Ramin Karimloo - Ramin

Another day and another theatre performers album. Ramin Karimloo is another golden boy of musical theatre (and is certainly one of its most highly regarded leading men), who has released an album this month. Ramin is a pop-rock inspired album which reflects Karimloo’s desire to broaden his horizons and be seen as something other than just a West End leading man.

In this album he showcases a variety of genres from pop-rock in the single Coming Home to a cover of Muse’s Guiding Light. I won’t question the taste levels of including Bryan Adams Everything I Do (I Do It for You) though -we’ll write it off as paying homage to a fellow Canadian!

Musical theatre fans are treated to “popped up” versions of Music of the Nightand Karimloo’s piece de resistance from Love Never Dies - Til’ I Hear You Sing. Neither matches the original musical theatre versions though, and I think anyone listening to this who hasn’t heard him at full tilt won’t appreciate what an amazing voice he has.

You can’t question the quality of Karimloo’s voice or the production of the album, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag for me – not wholly pop or wholly musical theatre and as a result it's a wishy-washy mix of the two which doesn’t do him justice. I think if he really wanted to break the shackles of his theatre background he might have been better served releasing an album with the band Sheytoons he has with best buddy Hadley Fraser, their music, though not exactly i-tunes chart material at least has a clearly defined identity. All in all, an opportunity missed and it's a pity.

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