Richard & Adam Johnson rose to fame through Britainās Got Talent earlier this year. The classical brothers finished third and famously had their finale performance interrupted by an egg-thrower. Whilst that could have cost them the all-important first place in the competition, the brothers have still bagged a record deal with Sony and have this week released their debut album The Impossible Dream.
Thereās something appealingly familiar about a release from a Britainās Got Talent contestant, especially when they sing classical-crossover. Glancing at the tracklisting for The Impossible Dream there are no surprises in terms of the choices of songs which is both a good and a bad thing. Whilst the songs will instantly be recognisable to the duoās core audience, you canāt help but feel theyāve all been covered to death in recent years mostly by X Factor and Britainās Got Talent contestants. That having been said thereās no denying that the brothers can sing and they clearly have talent.
The album opens with the title track, which they performed on Britainās Got Talent, and the lyrics perfectly capture their journey from unknowns to classical-crossover stars. All of the songs they cover on the album are big standards so they have big shoes to fill. Their dramatic interpretation of Frankie Goes To Hollywoodās The Power of Love is a standout moment that will send shivers down your spine, whilst Unchained Melody perfectly suits their harmonies. Somewhere showcases the power they possess individually, as well as a duo, and album closer The Winner Takes It All translates the classic Abba track into Spanish for a surprisingly effective closer.
Something that should be commended is the arrangements across the album. The instrumentation is simply gorgeous breathing new life into these familiar songs.
The Impossible Dream may be predictable but itās not without its charm. Richard & Adam are just at the start of their journey and theyāve done well to put together an album of this quality in a relatively short space of time. Itāll be interesting to see how they grow and evolve as they move into their second album. For now though this should provide them with a decent chart smash and pave the way for more success in the future.