The amazing David Foster

His is perhaps the most fabulous music catalogue of our time. David Foster, composer, arranger, producer, piano player has worked with nearly every major star in the hit firmament. Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion. Madonna and Whitney Houston, Chicago and Air Supply. Earth, Wind & Fire and All-4-One. Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. Dolly Parton and Faith Hill. Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban. Aretha Franklin and Toni Braxton. He played the piano for John Lennon and discovered the Corrs. He has been in this job since the ’70s and shows no sign of losing his love and enthusiasm for creating music.

"Sometimes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I feel like I am the greatest guy in the world," he says on the phone from L.A., where he is in the middle of recording a new protégé, Michael Budle. "Then on Thursday and Friday, I feel like s__t and I am doing everything wrong."

It is during those bad days that Foster feels driven to prove himself more. "I know that I can stop working for 10 years and I can walk into a room and they would play a David Foster song but I can’t. I have to keep on working."

Samples of the music that can easily keep him idle for 10 years or even a lifetime are contained in the new album so aptly titled The Best of Me. Sixteen cuts, which he either composed or produced or played keyboards for are included. It is a stunning collection but he feels it could have been better.

"Three things made up the criteria for putting the album together," he says. "We included those that are hits, my personal favorites and those we were allowed to use. Music is business and it is difficult to get the rights to a recording from another label. We wanted to include I’ll Always Love You by Whitney Houston but we were not able to get it. So we used what we could."

Maybe that is also the reason why Streisand’s Somewhere from the Broadway album is not in the album or Wildflower, his breakthrough hit way back in 1973 with the rock group Skylark. "Maybe someday we can put out a volume two and that can include those other songs."

Ably showcased in the album is Foster’s incredible range and adaptability as a musician. This guy goes from sweet piano interludes like the Love Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire to power ballads like Peter Cetera’s Glory of Love from Karate Kid II to classical, The Prayer by Charlotte Church and Josh Groban and even boy bands.

Foster has worked with several of these teen-oriented groupings over the years from Chicago, for whom he wrote, produced and arranged You’re the Inspiration to All-4-One, for which he produced and arranged the number one seller I Swear.

"The problem with the boy groups of today is that most of them don’t play musical instruments. But they are such good singers and I like working with them. When I heard Chris Kirkpatrick of N’Sync I knew right away that I wanted to record him solo and I am very glad he was able to do I Will for this album."

I Will is the only new recording included in The Best of Me. David sings it with Chris. He produced and arranged it with his friend Richard Marx, who also shares writing credits with David and Linda Thompson. Linda is David’s wife and collaborator. Among their works are Whitney’s I Have Nothing and Goodbye by Air Supply.

What David seems most enthusiastic about these days is discovering new talents. I am sure there are several he has helped in the past but right now he is recording them on his very own label named 143. His choices are not only impeccable, they are also surefire sellers.

Included in his roster are the Irish group The Corrs, the Christian boy group Plus One and young popera sensation Josh Groban. Soon perhaps we will be hearing what David has done with Michael Budle. "He is fantastic," he says of his latest discovery. "He is a combination of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Harry Connick Jr. and he grew up with that kind of music."

Having all these exciting new artists signed to his own label may be a heady experience but that does not mean that David is neglecting the other aspects of his career. "I am putting together a tour later this year and one of the places I might head out for is the Philippines. I have heard it’s a beautiful country and I want so much to visit."

Perhaps when that happens we might get the chance to interest him in working with some of our artists and maybe even arrange and record a Filipino composition. "Sure, why not?"