Roger whittaker in Pop Vocal Music

"Awakening" (08/10/1999) Pop Vocal Whittaker, Roger, RCA Victor Records (USA)Personnel includes: Roger Whittaker, Lene Siel, Kirstin Campbell, Rita McNeil (vocals); Gunter Hass, Nils Tuxen, George Herbert, Warren Robert (guitar); Christine Feierabend (flute); Margaret Pheby (oboe); Lars Louis Linek (harmonica); Viethe Felsch (saxophone); Ingolf Burckhard (trumpet); John Welsh (trombone); Robert McCosh, Mary Lee, Gina Patterson (French horn); Oliver Statz (piano, keyboards); Bill McCauley (keyboards); Jerry Watts, Bruce Jacobs (bass); Jost Nickel (drums, percussion); Michael Shapiro, Matthew Foulds (drums); Bob Quinn, Tony Quinn, Paul Eisan, Jennifer Whealan, Helen Bezanson, Doris Mason, The Men Of The Deeps (background vocals). Producers: Oliver Statz, Joachim Horn-Bernges, Hayward Parrott. Engineers include: Volker Heintzen, Jan Kirchner, Klaus Bohlmann. Recorded at Vox Klang Studio, Bendesdorf, Germany and Solar Audio Studio, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Includes liner notes by Roger Whittaker. Personnel: Joachim Horn, Jennifer Whelan, Veronica Lee, Anya Mahnken, Tony Quinn, Bob Quinn, Angelika Horn, Paul Eisan, Helen Bezanson, Doris Mason, Marion Schwaiger, Billy King (vocals); Jackie MacQueen, Matt Breski, Gordon Sheriff, Matt Hawley, Fred Gillis, Don Matheson, Mickey MacIntyre, Ike Lambert, Bob Roper, Billy MacPherson, Tony Aucoin, Jude Kelly, John MacLeod (tenor); Dr. Angus Macdonald, Marshall Poirier, Jerry Forbes, John MacGregor, Ralph MacNeil, Gerald Burke, Eddie Tighe, Bob MacLeod, Jr., Kevin Edwards, Paul White (baritone); Jim MacLellan, Allie Matheson, Jackie Beaton, Tommy Tighe, Yogi Muise, Ray Holland (bass voice); Warren Robert (guitar, programming); Gunter Hass, George Herbert, Nils Tuxen (guitar); Lars Luis Linek, Karen Rokos (harp); Heather Rapson, Beverly Grove, Janet Dunsworth, Yi Lee, Anna Geneat, Marianne Urke Rapson, Peter Stryniak, Anne Rapson, Chris Wilkinson (violin); Binnie Brennan, Philippe Djokic, Yvonne DeRoller (viola); Colin Meek, Hilary Brown, Shimon Walt, Peter Rapson (cello); Stefan Pintev (strings); Christine Feierabend (flute); Margaret Pheby (oboe); Viethe Felsch (saxophone); Ingolf Burckhard (trumpet); Gina Patterson, Robert McCosh, Mary Lee (French horn); John Welsh (trombone); Oliver Statz (piano, keyboards); Bill McCauley (keyboards); Jost Nickel (drums, percussion); Matthew Foulds, Michael Shapiro (drums). Recording information: Solar Audio, Halifax, Nova Scot; Vox Klang Studio, Bendesdorf, G Beata. Arrangers: Oliver Statz; Warren Robert. Awakening, "the first totally original Whittaker album in over seven years," as a sticker on the shrink wrap proclaims, is nothing if not an ambitious project for 63-year-old Roger Whittaker. The 20-track, 65-minute collection of "all new material" (as the sticker adds) is a concept album put together by Whittaker with songwriter/producer Oliver Statz and songwriter Joachim Horn-Bernges (a trio credited on 12 songs) that attempts to portray the "seasons of life," that is, to divide the average life into four phases, delineated as spring, summer, autumn, and winter. At the beginning of each section, Whittaker weighs in with a verse of the self-written "I Awoke," introducing the major elements of that part of the life cycle, then four appropriate songs follow. The "Spring" section is full of songs of romantic disappointment; "Summer" brings true love (and with it, two covers done as duets, Dennis Scott and Paul Rolnick's "Shoot for the Moon," sung with Lene Siel, and Maury Yeston's "Still" from the Broadway musical Titanic, sung with Kirstin Campbell); "Autumn" introduces love of family and children (including a duet with Rita McNeil on "Sing Away Your Tears," accompanied by the Men of the Deeps, "North America's Only Coal Miners' Choir"); and "Winter" allows the now aging singer to wax philosophical, reflective, and political (the last in a song pointedly called "War No More"). Whittaker cannot be accused of slacking in his return to full-length record-making, but the material, which is pleasant but pedestrian, does not live up to the pretensions of the concept. The record's chief attribute is the warm conviction with w

