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<\/div>\n<\/div>\nInside a Bark Air flight, the airline celebrities like Josh Groban use<\/p>\n
Bark VP of Brand Dave Stangle chats with USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa about the origins and launch of Bark Air, an airline for pets and their humans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Josh Groban\u2019s<\/a> satiny baritone has coated classical pop, Italian standards, Broadway boomers and holiday singalongs.<\/p>\n On \u201cCinematic,\u201d out now, Groban sinks into movie classics, another genre well-suited to his robust vocals.<\/p>\n From Adele\u2019s Oscar-winning James Bond theme (\u201cSkyfall\u201d) to timeless Disney sentiments (\u201cWhen You Wish Upon a Star\u201d from \u201cPinocchio\u201d) to forceful drama (\u201cBrucia La Terra\u201d from \u201cThe Godfather\u201d), Groban exercises every facet of his chameleonic instrument<\/a>.<\/p>\n His 10th album<\/a> also is peppered with guests including upcoming tour partner Jennifer Hudson<\/a> on a duet arrangement of \u201cUnchained Melody,\u201d the Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of Los Angeles augmenting \u201cCan You Feel the Love Tonight,\u201d<\/a> and, most special to Groban, his father, Jack, playing trumpet on the eternally swoony \u201cMoon River.\u201d<\/p>\n Calling recently from Los Angeles \u2013 and just before announcing his engagement <\/a>to Natalie McQueen and receiving a star<\/a> on the Hollywood Walk of Fame \u2212 the always affable Groban, 45, chatted about recording with his dad in Louis Armstrong\u2019s studio, his appreciation of Phil Collins, and paying tribute to Rob Reiner in song.<\/p>\n You had infinite choices with this album. How did you whittle it down to 10 songs?<\/strong><\/p>\n I knew what my bookends were. \u201cAs Time Goes By\u201d would open the album because (orchestrator) Jeff Atmajian wrote an opening arrangement that captured the essence of what I wanted people to hear first. And then to end with a song that has meant so much to me (\u201cStand By Me\u201d) and include a tribute to Rob Reiner<\/a>.<\/p>\n You said \u201cthe why\u201d was a big factor in choosing these songs. Why that particular Rob movie?<\/strong><\/p>\n Obviously, tragically, the why became very apparent<\/a>. We missed the (recording) deadline because it was a last-minute decision to do (\u201cStand By Me\u201d) and that worked in its favor because it was intimate and that was exactly how we wanted it. It\u2019s one of the most important things I\u2019ve ever recorded. It deserved to be a final thought.<\/p>\n Did you rewatch some of these movies before recording?<\/strong><\/p>\n (Laughs) I did! Not just to get back in the mood but also to educate myself about some of the films that admittedly I didn\u2019t know the songs were from. The cool thing about an album like this is everyone knows the theme from that movie. But it also pays tribute to the songs that were maybe far more popular than the movies themselves.<\/p>\n You mean like \u201cAgainst All Odds\u201d? Phil Collins has written some timeless songs even though he often gets a bad rap.<\/strong><\/p>\n I think Phil Collins has written some of the most brilliant songs, period. But something unlocks in him when writing in service of a film, and that\u2019s not uncommon.<\/p>\n Your dad, Jack, also appears on the album. Is this the first time you\u2019ve recorded together?<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the first time he\u2019s been on record period. He did a version of \u201cOld Devil Moon\u201d with me in 2015 (during a show in Los Angeles<\/a>) and it was one of my favorite moments onstage ever. I have a photo from it but no recording. I knew he could play and when (conductor\/arranger) Vince Mendoza wrote this brilliant rendition of \u201cMoon River\u201d I asked (my dad) if he thought he could handle the arrangement. He practiced at home, and I\u2019d come to the house and listen to him play it. He\u2019s going to be 80 this summer. He really crushed it. (Album producer) Greg Wells took the initiative to get Sunset Sound, Louis Armstrong\u2019s favorite studio and room, and got his stool for my dad to sit on. My whole family came to watch. It was a core memory for all of us.<\/p>\n Do you think your dad was nervous?<\/strong><\/p>\n My dad is the coolest guy I know. On the surface he doesn\u2019t get thrown. This meant so much to him, too, and for us to share as a father and son. He sacrificed so much. He was a musician. He was brilliant at the trumpet, but it was a time when deciding to go all-in on an artistic dream was at odds with a family. So my brother and I could stand on the back of that stability to follow our artistic dream.<\/p>\n Why was it important for you to feature the Gay Men\u2019s Chorus of Los Angeles on \u201cCan You Feel the Love Tonight\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n When we were trying to figure out what songs would be relevant today, that song is so iconic and Elton (John) is so iconic, and I grew up listening to that song. Of course I thought: What do I have to add to this? We were listening to Elton\u2019s version and reading lyrics and doomscrolling about the fear in the world and the division and where is the feeling of love? So we thought: What if we view the approach as an anthem to discovering that feeling and to give that love to communities that really need it?<\/p>\n Had you ever performed with them before?<\/strong><\/p>\n I sang with the Gay Men\u2019s Choir for (Barack) Obama\u2019s first inauguration, and I remembered the power of their voices. But also, representing an allyship with a community that needs to feel the love was an inspiration. I was honored they said yes.<\/p>\n You and Jennifer Hudson make a swoony pair on \u201cUnchained Melody.\u201d Do you have plans to do anything together on your upcoming tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, we\u2019re definitely going to sing it together during the show. Her voice is such an extraordinary instrument. … We sang together for the first time (on a holiday special in 2024). We did \u201cO Holy Night,\u201d and when our voices came together on that final \u201cNoel,\u201d we looked at each other like: We have<\/em> to do this again.<\/p>\n You\u2019re also heading back to<\/strong> Caesars Palace in Las Vegas<\/a> in October with your \u201cGems\u201d residency. Will these shows be different from the tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n The show we created for Vegas took time to craft, so we want to have a show that represents what we can only do for Vegas. But every time I come back I want there to be enough changes to whatever I\u2019m doing in that moment, so \u201cCinematic\u201d will be represented.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve pivoted back to music, but any plans to return to the theater after this album and tour cycle?<\/strong><\/p>\n It just comes down to whether the right thing feels as exciting as the last two (Groban earned Tony nominations for \u201cNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812\u201d and \u201cSweeney Todd\u201d<\/a>). I wasn\u2019t planning on either of them, but I knew from the excitement I had in my creative soul they were shows I would drop everything for. I would love to do something new, maybe even off-Broadway. Theater is always an opportunity to spread my wings.\u00a0<\/p>\n I would be remiss if I didn\u2019t ask if your dog George<\/a> is still traveling with you.<\/strong><\/p>\n He is not really the traveling Westie I thought he might turn out to be. He\u2019s shown himself to be a very special dog with his own likes, and those don\u2019t involve a tour bus. He loves his little buddies in LA. He gets nervous in situations he doesn\u2019t know. But he gets cuter by the day. He has a little sister<\/a> now, who is 50 pounds \u2013 Stevie.<\/p>\n Is she named for Stevie Nicks?<\/strong><\/p>\n She is. My (fianc\u00e9e) is a big fan and she got to name her. But she is the adventure dog, and she is all love.\u00a0<\/p>\n