DOTD Classics: "To Where You Are" by Josh Groban

There is something to be said for vocalists.

Yes, we all love a booty-shaking dance smash (one of my best friends, a huge classic rock fan, has "Disturbia" on his iPod) or hard-rocking anthem. Yet, sometimes we just need to appreciate a great vocalist; someone whose voice can send shivers through us and evoke powerful emotions.

Josh Groban is a great vocalist.

Scratch that; he is a brilliant vocalist.

His voice is rich, powerful, emotional, soulful, operatic, and everything else in between. It's a voice that can translate the feelings others don't have the words to express. In this day and age, where many voices are vocoded and Auto-Tuned to death, its a true treasure to find someone who could really, really, really sing.

One of his most defining vocal performances is "To Where You Are", a song off of his eponymous debut album. The song is about reuniting with a lost loved one. In today's cynical world, that may cause the eyes to roll a bit, but its a truly beautiful song, and that fact is highlighted as Josh Groban sings it.

Josh begins the song softly, showing off a deep lower range. As the piano plays though, his voice raises into its upper register, maintaining the rich tone from before. Once he hits the chorus, he unleashes the magic, hitting a jaw-dropping, tear-pricking power note in the middle. As you absorb the stunning combination of his voice and the beautiful piano, you also take in the lyrics, which are given a more powerful significance. Suddenly, you realize that his singing is expressing what you have been feeling, if you have ever lost someone close to you, which many have. If you haven't, you still are mesmerized by the beauty of his voice. What you get, by listening to this song, is a deep, emotional experience that could make even the most rough-and-tumble person rubbing their eyes.

As I said before, we live in a world where such emotion is often frowned upon, where such vocal beauty is either classified as over-singing or ridiculously sentimentality. Still, it shouldn't be this way. It's a gift to have someone whose voice can deliver in a way that touches a deep part of us, no matter what type of genre we enjoy. We should celebrate those who can convey messages of hope, fear, passion, grief, and love. That is why today's "Download of the Day: Classics" post belongs to the excellent Josh Groban.