One World One Love

Performer: Michael Bolton
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Recording information: 600feet, England; Chalice Studios, Hollywood, CA; Dutchland Studios; Jam Studios, Burbank, CA; Passion Studio, Westport, CT; Swarm West Studios, London, UK; Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Photographer: Andrew MacPherson. Never let it be said that Michael Bolton is ignorant of his times. He may not always participate in them -- he spent the better part of the new millennium on the sidelines, occasionally singing covers, even indulging in an album-long tribute to Sinatra -- but he's aware of them, as One World One Love, released in the U.K. in 2009 and the U.S. in 2010, illustrates. For his first mainstream pop album since 2002, he immerses himself in cool contemporary trends, trading heavily in Auto-Tune, enlisting Ne-Yo and a pre-fame Lady Gaga for a collaboration, dabbling in some reggae rhythms, adapting some coolly synthesized rhythms without ever quite achieving the iciness of Ryan Tedder. Strangely, Bolton's impeccably recorded adult contemporary seems much warmer than most modern AC, something that goes a long way toward making One World One Love appealing: even though the songs are, as a whole, not as memorable as his earliest hits, there's a nice easy confidence here -- it's the sound of an old pro doing what he does best. ~ 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.

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.3

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