Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Antoine spreads his musical wings on third solo album Going the Distance
“I will find my way, if I can be strong“
Since appearing on Britain’s Got Talent, Jonathan Antoine has steadily been building a career for himself as a young British tenor of note. His third solo album Go The Distance sees him stretching his repertoire and is loosely structured in three acts of Disney, classics and opera.
The opening couple of tracks are well chosen. The powerful message of Tarzan’s ‘Go the Distance’ clearly resonates as a personal mantra for Antoine and you can’t really go wrong with The Lion King’s evergreen ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’.
A plodding take on Dumbo’s ‘Baby Mine’ suffers from a curious vocal choice high up in his register that doesn’t quite come off for a song with such a gossamer beautiful melody.
Act 2 flirts more with the world of classical crossover. Power ballad composer extraordinaire Diane Warren has retooled the mighty ‘Compass (I Will Lead You Home)’ for Antoine and it is clear he’s in his comfort zone here with this kind of uplifting inspiration-pop.
It’s also evident he’s at his strongest against a robust arrangement – a stately ‘Summertime’ works here, or the moody rendition ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ from Les Mis.
A more delicate attempt at ‘Moon River’ lacks the necessary tenderness though and a gospel-tinged version of ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’ is a straight-up misjudgement. The final act of Going The Distance shows you exactly why Antoine is the success he is though, with a trio of arias that display the richness of his tenor perfectly. ‘Caruso’ and ‘Amor Ti Vieta’ shimmer with the soaring beauty of his control and diction and the confidence to lay down the iconic ‘Nessun Dorma’ from Puccini’s Turandot pays off handsomely.
