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SONGS OF SIGNIFICANCE

Poetic words maybe, but the voice of Russell Watson, erstwhile factory worker from Salford in the UK, has made him one of the most popular singing stars of recent times. Supported by a 24 piece backing orchestra, Russell sings tonight at the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club in Arabian Ranches. Brought to Dubai by events company Sian run by the McDonald family, it's a first for him and for them.

"It's taken around four months for us to make the arrangements and now I'm really excited," says Operations Director Ann McDonald. "I've only seen him on DVD before!"

The tag line to a Sian event is that it is a 'Special Experience' and for their first public event they needed a special performer.

"We want to provide quality entertainment where there's not a bad seat in the house," says Managing Director Simon McDonald. "And the core is the performer. Russell is a superb entertainer, not least because of the scope of his music. He's going to be a hard act to follow."

It's also the first time for a while that that Russell has given a solo performance. He's been acting (and singing) in Jeff Wayne's musical adaptation of H G Wells' War of the Worlds in which Russell played the part of Parson Nathaniel.

"The CD has been the biggest seller of all time. And the critics were good — that made a change," says Russell with a grin. "But I'm glad to back on stage doing my own thing."

His appearance in the UK TV show 'Just the Two of Us' in which professional singers mentored celebrity non-singers provided him with a platform to reach an even wider audience than before. Under Russell's guidance, Eastender's star Sian Reeves won the competition.

"I was a bit sceptical at first because of all the reality TV shows but it was a great vehicle. People see you singing and flitting across the stage and they can gel with that."

His audience may vary from place to place: in the UK it's everyone from 8-9 year olds to little old ladies in wheelchairs whereas in Japan he attracts young women between the ages of 16 to 25. But whatever the demographics, there's no doubt that Russell Watson draws an audience. Why?

"The essence of what I do is down to the correct selection of songs," says Russell. "A good actor needs a great script and if you're a singer you need great songs to get your teeth into. And the significance of the songs is important — most of my repertoire has special relevance for me. People are getting tired of the old boom boom, click click stuff and the studio environment doesn't sound real. Not that I'm damning it but they want things that they like and that's all part of the genre. It's now at about 18 per cent of the market and that's huge."

Plus there's the Russell Watson voice that sings the songs.