Il Divo – For Once In My Life: A Celebration of Motown

The success of the Motown label is unprecedented. Name a great soul classic from the past and there is a good chance that this hit is from the Motown stable. What would it sound like if Il Divo would breathe some fresh air into this genre? Il Divo pays, entirely in their own style, a beautiful tribute to Motown with their new album ‘For Once In My Life: A Celebration of Motown’.

Where Il Divo is mainly known for their signature pop and classical songs in opera style, they now surprise everyone by merging their style with the very recognizable Motown sound. The result is very impressive: ‘For Once In My life: A Celebration of Motown’ is a 10-track masterpiece.

The original versions are phenomenal, but with some Il Divo flavor the songs got something extra to it.

‘I’ll be there’ by The Jacksons has many cover versions, one of the best known is the beautiful version by Mariah Carey. But Il Divo has also treated this musical beauty with respect and made a beautiful version of it.

The album also features a number of collaborations. For example, ‘The Tracks Of My Tears’ is a nice collaboration with Smokey Robinson, in which the opera voices of Il Divo merge beautifully with the soul voice of Smokey Robinson. Who scored a big hit with this song in 1965, with his formation Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

‘I’ll Make Love To You’ by Boyz II Men is known as a super smooth and sweet track. In this collaboration with Boyz II Men, Il Divo takes it one step further. The characteristic sounds of Il Divo makes this love song even more a powerful ballad.

The album ‘For Once In My life: A Celebration of Motown’ is a fantastic album, but it feels a bit short with only 10 tracks. Each and every song on this album is a classic. (9/10) Decca