Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am a huge fan of Josh's first two CDs and I expected to love Awake too; playing it quite a few times puts it close to love, but more like appreciation for the things he's experimenting with and some of his collaborations. In my opinion, without (for the most part) the guiding hand of David Foster, Josh seems more experimental here. He's kept the orchestra on most songs, but the piano-driven melodies of Closer aren't as prominent here. Josh also has more songwriting credits than before. Of the 13 songs, 8 are in English this time, and those 8 seem to me to be more "radio friendly" than some of his past work, "You're Still You" excepted. Of those 8, the collaboration with Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik ("February Song") is by far the most likely to be a radio hit. The omission of the title track is ridiculous; I would have given up two of the other songs to make room for it. For me, the weakest part of this CD is the selection of a couple of songs that seem totally out of place here, even if this is a "new" Josh. "Lullaby" with Ladysmith and Black Mambazo and "Weeping" with Ladysmith, Black Mambazo and Vusi Mahlasela are awful. They both seem like fragments of a song and I still can't figure out how they fit into the theme of this CD. The one excellent collaboration is "Machine" with the fabulous Herbie Hancock. I wish I could say that every song moved me, but that's not the case. I've grown to like "Mai," "You Are Loved," "February Song,""Ungiorno Per Noi," and the fun "Machine." The other songs leave me with the feeling that something's missing. They don't seem passionate, they don't really have a hook and they don't feel like any of the songs on Closer or his self-titled CD. There's no denying that Josh has a remarkable voice (I would let him sing the alphabet and love it), but I'm not sure I like some of the production and arrangements. Maybe I just miss David Foster's constant presence. I'm still a huge fan and I'll absolutely pick up his next CD. I think Josh himself said it well when he said something to the effect of hoping that no matter what the song, when someone hears it, they don't think, well, that's an interesting song. They just say hey, that's Josh. I'm hoping next time around, there is more of Josh and the oddly uneven song choice isn't repeated.