February 2013: Josh Groban's 'All That Echoes' Goes to No. 1
On Feb. 23, 2013, Josh Groban no doubt felt a profound surge of pride: his sixth studio album, All That Echoes, didn???t just climb to the top of the Billboard 200, it debuted there.
If your awareness of Josh Groban is limited primarily to whenever he???s turned up as a guest on some talk show, it may seem as though he just appeared out of nowhere and then suddenly was everywhere, and that assessment actually isn???t too far from the truth. When Groban released his self-titled debut album in November 2001, it climbed to a chart high of No. 8, and he promptly followed that with his first No. 1 album (2003???s Closer), a No. 2 album (2006???s Awake), and then another No. 1 (2007???s Noel). But from there, Groban???s fifth album, 2010???s Illuminations, took a terrifying dip, getting no higher than ??? gasp! ??? #4.
No, no, there???s no need to panic: that???s when we arrive at All That Echoes, at which point all was right in Josh Groban???s world once more.
With All That Echoes, Groban kicked things off by offering up ???Brave,??? the album???s first single, penned by Groban with his longtime songwriting partner Tawgs Salter and Chantal Kreviazuk. While it wasn???t a hit on the Hot 100, it was - as has often been the case with Groban???s work ??? embraced by adult contemporary radio audiences, who sent it to No. 13.
As usual, Groban included a few covers on the album: Falling Slowly,??? from the film Once, ???The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,??? by Jimmy Webb, and Stevie Wonder's ???I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever).??? Plus, if you collected of all the various alternate versions of the albums, you were also able to enjoy his versions of Dave Matthews Band???s ???Satellite??? and Neil Diamond???s ???Play Me.???
For what it???s worth, All That Echoes remains Groban???s most recent studio album to make its way to the top spot, although 2015???s Stages and 2018???s Bridges both came close, each hitting No. 2. On the other hand, his 2020 album, Harmony, stalled at No. 17, but when you take an artist whose bread and butter is the adult contemporary audience and you throw them into the middle of a pandemic, of course their sales are going to suffer.
In other words, we???re confident that our man Josh is going to be back in the Top 10 next time around, kicking as much ass as an AC artist comfortably can. Why? Because we believe that when his fans fall in love, it???s forever.
