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From the Vault...
12/20/1998
#608 |
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info
Michael Bolton
"Soul Provider"
© Columbia Records
Year of Release: 1989
Rating:
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track listing
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Soul Provider
Georgia On My Mind
It's Only My Heart
How Am I Supposed To LiveWithout You
How Can We Be Lovers
You Wouldn't Know Love
When I'm Back OnMy Feet Again
From Now On
Love Cuts Deep
Stand Up For Love
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WSVNRadio Archives
Michael Bolton related sites:
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Michael Bolton
"Soul Provider"
Ok, it was bound to happen... Whether you like him or not, Michael Bolton
is an accomplished singer where his voice does provide pure romantic soul.
And his music does set the mood for those hopeless romantics of the world.
My opinion of him? He's a fine singer, and I can honestly admit that I do
enjoy his music. His 1989 release, Soul Provider does provide a great
amount of soul, likewise a great of amount of hair. What happened to his hair
these days???
The title track is a good song to start out the album, providing soul
(Soul Provider, get it?) His remake of Ray Charles' Georgia On My
Mind is just as soulful as the original, piano, sax and all. (Yet I felt
Ray Charles' original version was better.)
It's Only My Heart definitely has the adult contemporary sound, as
I try to remember who this song is compared to: The later years of Chicago,
or maybe that one song by .38 Special that's a very touching ballad called
Second Chance, or maybe when Styx went a little soft when they changed
lead singers. (In fact the comparison of all three groups mentioned here
changed lead singers.)
How Am I Supposed To Live WIthout You is a great song, yet it has
a sad story to it. It's tough to carry on at first when a breakup in a
relationship happens, whether it be long-term or short. (In Bolton's case,
long-term.) This song reached #1, and to those who have encountered a
broken heart, this song may bring a tear or two to the eye. But life goes on,
and as painful as it may have been, we have to continue on with life as well.
On another serious note, How Can We Be Lovers (if we can't be
friends) tells it all. If you're not getting along, why go any further?
Somehow this song reminds me of a strong ballad by the rock group Survivor.
It definitely has that 80s pop sound.
You Wouldn't Know Love has more of a rock feel to it, and again,
it's compared to the band Survivor. It catches you off guard at bit, being
a rock song by the artist named Michael Bolton. When I'm Back On My
Feet Again returns Bolton back to what he does best, singing those
soulful romantic ballads. Likewise another ballad, From Now On is
a duet with Suzie Benson, as this song has the feeling of the tune from the
movie Footloose, called Almost Paradise sung by Loverboy's
Mike Reno and Heart's Ann Wilson.
Love Cuts Deep is more upbeat, and it is soulful. The album
ends with another familar romantic ballad, Stand Up For Love.
Eight of the ten songs on Soul Provider were cowritten by Michael
Bolton, as he proves his devotion to soul music, as this was the kind of
music he grew up on. The title has the word Soul in it, and the album does
provide that kind of music, 1980s style. For the hopeless romantic in all
of us, the romantic tunes on this album will set the atmosphere for romance.
Michael Bolton's music is for lovers, and where most people may not care for
his music (mostly men), there is a huge share of people who do enjoy his music,
(mostly women and a small percentage of men). His music is for the lover
in all of us, whether we want to admit it or not. (Of course, we all have
our own special ways in showing it.)
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Columbia Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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