Who doesn’t know Engelbert Humperdinck? And if you don’t where have you been for the past god knows how long? Engelbert Humperdinck is a four-time Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum selling iconic singer who first rose to fame in the late sixties with his ballad, Release Me.

Now, in 2023 he is back to show off his romantic side with his new album, All About Love, a collection of his uniquely personal renditions of some of the greatest love songs of all time, and it was released on 02/05/2023, the singer’s 87^th birthday!

The album was recorded at the famous Black Bird Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and there is a distinctive country vibe about it. With some of the best musicians, including Grammy award winning and Country Music Hall Of Fame harmonica man, Charlie McCoy, the album combines country music with pop, soft rock and even soul to create a beautiful blend that gives us a small insight to his current live set.

The album kicks off with Engelbert’s version of Barry White’s 1974 hit, You’re The First, The Last, My Everything, changing it from a soul pop song into a country music hit and its accompanying music video has racked up 2.7 million views!

The rest of the album features covers of artists such as Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, The Manhattens, The Three Degrees, The Flamingos, Carole King and many more, and each track is as personal to him as the previous.

Musically, this album has a little bit of everything, ranging from pop to pop rock to country to even a little bit of soul and jazz thrown in for good measure! The instruments are fairly laid back during the album, but they are played by some very talented musicians and the inclusion of brass and stringed instruments also gives the album quite an orchestral feel.

The vocals on this album are superb, the singer not having lost his voice one little bit. Once described as “one of the finest middle-of-the-road balladeers around” Engelbert’s voice is still as strong and powerful as it always was, and every song is performed with such emotion and passion that the listener really understands the feelings of the tracks. The main vocals as well as the back ups really add atmosphere to the album and there is a great depth to the songs, this being added to by singing in both Spanish and English for the last two duets.

With thirteen tracks lasting a little over 47 minutes, this is a very nostalgic album, taking the listener on a journey back in time, reminiscing of the past but giving the tracks his own personal, modern touch. Although with more slower paced tracks on the album (and let’s face it, love songs generally are of this tempo) there are also a few more upbeat songs that will get the listener dancing, an example being the cover of When Will I See You Again!

Being a lover of music means that we, as listeners, should appreciate all kinds of music and I can really get onboard with this album. It’s a great, easy to listen to album performed by an iconic singer, who seems to be still really enjoying what he is doing. Long may it continue!

Track Listing:

1) You’re The First, The Last, My Everything

2) If You Don’t Know Me By Now

3) How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

4) Kiss And Say Goodbye

5) Starting All Over Again

6) Walk Away

7) You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine

8) Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

9) I Only Have Eyes For You

10) Take Me Back Again

11) When Will I See You Again

12) Bésame Mucho (with Lupita Infante)

13) A Man Without Love / Cuando Me Enamoro (with Angelica Maria)

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum