The Essential Michael Bolton [3.0] [Digipak]

Performer: Michael Bolton
Producer: Gary Haase; Grace Row; Jan Mullaney; Jamie Houston; Keith Diamond; Michael Bolton; Michael Omartian; Peter Bunetta; Phil Ramone; Robert John Lange; Barry Beckett; Billy Mann; Walter Afanasieff
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Liner Note Authors: Patrick Humphries; Patrick Humphries. Arrangers: Jamie Houston; Michael Bolton. This 32-track, two-disc set provides a comprehensive overview of adult-contemporary vocalist Michael Bolton's career. Stretching back to 1980s hits like "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" and his cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," the compilation follows his trajectory to superstar status in the early '90s, presenting both original songs and his dramatic interpretations of soul classics. Devoted fans will likely have most of this material on the studio albums or previous compilations, but ESSENTIAL also extends into the late '90s and early 2000s, covering both hits and choice album tracks from that era. The result is a well-packaged and wide-reaching Bolton sampler, ideal as an introduction or for casual fans looking for a one-stop purchase. At two discs and 32 songs, 2006's The Essential Michael Bolton is by far the most comprehensive Michael Bolton collection ever assembled; at 17 tracks, the previous Bolton comp, 1995's Greatest Hits 1985-1995, was nearly half the size of this set. Longer isn't necessarily better, at least as far as the average Bolton fan is concerned, since every one of Bolton's biggest hits is on the 1995 collection. In the decade that followed the release of Greatest Hits, Michael Bolton was a fairly regular fixture on the Adult Contemporary charts but had only one hit that crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 -- "Go the Distance" in 1997 -- which means that there wasn't much from the late '90s and 2000s that crossed into the popular consciousness the way that "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," "How Can We Be Lovers," and "Said I Loved You...But I Lied" did. Anyone just wanting those hits, along with other '80s and early-'90s singles as "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and "Soul Provider," would be better off with Greatest Hits, but listeners who want to dig a little deeper into that classic era and the years that followed are well-served by The Essential Michael Bolton, which covers both eras equally by serving up all the big hits (minus "Love Is a Wonderful Thing," which has been written out of Bolton's history) and selected album tracks. [This collection was also released as a three disc set.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Making women swoon with his good looks and soulful voice, Bolton was a major pop star in the 1980s and '90s, winning Grammys and selling millions of records. In the '70s, Bolton was the singer for the hard rock band Blackjack, which also featured future members of Kiss and the Pat Travers Band, but he didn't break through until going solo. His outsized pop versions of soul hits like "Dock of the Bay" scored big with boomers and youngsters alike.

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