Reprise Records

Release Date: November 17^th 2023

Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre

Josh Groban – Closer (20^th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing

1. Oceano
2. My Confession
3. Mi Mancherai (Il Postino) [feat. Joshua Bell]
4. Si Volvieras a Mi
5. When You Say You Love Me
6. Per Te
7. All improvviso Amore
8. Broken Vow
9. Caruso
10. Remember When It Rained
11. Hymne a L amour
12. You Raise Me Up
13. Never Let Go
14. You Raise Me Up (Extended Version) (Bonus Track)
15. Mi Morena (Bonus Track)
16. You’re the Only Place (Bonus Track)
17. My December (Bonus Track)
18. She’s Out of My Life (Bonus Track)
19. Broken Vow (Vocal/piano Version) (Bonus Track)

Josh Groban has been synonymous with music as a whole from the 2000s onward, with his most famous song (as per the general populous) being his 2003 hit ‘You Raise Me Up’…maybe that’s all that he’ll be famous for, when it’s all said and done, but nevertheless, we all know that Josh himself is more than one song, as seen when I wrote about his impact and influence back in 2019, as well as the review I did about his 2020 album Harmony as well. Since 2020, Josh has since released a deluxe version of Harmony (which my brother Josh has reviewed here), as well as a 20^th anniversary deluxe edition of Josh’s 2001 self-titled album. Now two years later, Josh has once again delivered a ‘___^th anniversary deluxe edition’- this time, a 20^th anniversary edition of his 2003 album Closer, expanding the album from 13 tracks to 19 tracks, adding a never-before-heard extended version of ‘You Raise Me Up’ and a newly recorded acoustic version of ‘Broken Vow’, to name a few.

This album ‘review’ won’t be as long-winded nor that travelogue-ish, considering that people pretty much know the album holistically, from 20 years ago. Closer by Josh is indeed a classic of the 2000s, and maybe even a classic album, in the realms of modern music history. Josh rode to stardom when he filled in for Andrea Bocelli and performed a powerful duet with Celine Dion for the uplifting song ‘The Prayer’ all those years ago…and I guess the rest was history. After more than 20 years, and countless of radio hits, we always go back to his 2003 album Closer, with his powerful hit ‘You Raise Me Up’, as an album that ‘defined’ Josh in the music industry- from that point onward, he was considered an artist to be ‘reckoned with’, delivering radio hits from 2003 onwards, from ‘Believe’, ‘You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up)’, ‘February Song’ and ‘If I Walk Away’, to ‘Brave’, ‘Symphony’, ‘Granted’, ’99 Years’ and ‘The Impossible Dream’. Now in 2023, all of Josh’s songs from the b-sides of Closer are all found on this expanded edition of an already-loved and respected album. ‘Mi Morena’, ‘She’s Out of My Life’, ‘You’re The Only Place’ and even ‘My December’ (yes, the same ‘My December’ that was originally written and recorded by rock legends Linkin Park) are all present here on this expanded edition of Closer, while Josh even re-recorded a piano-only version of ‘Broken Vow’. And with the addition of the never-before-heard extended version of ‘You Raise Me Up’, what more can you ask for from this ultimate edition of Closer?

There you have it…the 20^th Anniversary edition of an album that has defined music within the last 20 years or so. This is a must-have if you love Josh Groban, period; or if you love similar artists like Michael Buble, Jackie Evancho, Celine Dion or even Amy Grant. Josh’s music still impacts, even now as compared to whence the album was made; ‘You Raise Me Up’ is the evidence of this. Well done Josh for this massively enjoyable album. Looking forward to something new that possibly can be offered…next year sometime? Till then, let us appreciate Closer once more, and be reminded, that albums from yesteryear, can still be of importance even now.

5 songs to listen to: Broken Vow, You Raise Me Up, Remember When It Rained, My Confession, My December

Score: 5/5

RIYL: Jackie Evancho, Michael Buble, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Amy Grant, Ronan Keating