Hi to any fellow Jonathan Ansell fans on here. I thought I would start an appreciation thread for Jon as he is now a fully fledged solo singer with his first album out on 18th Feb! 
Some people may have read the announcement on here last year about Jonathan signing a 1 million solo record contract with Universal Classics & Jazz.
His new official site started up yesterday and there are some great samplers of his new tracks and lots to read about his solo career. (Not sure whether it's permissible to give the link?) but this is the web address:
jonathanansell.com
It was great to get the first of the reviews of the album. And wonderful to at last have acknowledgement of just what a huge talent Jonathan is.
Universal waited 3 long years to sign him but they got him in the end and now he's back where he belongs in the classical crossover genre.
Lovely first review here:
Hopefully there may be a few people on here who would like to chat and appreciate a fabulous singer!
Love Merity xx
Some people may have read the announcement on here last year about Jonathan signing a 1 million solo record contract with Universal Classics & Jazz.
Quote:
“G4's Ansell signs £1 million solo deal
Thursday, October 11 2007,
G4 star Jonathan Ansell has signed a £1 million record deal with Universal Music to make five albums. The former X Factor contestant split from his classical group, with which he sold two million albums worldwide, in the summer.
Now Universal has snapped up the singer, who it thinks is the classical music answer to popstar Justin Timberlake.
Ansell said of the contract: "I'm incredibly excited to be signing to Universal, and thrilled to be pursuing a solo career."It's been an amazing journey to this point and I think, at the start of this new chapter in my career, anything is possible. Three years ago I was at music college and I went on The X Factor with some mates for a bit of fun, and now I've got my own deal."I never, ever expected to be able to do an album with anybody, let alone on my own. I just wanted to be able to earn my living as a singer in whatever way. So I'm completely blown away."He is being managed by Jonathan Shalit, the man who discovered Charlotte Church
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/xfactor/...solo-deal.html”
“G4's Ansell signs £1 million solo deal
Thursday, October 11 2007,
G4 star Jonathan Ansell has signed a £1 million record deal with Universal Music to make five albums. The former X Factor contestant split from his classical group, with which he sold two million albums worldwide, in the summer.
Now Universal has snapped up the singer, who it thinks is the classical music answer to popstar Justin Timberlake.
Ansell said of the contract: "I'm incredibly excited to be signing to Universal, and thrilled to be pursuing a solo career."It's been an amazing journey to this point and I think, at the start of this new chapter in my career, anything is possible. Three years ago I was at music college and I went on The X Factor with some mates for a bit of fun, and now I've got my own deal."I never, ever expected to be able to do an album with anybody, let alone on my own. I just wanted to be able to earn my living as a singer in whatever way. So I'm completely blown away."He is being managed by Jonathan Shalit, the man who discovered Charlotte Church
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/xfactor/...solo-deal.html”
His new official site started up yesterday and there are some great samplers of his new tracks and lots to read about his solo career. (Not sure whether it's permissible to give the link?) but this is the web address:
jonathanansell.com
It was great to get the first of the reviews of the album. And wonderful to at last have acknowledgement of just what a huge talent Jonathan is.
Universal waited 3 long years to sign him but they got him in the end and now he's back where he belongs in the classical crossover genre.
Lovely first review here:
Quote:
“http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/M...vies-4475.html
Jonathan Ansell 'Tenor At The Movies'
Superstar tenor Jonathan Ansell launches his solo career with a phenomenal disc of classic movie theme tunes.
A passionate movie fan himself, he wanted to explore the music and stories that these films represented. So he has uncovered original lyrics on several tunes, and worked closely with top current lyricists on others to bring these legendary movies to life.
The result is a classic tenor album that resonates with the glamour and romance of cinema.
The album opens with the dramatic and breathtaking theme from Gladiator, ‘Now We Are Free’, a song that finds Jonathan on incredible form.
Elsewhere, on Here’s to the Heroes (from Dances with Wolves), Jonathan sounds like nothing less than a modern day Pavarotti, and in the theme from the Godfather, his voice soars and transforms the familiar, lilting accompaniment.
