CityLife

Engelbert Humperdinck

TIMELESS CROONER: Engelbert

IN an age of mediocrity one has to pinch oneself to realise the legendary Engelbert Humperdinck is a remarkable home grown talent who singularly conquered the global music market.

His performance at the Bridgewater Hall in no short measure was a sheer delight, and represented an age gone by, when band, backing group and singer turned up at a venue and won the hearts of the audience through that dying commodity known as 'live' performance.

There was absolutely nothing contrived by Engelbert’s performance which would sadly knock spots off today’s generation of so-called singers, who depend on backing tracks and lip synching to save their miserable performances.

In the eyes of his mainly adoring female fans, the Leicester-reared singer could do no wrong, and he arrived on stage to a standing ovation from the front row.

Legacy of Love

This King of Romance opened up this part of his Legacy of Love world tour with a rendition of Just The Way You Are. And while his fans know time changes everything, at least for 105 glorious minutes they could bask in a time when life was younger than today through some of his well known ballads including Am I That Easy to Forget, The Way it Used to Be, Release Me and The Last Waltz.

Engelbert who has been in the music business for more than 43 years, and recently became a grandfather courtesy of his daughter Louise, should be given his rightful place in the world music hall of fame alongside the likes of Tom Jones, Tony Bennett and even the great Frank Sinatra.

And as he showed through his delivery of former Righteous Brothers hit Unchained Melody; his musical range remains intact. While his vocal rendition of James Blunt’s Goodbye My Lover illustrated here is a performer who wants to keep up with the times.

On this performance one suspects Engelbert’s last waltz with his fans and theirs with him will indeed last forever.