Ronan Keating in the Studio with Burt

[Pablo]

I haven't got the record yet, but you are right, especially as (in the Youtube docummentary) you can see Hal David in the studio, as a way of recognising his input to the songs.

[Martin Johnson]

As with any album of Bacharach songs, the role of the arranger is almost if not just as important as the vocalist(s).

Too true, pljms, and much more important than a mere producer! Listening to the album I wish Bacharach had forsaken his role as co-producer and dedicated himself exclusively to arranging and conducting ALL of the ten songs, not just two, and then, despite Ronan Keating's vocal limitations, we would have had much more of an album to savour.

[gabba]

may i say the truth???i'm quite disappointed about the fact that Burt did'nt arranged the whole album.
The title suggest and make you think is absolutely like this...what do you think guys???
Nothin against the other fellows who take part on the cd,all my respect to them...but...this is not what i waited for....
that's my simple opinion of course...bye Gabba

[GehVorbei]

I think Pljms, who I rarely agree with, is absolutely right...you just have to listen to most of the tracks and it is quite obvious how limited Burt's actual involvement in this must have been.

I think it is mostly a marketing ploy and it must be working very well, the album seems to be selling by the bucket in the UK. And I actually had to purchase the album this morning to find the names of the other producer and the arrangers. Nowhere else on the net were they mentioned. All the marketing machine keeps communicating is that Burt "was in the room" with Ronan.

[MissyK]

All the marketing machine keeps communicating is that Burt "was in the room" with Ronan.

But Burt was in the studio every day, you only had to follow the "tweets" from Ronan, Greg and various other people working on the album and the documentry.

[gillanddon]

Geh Vorbei .. I think he was there but in the film footage he looked slightly detached. Difficult one. He is very passionate with his touring crew and you have to ask why, with all due respect, he has recorded with Ronan Keating and not with his 'main man' John Pegano?

[blueonblue]

I've just listened to Ronan's version of "This House Is Empty Now"....a classic tear-jerker !!!

"blue"

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Geh Vorbei .. I think he was there but in the film footage he looked slightly detached. Difficult one. He is very passionate with his touring crew and you have to ask why, with all due respect, he has recorded with Ronan Keating and not with his 'main man' John Pegano?

John did record a CD and Burt was involved with it. I don't know how well the CD sold. Sadly, my guess is that it didn't sell well. Show business is very unfair and lesser talents sometimes "make it" while even bigger talents do not. Within the past few years, Burt has written some phenomenal music that gets no radio play, while horrendous songs do very well.

From what I understand, Ronan Keating is a singing star and sells CDs. So, in that regard, I guess it would make sense for Burt to record with Ronan and not John. If John had sold as well as, say, Michael Buble, then I'm sure that Burt would have recorded with him.

[blueonblue]

Ronan praises Burt........


"blue"

[gillanddon]

Yes Enormous BB Fan as the CD is right at the top of the charts here in the UK. I must say after initial reservations I like it .. Ronan Keating has an interesting take on the great BB classics.

[MissyK]

Ronan and Burt move up 2 places on the UK album chart this week, now currently sitting at no.3 It is also at No.5 in Ireland.

[gillanddon]

That's great news! His version of 'This House Is Empty Now' is awesome.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

This proves something that we all know: Burt's music never gets old. And generation after generation will be enjoying his genius.

[Sara D]

The fact that the album has risen to No.3 in the UK charts in its second week I think can be put down at least in part to Mothers Day and the fact that Ronan Keating plugged the album on several high-profile TV shows last week. He certainly said all the right things in the interviews that I saw (apart from repeatedly getting Burt’s age wrong – 84?!) and was very self-effacing and full of respect and admiration for BB. Having two teenage daughters I've at least been aware of Ronan Keating for several years and I have to admit I thought they were pulling my leg when they told me a couple of months ago about this unlikely collaboration. Full credit to Ronan for committing himself to a whole album of Bacharach songs, not a sure-fire guarantee of commercial success these days as we all know, and I think that overall he acquits himself very well, although he sounds a tad uncomfortable on one or two of the songs. I suppose it's a sign of BB's advanced age and perhaps a more pragmatic attitude that he's now prepared to hand over most of the arranging duties to others. Most of the arrangements at least keep to the spirit of the originals, but when they don’t I think the results are very mixed - while I like what arranger Joel McNeely does with 'I Just Don't Know What to do with Myself’ I think his arrangement of ‘The Look of Love’ is a mess and is something I've already started to avoid playing. I'm really pleased that three or four of the song choices aren’t the usual suspects, especially ‘Something Big’ and I think it’s good that they used Bacharach’s original arrangement for that underrated gem. However, I wince every time I hear the session singers’ ropey harmonies on the first chorus, the one sung without Ronan, and it's something you don’t expect to hear on an album co-produced by Bacharach. Incidentally, it seems this partnership probably wont stop with this album because in one interview Ronan Keating gave he hinted at a possible follow-up and some UK dates with BB later in the year.

[Rio]

To those who know Keating from before and know the UK market to some extent: what kind of sales one could expect from a solo album with him? How much of the first several weeks of sales would depend solely on him? Alternatively, how much of the initial sucess can be attributed the quality of Burt's songs?
Were there reviews good enough to attract people who might otherwise hesitate to buy the albun or who would definitely have avoided Keating?
How is his fan base reacting to the album (buying with mixed feelings, or embracing it fully)?
Thanks.