This album has some of the most beautiful and enduring music ever written, sung by one of the great voices of our generation.
Tracklisting:
1. Here's to the Heroes (theme from Dances with Wolves) Barry/Black 2. Now We Are Free (theme from Gladiator) - Zimmer 3. Parla Piu Piano (theme from the Godfather) - Rota 4. Race to the End (theme from Chariots of Fire) - Vangelis / Anderson 5. Un Giorno Per Noi (theme from Romeo and Juliet) - Rota/Rapetti/Snyder/Kusik 6. Vois Sur Ton Chemin (theme from Les Choristes) - Barratier / Coulais 7. My Own True Love (theme from Gone With the Wind) David/Steiner 8. Down to the River to Pray (theme from O Brother Where Art Thou) trad. 9. Se (theme from Cinema Paradiso) - Morricone / De Sensi Bonus Track: La Califfa Morricone 10. Prayer in the Night (theme from Barry Lyndon) - Handel / Shearman / Babenia 11. Si Un Jour (from Manon Des Sources & Jean de Florette) - Verdi/Petit/Leon/Momont 12. Che Gelida Manina (theme from Moonstruck) - Puccini 13. Dreaming of You (based on the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana from Raging Bull) - Mascagni/Blaskey Skarbek
”
“http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/M...vies-4475.html
Jonathan Ansell 'Tenor At The Movies'
Superstar tenor Jonathan Ansell launches his solo career with a phenomenal disc of classic movie theme tunes.
A passionate movie fan himself, he wanted to explore the music and stories that these films represented. So he has uncovered original lyrics on several tunes, and worked closely with top current lyricists on others to bring these legendary movies to life.
The result is a classic tenor album that resonates with the glamour and romance of cinema.
The album opens with the dramatic and breathtaking theme from Gladiator, ‘Now We Are Free’, a song that finds Jonathan on incredible form.
Elsewhere, on Here’s to the Heroes (from Dances with Wolves), Jonathan sounds like nothing less than a modern day Pavarotti, and in the theme from the Godfather, his voice soars and transforms the familiar, lilting accompaniment.
This album has some of the most beautiful and enduring music ever written, sung by one of the great voices of our generation.
Tracklisting:
1. Here's to the Heroes (theme from Dances with Wolves) Barry/Black 2. Now We Are Free (theme from Gladiator) - Zimmer 3. Parla Piu Piano (theme from the Godfather) - Rota 4. Race to the End (theme from Chariots of Fire) - Vangelis / Anderson 5. Un Giorno Per Noi (theme from Romeo and Juliet) - Rota/Rapetti/Snyder/Kusik 6. Vois Sur Ton Chemin (theme from Les Choristes) - Barratier / Coulais 7. My Own True Love (theme from Gone With the Wind) David/Steiner 8. Down to the River to Pray (theme from O Brother Where Art Thou) trad. 9. Se (theme from Cinema Paradiso) - Morricone / De Sensi Bonus Track: La Califfa Morricone 10. Prayer in the Night (theme from Barry Lyndon) - Handel / Shearman / Babenia 11. Si Un Jour (from Manon Des Sources & Jean de Florette) - Verdi/Petit/Leon/Momont 12. Che Gelida Manina (theme from Moonstruck) - Puccini 13. Dreaming of You (based on the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana from Raging Bull) - Mascagni/Blaskey Skarbek
”
Hopefully there may be a few people on here who would like to chat and appreciate a fabulous singer!
Love Merity xx
Wow - is all I can say. The tracklisting, his vocals, the duets. This is truly a major step up for Jonathan. Clearly Universal believe they have a major talent given the effort put into this album. In another league to some of the recent classical crossover stuff released - getting repetitive with the same tracks by different artists. :yawn:
Jonathan is away from Sony in the home of this type of music & can't you hear it in the tracks on the web-site. 
Well he did get a part in Kenneth Branagh film - not the last film offer I suspect.
