Barry Manilow himself has coined his former opening act, Kyle Vincent, "One of the best singer-songwriters to come along since the heyday of Tin Pan Alley." And now the student pays tribute to the teacher in a stunning new collection, featuring eleven classic songs turned into smash hits by Manilow in the 70s, and now given a polished and superb fresh take with Vincent's pure vocals, and some new arrangement tidbits, all the while honoring the original productions by not veering far off course. Kyle Vincent is quite possibly the most appropriate artist to give these songs new life. Vincent has been a fan of Manilow’s since he was a teen, many times citing the iconic entertainer as his biggest influence. But more than just a fan, Vincent has become a peer, even having been the opening act for Manilow’s “Greatest Hits & Then Some” tour of the U.S., the final show of that tour taking place at the same hometown venue where a young starry-eyed Vincent had waited all night for tickets to see Manilow. The CD package comes with a 6-page booklet telling the poignant story of Vincent as an ardent “Fanilow”, reflecting upon why he took on this project in the first place: “I discovered Barry Manilow’s music at a point in my life where I really needed direction and purpose. I was a trained jazz musician from a very young age, but never considered it as a career. When I first heard Barry Manilow Live, everything changed. I would rush home each day after school and sing along to the album for hours on end. I learned to sing to that voice, but also learned melody and songcraft. I soon realized that maybe this was more than just a teenage kid singing along to his favorite records, that maybe I had found my calling, and more importantly, a way out.” As for the recording process, Vincent explains that, “For the most part I kept very true to the original arrangements and production. I mean, those were such classic recordings, I didn’t want to stray too far from how I remember them. But certainly I “Kyle-ized” them in places.” Most notable additions are in the harmony and backing vocals. The album also includes a bonus track – a new, unreleased Kyle Vincent original song, entitled "Mother & Daughter" (co-written with Mileah Merrill.) As the final track on the album, it takes a major turn away from the big productions of the previous eleven tracks and scales down to the simple telling of a mother-daughter relationship through only a piano and Vincent's tender voice. For years now Vincent has enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist – having released 13 solo albums and nearly 200 original compositions on iTunes. He is consistently on tour playing shows in in the U.S., Philippines, Japan, Canada, and Europe for his dedicated fan base. Vincent's Top-20 U.S. Adult Contemporary hit song, “Wake Me Up (When The World’s Worth Waking Up For)” also appeared in the Garry Marshall film, “The Other Sister”. In 2014, Vincent won Best Male Vocalist at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards. In addition to Manilow, Vincent has shared a stage or a recording studio with some of the biggest names in the music business including Robert Lamm (Chicago), Gerry Beckley (America), Bryan Adams, Richard Marx, Amy Grant, Rick Springfield and many others. Kyle Vincent began his musical career playing saxophone in the Berkeley, California school system’s innovative student jazz program. He went on to take bass lessons from multi-platinum guitarist Joe Satriani, voice lessons from renowned San Francisco opera singer Claudine Spindt, and was in the influential teen power pop band, Candy, which featured future Guns n’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. For a few years he was even the lead singer in a reformed Bay City Rollers, and also Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods. Vincent remarks on these stints: “I’m pretty much the go-to guy when there’s some 70s band in need of a singer. I’ve been a Roller and a Heywood. I’m waiting for the Stylistics to call so I can rename them the Kylistics!” Critic Quotes “The crown prince of soft pop” - Goldmine “Don’t miss a chance to see this charming and talented artist in action” – Billboard “Lush arrangements and blissful melodies and a purity of emotion” – S.F. Chronicle “The King of Soft Pop – a master craftsman sculpting peerless lusciously-rendered songs with deep hooks and even deeper feeling” – Pure Pop Radio “A voice as clear and beautiful an instrument as you’ll hear in today’s music” – Amplfier