STYLISH STANDARDS

"Emin's style has been chosen once and for all. It is not even style but a continuation of the traditions of the best singers of the 20th century, for whom their own voice was most important of all, a voice that could be recognized in any arrangements, a voice that made other people's songs great and set standards of quality for the whole of popular music. Isn't that why these hits are called standards?" This is how music critics review the work of Azerbaijani performer Emin Agalarov. Now that Emin, for whom music is a hobby, has performed in Azerbaijan for the first time, giving his first concert, Emin-life, at the Green Theatre in Baku, you realize that this music professional has thoroughly earned his reviews.  

Grand piano, guitar, love

The long-awaited solo concert was held on 17 July. Emin performed original compositions, syntheses of Azerbaijani and American musical culture. There were traditional Azerbaijani rhythm drums from Natiq Sirinov's Rhythm group and classical American rock 'n roll performed by Emin's orchestra. Emin created this completely new blend of sound especially for the Baku concert. The Russian media dub him "the singing businessman" who is successful whatever he does, maybe because Emin bases his approach to music on the idea "whatever you do should be excellent, if not better". The Baku concert provided confirmation of this; it was a demonstration of his skill, professionalism, relationship with the audience and fine presentation. Emin has not created the kind of artificial fuss about his persona that many of our show business stars like to stir up. Emin just sang and talked to the people who had come to hear his rich, low voice.

The theatre was packed. Emin played the piano and guitar and sang only in English, except for the great Muslum Maqomayev's song, Azerbaijan, which was a very touching moment. Photo-graphs of Muslum Maqomayev and clips from films about his life and work and from his concerts were shown on a big screen. Emin declared his love for the work of this great Azerbaijani, for his great ethical and human qualities, talking about him not as someone who has departed this world but as someone still living among us, amazing and inspiring us with his talent. You can imagine the emotions at that moment of Tamara Sinyavskaya who was present in the theatre. Talking to the audience about his work, Emin said that 15 years ago when he saw the film Ghost, he said to himself that he would learn to sing and would definitely sing this famous film soundtrack. "I learnt to sing and will sing this song for you now." One of the best numbers was accompanied by Natiq Sirinov's Azerbaijani Rhythm Group.

Emin gave the gift of love from the stage and his concert will be unforgettable for many in the audience, as it is for him. "This is my first concert in Baku. The first time is never forgotten. I will remember this concert in Baku for the rest of my life." Emin said that by performing in Baku he was keeping a promise to his much loved grandmother - she was also present in the audience - and added that in striving for new success he was modelling himself on his father of whom he was very proud. And of course Emin declared his love for his "charming wife, who gives me wings and the happiness without which inspiration would be unthinkable". Emin's concert at the Green Theatre in Baku was not just a concert. It was Emin's first performance in his motherland. This is a serious challenge and it would seem that the decision to give the concert only now shows that Emin is carefully building his musical career. 

Bold arrangements 

Emin's musical career began in 2006 with the release of the album Still. His second album was called Incredible. Emin also writes his own songs. The third album, Obsession, was released in August 2008. A month ago in Moscow the performer gave a concert to launch his new album, Devotion. Music critics say that the first album, Still, was very successful and is a popular favourite. What Emin calls his "difficult second album", Incredible, turned out to be assured rather than difficult, while the third, Obsession, put an end to any fears that music might be just a hobby for Emin. The fourth album, Devotion, constituted another step for Emin in his assured upward progression, although less than four years had passed since the release of his first album. Emin habitually has no fear of the most contemporary arrangements and, more important still, of combining on one record classic songs from the last century with his own compositions. The sell-out premiere of his new programme, Emin-Devotion, was held on 28  May at the B1 Maximum Club, one of Moscow's best music venues where the stars of very different eras have performed: from Paul Anka and Liza Minelli to Sonic Youth and Anthony and the Johnsons. 

Emin included the disturbing ballad Devotion, with its strange reflective guitar section, in his Baku concert programme. It was composed at the last minute, when the album was practically finished. "I decided that we would not release the disc without it, the demo version had to be recorded at home with just vocal and keyboard sections, but it was clear that it had worked even before I went to the studio," Emin said at the album's launch. Before he had written Devotion, another composition, the cheerful Giving In with its swashbuckling strings, was to have begun the album. "Slightly unusual but in my style," the composer says of the song. The description "in my style" can be applied to most of the songs on the Devotion CD, be it the classical, dreamy Tomorrow or Goodbye, reminiscent of something from the Walker Brothers' repertoire. 

Emin performed several cover versions at the Green Theatre and as always they were a bold choice. Emin had no fear of adding his own version of You Don't Have To Say You Love Me to the versions he loves by Shirley Bassey, Elvis Presley and Tom Jones. Emin gives the song his characteristic sound, balancing an obligatory retro flavour with an appropriate modern arrangement. A Love Story (Ghost) is Emin's version of the famous subject. "This is one of my two favourite songs," Emin said. "I already recorded My Way on Obsession and now it's time for the second." Eddie Arnold's You Don't Know Me is also on the Devotion CD. The list of past performers of the song is impressive - Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Van Morrison, Michael Bolton and Michael Ball. The famous standard Unchained Melody sounded marvellous accompanied just by the piano. Emin also performed Fuoco by Adriano Celentano, another of Emin's favourite singers, whose Torno A Settembre he always includes in his concert programmes. 

The Devotion album was recorded in New York and produced by Emin and legendary Moscow musician Vladimir Ratskevich. The singer said that for the first time in his career more songs had been recorded for the album than eventually came out on it - 15 out of 25. They made up the backbone of Emin's Green Theatre concert programme.