Michael Bolton

Singer/songwriter Michael Bolton emerged in the mid-'80s as a major soft rock balladeer. Originally, he recorded under his real name, Michael Bolotin, turning up on RCA Records in the mid-'70s singing cover tunes and his own blue-eyed soul songs in a voice reminiscent of Joe Cocker. He then became the lead singer of Blackjack, a heavy metal band that made two albums for Polydor before splitting up in the early '80s. Looking to relaunch his career, he changed his name to Michael Bolton and signed to Columbia Records as a solo artist in 1983. Bolton's achievements include selling more than 75 million records, recording eight top 10 albums and two number-one singles on the Billboard charts, as well as winning multiple American Music Awards and Grammy Awards.

Crimson Gold presents Michael Bolton 'Gold', the only Michael Bolton compilation you'll ever need. Michael Bolton is a multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter who has sold over 65 million records internationally and continues to perform to audiences across the globe. This definitive 3CD career spanning set features 45 tracks including a remarkable 17 UK Top 40 singles. Highlights include the top ten singles 'How Am I Supposed To Live Without You', 'When A Man Loves A Woman' and 'Can I Touch You…There?' CD 1 opens with the Grammy-Award-winning UK #3 hit single 'How Am I Supposed To Live Without You' which became a modern pop standard around the world. CD 2 features more top twenty singles including 'When A Man Loves A Woman' as well as the song 'Steel Bars' which Bolton co-wrote with Bob Dylan. Another highlight is Bolton's duet with Suzi Benson on 'From Now On'. CD3 includes the hit single 'Can I Touch You… There?' along with Bolton covering classic tracks such as 'Ain't No Sunshine', '(What A) Wonderful World' and 'Sexual Healing'.

The U.K. collection The Very Best of Michael Bolton – initially released in 2005, repackaged as a slide pack in 2007 – is a good overview of the singer's peak years, containing all the big hits except "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" (only natural, considering the lawsuit surrounding the song) in a 17-track compilation that should give most listeners all the Bolton they need.

So this is where we find our hero in 2003. Dropped from his major label and absent his trademark flowing golden locks, Vintage presents his fans with yet another set of standout ballads and standards done only the way the Bolton can. Kicking out the jams early on with "The Very Thought of You," the tone is set right away for the album as a perfect musical accompaniment to a romantic dinner. The smooth, sultry tone is brought to a rousing climax with his re-interpretation of Etta James' classic "At Last." The fun continues onward with "Daddy's Little Girl," which was featured prominently in an ad campaign. Vintage closes with the potent but loaded question of "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?," a stunning finish to an album sure to appease even the most loyal of his fans.

Gems: The Duets Collection may bear a title that suggests it’s a compilation, but this 2011 effort is a brand-new album containing nothing but new collaborations between Michael Bolton and similarly minded travelers of the middle of the road…

The former Michael Bolotin changed his name but not his style on his initial effort for Columbia Records. Bolton had essayed hard-edged arena rock with his band Blackjack, and here he did much the same thing, shout-singing in his emotive whiskey bellow over slashing guitar power chords (frequently courtesy of Blackjack's Bruce Kulick and his brother Bob), icy keyboard fills, angelic backup choirs, and thundering rhythm sections, all intended to fill the hockey auditoriums of America alongside Journey and Foreigner. For all the clichés, Bolton was an undeniably involving singer, and songs like "Fools Game," the lead-off track and chart single, were satisfying pop efforts that suggested he might offer some competition to emerging mainstream rockers like Bryan Adams. As things would turn out, of course, the true key track was the cover of the Supremes' "Back in My Arms Again."