"On Broadway" (09/26/1995) Pop Vocal Whittaker, Roger, RCA Victor Records (USA)Personnel: Roger Whittaker (vocals). Liner Note Author: Roger Whittaker. Recording information: Angel Recording Studios, London, England (03/1995). Director: Ted Brennan. Arrangers: Matt Freeman ; Ted Brennan.

"What a Wonderful World" (04/12/1994) Pop Vocal Whittaker, Roger, RCA Victor Records (USA)Producers: Eric Robertson, Hayward Parrott, Peter Moss.

"Live!" (04/12/1994) Pop Vocal Whittaker, Roger, RCA Victor Records (USA)Recorded live at the Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark on March 27, 1989.

"Annie's Song" (04/12/1994) Pop Vocal Whittaker, Roger, RCA Victor Records (USA)

"The Best of Roger Whittaker [Curb]" (05/31/1994) Pop Vocal Whittaker, Roger, CurbPersonnel: Roger Whittaker (vocals). Liner Note Author: Don Ovens. Best of Roger Whittaker is a ten-track budget-priced collection that features his versions of '60s and '70s pop standards like "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," "Somewhere My Love," "Unchained Melody," "Twelfth of Never," "She Believes in Me," "Honey," "Gentle on My Mind" and "Leaving on a Jet Plane." Although Whittaker sings nicely, there are better, more representative collections available, offering more songs and better sound for not much more money. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Best of Roger Whittaker is a ten-track budget-priced collection that features his versions of '60s and '70s pop standards like "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," "Somewhere My Love," "Unchained Melody," "Twelfth of Never," "She Believes in Me," "Honey," "Gentle on My Mind" and "Leaving on a Jet Plane." Although there are better collections available, this isn't a bad choice for casual fans on a budget. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

"New World in the Morning: The Encore Collection" (11/18/1997) Pop Vocal Whittaker, Roger, BMG Special ProductsPersonnel: Roger Whittaker (vocals). Not to be confused with Whittaker's 1971 album of the same name, BMG Special Products' New World in the Morning: The Encore Collection is a collection of highlights from his RCA recordings over the years. There's no real rhyme or reason to the featured songs -- most of the featured tracks were cut in the late '70s, when Whittaker was at something of a popular peak, but some date from as late as 1994. As a result, the compilation can be a little incoherent, but with songs like "Time in a Bottle," "Sunrise, Sunset," "The Last Farewell," "Dirty Old Town" and "Big Rock Candy Mountain," it's entertaining and may be worthwhile for Whittaker fans on a tight budget. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

"Irish Standards" (11/28/1997) Pop Vocal Whittaker, Roger, BMG Special ProductsRoger Whittaker lends his trademark mellow sound to traditional favorites like "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," "Danny Boy" and "Down by the Sally Garden" on Irish Standards, a collection which will appeal not only to Whittaker fans but to anyone infatuated by the Celtic sound. ~ Jason Ankeny