Vatican City - He is a debut artist with an established global following, a strong sense of style and a unique selling point that could make him a contender for the Christmas Number One album: he is the Pope.
Geffen, the record label that brought you Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses and the disco shimmer of Donna Summer announced yesterday that it will release an album of litanies and popular chants in November with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on lead vocals.
The project apparently has the full weight of the Pope’s personal support and the proceeds will be used to provide music education for underprivileged children around the world.
If it connects to even a small percentage of the world’s billion Catholics it should blow the likes of Jay-Z, Robbie Williams and Susan Boyle from Britain’s Got Talent out of the water in the race for end of year sales.
More importantly, according to Colin Barlow, President of Geffen UK, the music is beautiful.
“The great thing about the Pope is that he’s got a fantastic tone, very soothing but commanding.”
The vital thing, Mr Barlow emphasised, is to treat the artist and everything he stands for with respect. “It’s about dignity. I’ve worked with Take That and Dame Shirley Bassey. We treat everybody with respect. It’s the same with any of the big artists. (You have to ensure) that the quality is there and that it sounds amazing.”
David Geffen is no longer involved with the record label that he founded and still bears his name, which spares His Holiness some awkward diplomacy. Mr Geffen is perhaps the most successful out gay man in the world and the Pope has described homosexuality as a “tendency” towards an “intrinsic moral evil”.
The album features His Holiness singing one prayer and reciting seven others in Latin, Italian, Portuguese, French and German. He is accompanied by The Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome, conducted by Monsignor Pablo Colino who were recorded in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Backing parts on every track, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, were recorded at Abbey Road studios in London.
The Pope’s parts were taken from broadcasts on Radio Vatican, which owns the rights to them. Three different producers have given the album “a very multicultural feel with African influences as well as English and Italian ones” according to Mr Barlow.
The collaboration came about through Mr Colino who grew up in Spain with the father in law of a Geffen manager.
“He is the musical heartbeat of the Vatican,” Mr Barlow said. When the Vatican approached the record label with the idea they travelled to Rome to hear a taster. “It had to sound spectacular for it to make sense to do it and it was mesmerising. It’s not just a religious recording. It’s an incredible, spellbinding piece of music.”
It has also has vast commercial potential if Geffen/Universal get their marketing strategy right.
A spokesman for HMV said: “Besides a sizeable Christian community that will be interested in this recording for reasons of faith, it could potentially also tap into a wider audience drawn to its spiritual and calming content, especially in these rather turbulent social and economic times.
“Albums of monastic chanting were quite popular when they came out a few years ago, and just last year a CD of hymns and sacred arias by The Priests made it into the top ten - so there is definitely a market out there for religious-based content.
“A precedent was set by Pope John Paul II, whose voice was featured on the Abba Pater recording of prayers and meditations, which made it into the top 100 in March 1999.
“Coming out so close to Christmas this album could well prove a popular purchase among shoppers looking to for an ideal gift for their gran or aunt, although His Holiness Pope Benedict may well have to compete with the likes of Jay-Z, a rumoured Robbie Williams release and Susan Boyle for the Christmas No 1.”
And beyond that? Mr Barlow is cautious about predicting any quick cash-ins. “A tour? I would hugely doubt that.”