MICHAEL BOLTON”The One Thing” Columbia* 1/2Perhaps mindful...

MICHAEL BOLTON

“The One Thing”

Columbia

* 1/2

Perhaps mindful of his many critics, Bolton on several of these songs has calmed the wretched excess that has marked--and marred--his singing for almost two decades. The problem is, that leaves many of the songs completely characterless, no more than flaccid repositories of greeting-card verse and lifeless instrumentation. The “new” Bolton is something like the class bully who goes to reform school and returns so boring--albeit better behaved--that nobody will talk to him.

Take “Said I Loved You . . . But I Lied,” the Meat Loafian-titled first single. Without Bolton’s trademark overwrought vocals, it passes almost unnoticed, just more innocuous, formulaic fodder for unadventurous radio stations.

Bolton hasn’t completely abandoned his histrionics, however, and on occasion they don’t even detract from a song’s listenability. “Ain’t Got Nothing If You Ain’t Got Love” is spunky enough not to be smothered by his graceless singing--though you wish something masked the triteness of the lyrics.

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