Russell Watson has come a long way since his working-mens club days. He's taken some stick over the years, and it's true he has sometimes come over as arrogant, but anyone who saw him on Just the Two of us on BBC1 over the last couple of weeks saw a new Russell Watson - delivering faultess vocals over almost every musical genre, plus offering terrific and selfless support to an obviously nervy Sian Reeves. His duets with Alexander O'Neal and Curtis Stigers were pro-highlights. So it's timely that this collection comes out now to remind people who already knew him and to introduce him to a whole new generation of fans. In his area of music, and it's a wide area, there is no UK male singer to match him today, he really stands alongside the other RW - Robbie Williams on the pop/rock side as one of our two great music entertainers.
On this collection there are 20 cuts including two new ones, Can't help falling in love and I have nothing (from the Bodyguard). You get great Morricone - his version of the Mission theme is the best ever made, plus a superb 'You raise me up', some great standards from Neapolitan and opera, and that track: the famous Barcelona with Shaun Ryder, that first launched him. A great introduction to a great home-grown singer/entertainer.