Product Notes
2009 album from the non-conforming Classical artist. Garrett's unique, and wholly individual style, pays as much homage to Metallica as to Mozart. This self-titled release covers an incredibly diverse selection of repertoire, representing his love for many genres, and the ability to tackle each successfully. Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' is cleverly reinterpreted, as is Queen's ballad, 'Who Wants to Live Forever'. AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck' is given a memorable new twist, alongside, 'He's a Pirate' from Pirates of the Caribbean. Given his enduring commitment to his first musical love, David still includes some classical selections on this album including the last movement of Vivaldi's 'Summer' from The Four Seasons, and Bach's 'Air'. Not to be satisfied with only imaginative covers, David also displays his own deft writing skills with notable originals, including 'Chelsea Girl'.
Product Reviews
Taking his career out of the world of Nigel Kennedy and into the realm of Twelve Girls Band and other flashy "spectacle" acts, David Garrett's self-titled album from 2009 emphasizes the classically arranged rock and pop numbers from his repertoire with a handful of familiar and true classical pieces thrown in. This American release was launched with a large television commercial campaign and is compiled from two British releases, 2007's Virtuoso and 2008's Encore. The big attractions are Garrett's orchestrated cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" (frantic and showy with crunchy guitar) and his own composition "Chelsea Girl" (one sappy and sentimental step away from Frank Mills' "Music Box Dancer"). Check "Smooth Criminal" and you'll be able to imagine what the rest of the rock covers sound like, all of them "turned up to eleven" and played with fury. Purists will rightfully run in horror, but even if he's prone to cheese and marketed as "the David Beckham of the classical scene," he's more the Eddie Van Halen of bowed instruments and could influence young violin students accordingly. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi