Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Hit Man: David Foster & Friends Blu-ray Movie Review

Guiding the evolution of pop music for four decades...

Fifteen Grammys may not come easy, but that's the sort of acclaim and recognition legendary Canadian producer/composer/musician/singer-songwriter David Foster has earned over the course of his thirty-five monumental years in the music industry. He's worked with era icons like Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Cher, Madonna, and Seal (just to name a few); produced hits for more than sixty artists and bands including Josh Groban, Faith Hill, Michael Bublé, Katherine McPhee, Céline Dion, and Mariah Carey (among many others); and continues to help a variety of talented young performers achieve international fame. Make no mistake, Foster is responsible for more songs on your iPod than you've probably ever realized.

Smiles abound in this joyous celebration of Foster's contributions to music...

Recorded live at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Hitman: David Foster & Friends finds the famed industry producer playing piano for an impressive lineup of rising stars and established heavyweights, many of whom he personally guided to superstardom. I'm not usually one to embrace the sort of hodgepodge human-mixtape Foster has amassed for his star-studded evening, but his direct participation in each song -- as well as his exceedingly pleasant and gracious demeanor as emcee -- lends the concert a distinct cohesion that's sorely lacking from similar productions I've encountered in the past. In fact, he's so generous to his students and colleagues (quickly retreating to his piano to give them complete run of the stage) that I began to wonder how his name and face came to dominate the cover. His passion for their artistry doesn't waver at any point in the night: he seems as excited by the last singer as the first, he genuinely gets swept up in their performances, and simply can't contain his enthusiasm for their contributions.

And what a performance it is. McPhee's voice soars higher than it ever did on American Idol, Boz Scaggs pulls off a two song showstopper, Andrea Bocelli hits notes that will leave you shaking your head, newcomer and YouTube sensation Charice nabs a well-deserved compliment from the astonished producer, Groban nearly steals the show, and Bublé brings his patented blend of cool, calm, and collected to the stage. There's quite literally something on here for everyone. A sappy pre-recorded message from Streisand and a bland Céline Dion video briefly suck the air out of the room, but Foster manages to keep his audience riveted, politely speeding by such nonsense and returning the evening's focus to the singers who actually bothered to show up in person. All things considered, the concert is an undeniable success. It not only brings artists together who probably won't have the chance to share the same stage again, it offers a diverse selection of the industry's most promising and most influential. It not only gives Foster's fans a fitting overview of his career, but of the last thirty years in pop music as well.

Divided into two full parts (only one of which appears on the disc's standard DVD/CD-combo counterpart), Hitman: David Foster & Friends features:

ACT I
1. Andre Agassi Intro
2. St. Elmo's Love Theme - David Foster and Kenny G
3. Can't Help Falling in Love - David Foster
4. She's a Beauty/Man in Motion - Michael Johns
5. Mornin'/After the Love has Gone - Brian McKnight
6. Barbra Streisand Video
7. Somewhere - Katherine McPhee
8. Through the Fire - Renee Olstead
9. Got to Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
10. Wildflower - Blake Shelton
11. Urban Cowboy Video
12. Love Look What You've Done - Boz Scaggs
13. Jo Jo - Boz Scaggs
14. Chocolate Legs - Eric Benet
15. Hard to Say I'm Sorry/You're the Inspiration/Glory of Love - Peter Cetera
16. Amapola - Andrea Bocelli
17. Because We Believe - Andrea Bocelli
18. The Prayer - Andrea Bocelli and Katherine McPhee

ACT II
1. David Foster Intro
2. Asturias - William Joseph
3. Because You Loved Me - Céline Dion and David Foster Music Video
4. I Swear - Kevon and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds
5. Feeling Good - Michael Bublé
6. Home - Michael Bublé and Blake Shelton
7. Save the Last Dance - Michael Bublé
8. Bodyguard Video with Kevin Costner
9. I Have Nothing/I Will Always Love You - Charice
10. Alla Luce del Sole - Josh Groban
11. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Josh Groban
12. You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
13. Got to Be Real - All
14. Closing Words and Farewell

Hit Man: David Foster & Friends Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Available exclusively on Amazon.com, the Blu-ray edition of Hit Man: David Foster & Friends boasts an instantly attractive 1080i/AVC-encoded transfer that wrangles both the vivid colors of Foster's stage lights and the dark recesses of the Mandalay Bay Events Center with relative ease. The disc's stunning palette is typical of a commendable high definition concert release -- skintones are perfectly healthy and nicely saturated, blacks are impeccably inky, and contrast is comfortably stark. Detail is just as impressive. While some minor artificial sharpening and ringing undermines the integrity of the picture at times, fine textures (like those on Foster's suit and the other artists' clothes) are refined and natural, sheet music text is legible, and object edges are well defined. My only complaint revolves around a bit of errant digital noise that affects the overall clarity and stability of the image. Specifically, faint but persistent artifacting appears in the shadows throughout the presentation, finding its way into the blue-hued lights and splashes of red that accompany a handful of songs. It never becomes a major distraction, but it pops up far too often to overlook. Regardless, David Foster & Friends looks great, effectively tipping the scales for anyone wondering whether or not this Blu-ray disc is worth a blind buy.

Hit Man: David Foster & Friends Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Talk about humble marketing. While the back coverart and disc menu simply make note of a "5.1 Surround" option, the Blu-ray edition of David Foster & Friends actually boasts a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Seeing as the audio package is the most important aspect of any live concert release, this should come as a fantastic bit of news to Foster fans everywhere.

But how does it sound? In short, lively, precise, and robust. Singing and speaking voices are perfectly prioritized amidst the concert's various orchestral arrangements, piano riffs, and percussion crashes. While the front channels dominate the mix for the most part, realistic acoustic flourishes and subtle ambience create a readily immersive soundfield that invites the listener into the audience. LFE support is strong and aggressive as well, imbuing the songs with sonic weight and presence. Likewise, dynamics are spot on, elevating each musical selection with stable treble pitches (just listen to those trumpets), rumbling bass thooms (the bass guitars sound magnificent), and rich, flawless midtones (the strings practically sing). Nitpicks? Normalization is slightly inconsistent -- particularly when hopping between Act I and Act II -- but most people won't notice or care. As it stands, Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio track matches the already-stirring performance note for note.

Hit Man: David Foster & Friends Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplemental content featured on David Foster & Friends is a decent (albeit slightly superficial) behind-the-scenes tour that lasts just over ten minutes.

Hit Man: David Foster & Friends Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hit Man: David Foster & Friends is a rousing, multi-artist performance that entertained me far more than I thought it would. Better still, the Blu-ray edition of the concert is a technical standout. While the disc doesn't have much in the way of supplemental features, it does deliver an eye-appealing video transfer and a remarkably precise DTS-HD Master Audio track. Newcomers and Foster fanatics alike should be more than pleased with Warner's wonderful AV presentation.