Stars hire
Rick Rubin
for one thing: to achieve a purity of essence. When it comes to singers like
Johnny Cash
or songwriters like
Neil Diamond
-- even rock bands like
Weezer
--
Rubin
's approach feels natural, as he strips away the varnish that's clouded over the years, but
Josh Groban
is an odd choice for the
maneuver. Not a singer/songwriter in the classic sense but rather a classical singer who dabbles in pop,
Groban
doesn't need to be stripped to his essence because bombast is a crucial part of the equation. Smart guy that he is,
doesn't eliminate surging melodrama from
's bag of tricks but he does limit and mute the palette, making sure the strings don't soar so high and that the singer doesn't bellow. These subtle adjustments, which include hiring
Semisonic
's
Dan Wilson
as a co-writing partner for
, wind up having a drastic effect on the flavor of
Illuminations
, turning it into something warm, burnished, and intimate, a spell only briefly broken by the cacophonic clatter of the Portuguese
"Voce Existe em Mim."
Its presence is a testament to
's curiosity but
is best when he plays close to the vest, which means this is another instance where
succeeds by illuminating his subject's essence. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine