LOS ANGELES, CA – The annual GRAMMY Awards®, known as “Music’s Biggest Night®,” have gained the reputation for exclusive, one-time-only collaborations and surprises from some of music’s most lauded performers. During the 59th Awards telecast, broadcast live on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, February 12, 2017, multi-GRAMMY® winner John Legend was joined by British actress-singer Cynthia Erivo for a devastatingly beautiful duet of The Beach Boys’ classic ballad “God Only Knows,” performed during the program’s “In Memoriam 2016” segment. The performance served as a touching tribute to those who passed over the last year, and the headline-making clip went viral following the ceremony.
But Legend and Erivo had a secret up their sleeve: they had already produced a gorgeous studio version of the duet, which they unveiled to digital platforms on Monday, February 13, following Sunday’s GRAMMY broadcast. The track was mastered by Eric Boulanger, founder and chief mastering engineer at The Bakery. David Boucher was engineer/mixer on the project, and he brought Boulanger into the fold to put the finishing touches on the cut, which has likewise been receiving great reviews among music fans.
“At The Bakery, we are huge fans of John Legend and The Beach Boys, so this was a very fun project for us to contribute to,” remarked Boulanger. “David Boucher’s lush recording and mix of Rob Moose’s gorgeously unique arrangement made mastering straightforward, yet delicate in order to maintain the detailed resolution of the production. It’s an honor to work with such talented artists, producer Blake Mills, and David on a production where every detail matters.”
David Boucher remarked, “The best part about working with Eric is that he has just the right balance of collaboration and independence. He can be left on his own, and your master will sound great, but he’s also game to wander down the rabbit hole with you if you’re feeling like the music could be pushed a bit further in one direction or another.”
Photo caption: Pictured L-R: Eric Boulanger and David Boucher, pictured at the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage at Sony Pictures Studios.