change direction, bringing Tony Rich and Babyface aboard 1997's All That Matters to help him adjust to shifting tides. It was a move that worked, even if it didn't sell all that much, and now, two albums (a forgotten covers album and a bizarre foray into opera) and one record label later, he does a similar thing with Only a Woman Like You, teaming with such adult contemporary stalwarts as Richard Marx, Shania Twain, and Twain's husband, Mutt Lange, for a variety of cuts but, more importantly, paying attention to the trends that get music on the radio. Listen to the opening cut, "Dance With Me," that sounds uncannily like Marc Anthony's follow-up single to "I Need to Know," complete with sultry Latin beats and a Bolton who has learned the meaning of the word "restraint." While that's the only time he delves into Latin pop on the record -- nearly all of the record is devoted to ballads or mid-tempo crooners -- Bolton clearly keeps his histrionic tendencies in check, which fits for these smooth, glossy textures. It keeps it all rolling easily from start to finish. A byproduct of this is that it all tends to blend together, needing repeated plays -- either at home or on the airwaves -- for individual songs to catch hold, but it's all of a piece and Bolton's best record since his hitmaking heyday. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'That's What Love Is All About'
Release Date 4/1/2002
Tracks 10
Label Sony Special Products
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Timeless: The Classics, Vol. 2'
Release Date 1/1/1999
Tracks 11
Label Columbia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For his second collection of pop standard covers, Michael Bolton doesn't really change his course of action, choosing to sing the songs everybody knows ("Sexual Healing," "Tired of Being Alone," "Let's Stay Together," "Try a Little Tenderness," "(What A) Wonderful World," "A Whiter Shade of Pale," etc., etc.). There are two surprises here, Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do for Love" and Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," but they're done up in the same adult contemporary arrangements as everything else on the record. So, Timeless: The Classics, Vol. 2 delivers exactly what you expect: predictable songs, as done by Michael Bolton. In one sense, that makes it stronger than some Bolton albums, since the material is all good, but it also highlights the fact that he isn't as subtle or nuanced a singer as his idols, even though he's grown more powerful over the years. Still, by 1999, that was hardly a revelation, and it seems churlish to complain about Bolton's singing or the predictability of the material, since that all comes as no surprise. Thus, that leaves Timeless: The Classics, Vol. 2 as a solid Bolton album. No revelations, no surprises -- just pure Bolton. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
