This is where reviewing a album becomes fun rather than laborious – in such much that Michael Bormann has seen it fit to release a 'Best of Ballads' album under the title of 'Love is Magic' and believe me in this case the title is so true.
Now with over 30 years in the business (with far too many bands/projects involved for even me list) Michael will no doubt have by now notched up some classic ballads (seeing as most of those bands specialised in the genre of AOR and melodic rock where the big ballad is a prerequisite), so believe me the 15 tracks contained here are 100% soul wrenching, heart-warming tunes of the highest order. Showcasing the artiste’s emotional/mellower side. ‘Love Is Magic’ serves as a great way to get into the Bormann history and I love the man's voice – but I also love his rock side as well. Having said that ‘I Wanna Hear Your Voice’ from Captured Moment and ‘Singing For You’ although a million miles apart still sound consistent, largely due to the high quality that is synonymous with Mr Bormann.
The real surprise of the album is a cover of 'Help' which actually makes me feel that this version is a 100 times better than the original by the so called Fab Four. With most of the songs contained here highlighting Borman’s solo years I would also urge you to check out the following Bormann related bands Jaded Heart, J.R. Blackmore Group, Bonfire, Charade, and Silent Force to name but a few, you really will not be disappointed.
The key issue I have with a ‘Best of Ballads' album though is that there is rarely any light or shade to the songs in question. However here we have a great retrospective of Michael's work and a great example of how versatile he can be vocally. So if you want to have romantic night be it with a loved one, a mistress or even some you time, you can do a lot worse than plump for this release, the musical equivalent of a box of high quality chocolates and roses.