BWW Album Review: Michael Ball's COMING HOME TO YOU Has Mixed Results

For most fans, Michael Ball is synonymous with the 1980s era of British megamusicals. With a broad, rich voice, Ball put his stamp on iconic roles such as Les Misérables's Marius and The Phantom of the Opera's Raoul and has had a rich career over the years in major shows such as Hairspray and Sweeney Todd. With his new album Coming Home to You, however, the star expands his reach with a sound that's part country, part easy listening pop. It's an admirable effort, but one that sometimes falls flat.

The first few tracks on the album ease the listener into Ball's new sound. Although his distinctive voice is, as ever, wonderful, this is a new style, and the album wastes no time making sure we all know this is not a quasi-pop-operatic album. Instead, Ball leans into a style that has a surprising light country vibe - and it's partly due to Ball himself, who is credited as a songwriter on some of the album's original songs.

In some cases, the more pop-and-country sound works for Ball. "Home to You," the album's first single, is lovely and catchy, and the second track, "I Just Can't Help Believing," reminds us just how well Ball can sing an emotional ballad. Later in the album, "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" turns out to be the album's most affecting and honest-feeling track. Despite the well-trod lyrical territory, it's a surprisingly authentic-sounding song that wears its casual, tongue-tied-but-not-really attitude well. There's a heartfelt mood to the song that lets it stand out.

That authenticity is, unfortunately, somewhat rare in the album overall. In many of the songs, the quasi-country sound seems forced and artificial, like someone's clichéd idea of country music rather than what the genre actually is like. It's easy listening meets country, and it's not necessarily a match made in heaven on tracks like "Love Is Like a Butterfly" and "All Dance Together."

Ball fares a little better on some of the cover tracks. "To Love Somebody" is mellow, but not in a bad way, and the use of the backing choir gives a hint of a gospel sound to the cover. The flip side, though, is tracks like "Miss You Nights," which takes an existing cheesy song and manages to make it even more so. And among the original songs, "Blood Red Moon" and "Tennessee Dreams" take themselves far too seriously for songs packed with clichés and, on one occasion, howling.

It's a shame that the album has these moments, because it really is a pleasant experience for the most part. Ball's love for the music is always evident, and his willingness to branch out into a different sound and into original sounds should be applauded. I only wish that the end results had been a little bit better-crafted. Ball deserves better - and so do fans.

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