Years ago, I fell in love with a film that had some of the emerging acting talents of its time crammed into it, literally bursting at the seams with characters engaged with parallel issues that tore the group apart.  While the film was not a perfect one, it had an underlying theme of friendship that I identified with intently.  The film was St Elmo's Fire; its bar scenes where the friends gathered to be with each other resonated with me.  It had a sense of community and love that transcended the strife that the group suffered individually, and which eventually began to cut away at that fabric of closeness.  Of course, those tested friendship survived for another round at the bar at the end of the film.  But even as the film drew to its close, you could sense the subtle change in the characters.  They were there but the nights would end sooner than they used to.  You could just tell.  That theme, which many film-goers typically do not derive, hangs on as I'm deeply friend-oriented.  Tying this lengthy piece into this review is easy enough as the music theme from that movie (which moves me incredibly because it is a tune of friendship – for me) is “Love Theme From St Elmo's Fire.”  I graduate into a thoughtful paradise of an ideal that will never leave me.  But it always provides a wistful memory of those gatherings of people you have grown to love.

I apologize for the circuitous route that I have used to open this review of Hit Man: David Foster & Friends but because of the concept of this album and its wisely chosen opener track (“Love Theme From St Elmo's Fire”), it felt appropriate that I open with an insertion of friendships.

David Foster  has helmed many, many hits in his career, and this CD with the accompanying DVD of a PBS Great Performances special (to air in December) is a sampled representation of that.  With the people that he has professionally assisted, and, at times, having written the songs they sang, this small collection helps to celebrate that communion of talents. 

On the CD, there are a well-chosen selection of nine tracks where the DVD extends to well over 25 song performances in brilliant video and sound, including several videos from stars like Barbra Streisand, and cuts from film-works that Foster had been involved with musically.  For the most part, David Foster accompanies on piano as many stars make appearances to sing some excellent tunes that they have been involved with over the years.  But where the DVD is a linear performance, the CD selects strong highlights that makes for pleasant listening anywhere.

The CD, as stated before, begins with the gorgeous “Love Theme From St Elmo's Fire,” with Kenny G playing.  The performance is flawless and sets the tone for the entire set – friends gathered.  The CD offers tunes from Michael Buble (w/Blake Shelton, who also performs the '70s hit, “Wildflower”), Katherine McPhee, the 16-year old Filipino sensation with the BIG voice, Charice, Josh Groban with a good performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” a medley of hits (2 with Chicago and one a solo hit), Celene Dion, and Andrea Bocelli w/ Katherine McPhee.

The DVD goes much further than that with its multiple performances by many of the above mentioned artists.  The 2-act special is capped off by a performance that invites all to perform together.

All in all, this is a great offering in that you get the PBS special and a truncated CD with many of the highlights of the evening.  David Foster has a storied career and this is a small representation of the magic that has resulted from that career.  But with this small package, there is truth in the saying, “big things come in small packages.”  If you're a fan of David Foster or even appreciated the songs that are included here, you'll get top-notch performances of many of them by some highly talented individuals.