Michael Bolton has been an active performer and recording artist for nearly five decades now. A career which began in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal progressed into Pop Rock by the latter part of the ‘80s era. A shift in styles most of Bolton’s mainstream audience are unaware of, the crossover made him a massive star that consequently has resulted in over seventy-five million records sold, the recording of eight Top 10 albums, and nine of his singles having peaked at No. 1 on either the Billboard Hot 100 or the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts in the US. A tale of success for a songwriter with the vision to adapt, artistically, Bolton is quite inspiring.
Craving out a niche audience on the Adult Contemporary music scene, through the ‘90s you could not go a minute without hearing one of Bolton’s hit singles on Top 40 radio. A combination of his powerful, soulful voice and songs that drip with romantic sentiment, now in 2023 Bolton returns with his first album of all original songs in fifteen long years. Entitled Spark of Light, and released on July 14th though Androver Music, the album finds Bolton adapting once again.
Consisting of ten new tracks, all co-written by Bolton, the overall feel of the record is quite modern. Modern in the sense of production, as well as its Pop sensibility to today’s world, it is still very much aimed at a mature audience. Nice to see Bolton staying true to himself and his core of listeners, it is always deflating when an artist panders to every trend of the week only attempting to appeal to a younger audience and sound disingenuous.
That said, Spark of Light has a rather smooth, clean sound with upbeat textures and positive lyrics. Full of hooks and soft melodies, many of the songs that make up the album could easily fit in on modern Pop radio. This is especially the case with the album title-track, “Eyes on You,” “Whatever She Wants,” and “Just the Beginning.” However, for those looking to dig into deeper tracks which might not be as glossy, standout moments include the acoustic guitar driven, softly stroked piano ballad “We Could Be Something,” and what could be the best song of the entire collection, “Home.”
“Home,” tucked away toward the backend, for some reason really resonates loudly and Bolton’s voice really stands strong as he offers a touching song about finding a place within someone you can trust, love, and depend on. And it would be injustice to not mention the album’s closer, “Out of the Ashes” which you cannot help but feel is a reflection of the current state of society as a plea, that even in the bleak moments, we must believe things will get better.
Overall, you cannot deny Bolton’s still very strong voice and his impeccable ability to write ballads. Now seventy years of age, Bolton sounds as right-on as ever and the songs he has crafted do not let down. A bright moment in 2023 that reminds us that careful attention to songwriting still can be achieved in Pop, Cryptic Rock gives Spark of Light 4 out of 5 stars.
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