Mushy love and sappy romance are synonymous with soft-rock balladeer Michael Bolton.
So it is very fitting that the multi-Grammy Award-winner is not only performing in Costa Mesa on the weekend before Valentine’s Day, but is also releasing his new album, “Songs of Cinema,” on Friday – complete with sentimental cover tunes apt for setting a romantic mood.
With more than 53 million albums and singles sold worldwide and a career that spans more than four decades, Bolton has become a household name in the pop-rock genre. He will bring his signature raspy vocals to Segerstrom Center for the Arts on Friday and Saturday with the Pacific Symphony, led by conductor Stuart Chafetz.
“I absolutely love performing with a symphony orchestra. It just brings another rich, beautiful dimension to being onstage, sonically, visually and emotionally,” said Bolton. “I like to make the concert into a real musical journey and tell stories along the way. The audience likes to chime in and we always have a lot of fun together.”
Both evenings will feature songs from his new album, but Bolton said he is always conscious of performing what his fans want to hear – his greatest hits. Known for ballads such as “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “That’s What Love Is All About,” the singer, who has 27 albums in his catalog, said each of his songs has a special meaning for him and his fans.
Because of this, Bolton said, he understands the importance of performing the songs his audience knows while introducing new selections to keep his concerts fresh.
“I often get messages and letters about certain songs that marked important moments in (fans’) lives and so they are coming to celebrate those experiences,” said Bolton. “I also like to introduce my audience to new musical genres and guests. Every time I record a new album, we incorporate a few of those songs into the set so the repertoire is always evolving.”
For many longtime artists, staple songs tend to feel monotonous after years of performing them, but Bolton said his classics have their own story, which makes them extra valuable for him to perform.
“‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’ is especially emotional for me because it was a song I wrote when I was a struggling artist, and when Laura Branigan’s recording made it to number one, that song changed my life and the life of my family,” said Bolton. “When I recorded it later and it went to number one again, earning me a Grammy, well, my career was off. Everything changed.”
Bolton’s 1991 Grammy Award-winning cover song “When a Man Loves a Woman” also holds a special place in his heart.
“It represented me standing up to my label, who didn’t want me to put the song on the album because of the Percy Sledge version that was still being played on the radio,” said Bolton, “But I went with my instinct, which was to pay homage to one of my heroes, stand up to the mic and give it all I had. That song became my second Grammy and my biggest hit.”
Bolton is very active on social media, consistently posting photos and updates of his whereabouts on Twitter and Facebook, and even asking for feedback from his fans last year about which songs he should record for his 10-track album, which features tributes to iconic movies. Songs include “As Time Goes By” from “Casablanca,” “I’ve Got a Woman” from “Ray,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Social media has been amazing. At first I admit I was a bit skeptical and maybe surprised to see what fans wanted to hear or see, like me with my cup of coffee,” said Bolton, “But it’s really cool to be able to get their personal comments and also with my recent album ‘Songs of Cinema,’ to get their input in what they would like to listen to next.”
The album also features a duet of “I Will Always Love You” with Dolly Parton (from “The Bodyguard”), which Bolton said was a particular honor because she wrote the song. He has revealed a playful side to his career, like his “Saturday Night Live” digital short with Lonely Island’s “Jack Sparrow” – which is also featured on the new album – and the 2015 “Funny or Die” video in which he pokes fun at himself as Michael Bolton in the movie “Office Space.”
On Tuesday, Netflix will release the new variety special “Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Day Special,” which features the singer performing classic hits among a variety of sketches with popular comedians, including Lonely Island’s Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone, Sarah Silverman, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph and Casey Wilson.
Although he has had fun with the comedy bits, Bolton said he stays focused on his music career, consistently writing and touring. At 63, he said his best advice is “don’t ever give up” and his fans can expect “more music, more television, more comedy and more live performances” in the years to come.
Contact the writer: jmoe@ocregister.com
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