I don't believe most people buying this album will be sorry. The 1,500,000 people who so far have purchased "The Voice", his debut album, can't be wrong.


Music fan, no expert   April 17, 2002
25 out of 25 found this review helpful

A friend of mine who is an avid Russell Watson fan suggested I purchase the Encore album. I had no idea who Watson was so I first listened to her album and liked what I heard and eventually bought it. I went to Amazon.com and decided to see what other albums Watson had made and out of curiosity, read some of the ratings. I really question those individuals who have panned Mr. Watson and still bought his album, if they did. I would think that if they had listened to one or two of his songs first and disliking Watson as the ratings indicated, they would not buy the album. Strange. Anyway, I personally will buy an album in which I enjoy, despite what critics may say. Avid Russell Watson fans will give this album a 5 rating whereas fans of Bochelli etc. would give Watson a zero. I would rate this a 4 because anyone who can sing opera or pop with ease has to be better than average. I, personally, want to listen to music that I like and a voice that I like. Watson's album satisfied my preference and so I am happy with it. This lad seems to a potential, rising star that will go places. My friend informed me that he is already at the top of the charts in Australia and New Zealand, surpassing Pavarotti, Bochelli, and Brightman. His album has gone platinum, whatever that mean, down under and in Ireland, too. Can that many people in those 3 countries be buying a 0 rated album? I think I am becoming a Watson fan too.


The voice, indeed!   November 22, 2001
J. Delmonico (FOREST PARK, IL USA)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful

After Russell Watson's first cd, I couldn't wait for this one. I jumped the gun and ordered it from amazon.uk. It is another incredible album. "Somewhere" reduced me to a puddle, and Ave Maria made me expect Mary to show up any minute. Russell, with is versatile voice, is an amazing artist that I hope will be coming to America real soon in concert. If you liked the first cd...you will love this one. I highly recommend it...keep them coming, Russell.


A Tribute to Beauty and Excellence   September 27, 2002
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

2. At a time in history when so much that passes for music is unappealing, even ugly and offensive, it is a real joy when someone comes along and reinforces a love for beauty. That is what young Russell Watson has done, for he gives us an interesting combination of wonderful classical arias, classical-pop hybrids, duets, and popular songs, and he sings them beautifully! Watson has an extremely enjoyable voice, and I'm looking forward with great anticipation to his next release.


"THE VOICE" DESERVES AN ENCORE!   April 23, 2002
James H. Rankin (Milwaukee, Wis. USA)
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

We should all applaud a great voice, and Russell Watson's IS a great voice. Is it the greatest in history for all vocals? Assuredly not, but then no one voice intones all vocals with equal felicity. Mr. Watson's voice is decidedly given to the operatic in which its lyric quality is superb and his range and power of astonishing note. This album "Encore" is not as impressive as his previous and premiere compact disk: "The Voice", but it still reflects a luminous clarity of sound that entrances millions of people, and if the liner notes are to be believed, he did so in Italy, the home of opera, as well.

Those negative reviews given by a 'fan of music' or some similar pseudonym, are sad indeed, not for the fact that such a writer cannot appreciate this man's brilliance, but that he stoops to snide comments on Mr. Watson's background and personal life in a futile attempt to diminish The Voice. Could this reviewer be a modern day version of the nineteenth century "claque," that sometimes negative group HIRED to occupy a performance and boo and stomp their feet as the performer being publicly degraded took the stage? If so, one wonders if it is not some former workmates who take offense at the success and escape of one among them so gifted. Is this the welders' revenge? If so, his or their venom will not poison the multitudes who continue to buy Mr. Watson's recordings.

Perhaps the above 'claque' first noticed the images of Mr. Watson on the booklets included with the disks and concluded from the photos of him alone that so baby-faced a man could not be the equal of the barrel-chested, lantern-jawed, dark and Latin ones so synonymous with tenors of past and present. It is indeed incredible to hear such a massive voice issue from so benign a countenance, but that says more for the hidden talents of men of all sorts than any indictment of so gifted a man. We assume that Mr. Watson has imperfections and indiscretions, but they only serve to prove that he is human, quite like the often scandalous lives of the artists and composers before him!

The arias on both disks are clearly his forte, and his promoters should definitely emphasize the classics as his repertoire. The popular pieces are there as a marketing ploy, since 'opera does not sell' is the dictum of most musical publishers today. True, I had hoped for more the wistfulness and longing in the unforgettable piece "Somewhere" as I first heard it in the original "West Side Story" and the Rock beats of some of the others along with back up by far lesser voices do little to enhance his presentation or reputation. He would do well to concentrate on what his voice does best: classical. It may not make as much money as the popular, but it will make for his place in history. His voice will remain along with others with the gift of range and enunciation such as Mario Lanza, who also sought to span the then popular/classical gulf. Listen to a native English speaker like Mr. Watson so skillfully duplicate the trill of Italian, something for which there is no precedent in English, yet he masters it fully. I would love to hear him render "Be My Love" a piece of astonishing demands that cemented the memory of Mr. Lanza. If Mr. Watson can do the same, he will attain yet greater heights in the realm of supreme vocalists.

Lastly, I hope he does find new producers of his booklets inside the compact disks...Solid writing is required of even the modern equivalent of liner notes, and Mr. Watson now has the means to employ real writers as opposed to [ones] of the past, as well as a photographer who emphasizes his stature as a performer rather than a 'Wunderkind.' All singers polish their voices as they mature and I look forward to following this young man's progress as he further polishes such a jewel.