That's Life

　　Known affectionately as "Salford's answer to Pavarotti," UK classical music singer Russell Watson has proved adept at mixing up his classical repertoire with popular 20th century compositions. On previous albums, Watson has tackled songs by pop artists as diverse as Ultravox ("Vienna") Simon and Garfunkel ("Bridge Over Troubled Waters") and Freddie Mercury ("Barcelona"); but on That’s Life he turns his attention fully to the world of popular romance for the first time. Following in the sprightly footsteps of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, Watson approaches classics like "Strangers In The Night", "When I Fall In Love" and "Born Free" with typical verve. The selection serves to showcase Watson's natural versatility to wonderful effect, and also gives him the opportunity to perform duets with acclaimed contemporary pop stars such as Alexander O'Neal and Jocelyn Brown. While the choice of songs on That’s Life is nothing extraordinary, listening to one of Britain's finest tenors delivering some of the world's most eternal love songs is an opportunity not to be missed. --Danny McKenna