Last month, my bank account took a huge hit in the name of music.            However behind the times it may be, I’m still one of those crazed music industry supporters who purchases physical copies of an album and downloads legally when CDs can’t be found. Throw in a dose of crazy fanaticism, and it was without question, therefore, that I pre-ordered Josh Groban’s new album “Illuminations” a month before its release, despite the fact that it was over $50.            What album on earth is worth $50? It better be recorded on 24-carat gold, right? A completely separate column could be dedicated to how record labels and musicians’ marketing people take advantage of naïve lunatics like me who would drop any dollar amount for a certain someone’s music, but the best presents come in small packages, and “Illuminations” is certainly a small package worth the price.            Opening track “The Wandering Kind,” an instrumental prelude based on a melody written by Groban when he was 12 years old, sets the tone for the rest of the album. For the “You Raise Me Up” singer, some pomp and frills are to be expected, but a new earthy sound is prominent in “Illuminations” which seemingly has been missing from previous records. The sound is rich and buttery, the epitome of easy listening.            Unfortunately for Groban, his goody-goody image often precedes him. However, far from breaking down any barriers, “Illuminations” takes a new approach to his previously established classical style. The sound is simplified so only the essentials remain – no flourishing percussion, no bombastic brass sections, and even Groban’s singing is toned down to be more gentle and intimate.            The album flows easily. An elegant love song to New York, “Bells of New York City,” sounds like a melody Sweeney Todd might sing on a good day, and “Galileo” is reminiscent of a 1940s off-Broadway ballad.            But “Illuminations” isn’t about comfort. Groban has expressed in multiple interviews leading up to the release date that the album took him out of his comfort zone and shook up his once formulaic approach to music-making. Twelve of the 13 tracks were written or co-written by Groban, including the arguable highlight of the album, “War At Home,” a song for troops and their families. The song features an appropriately bold chorus, haunting, angelic backing vocals and light snare percussion.            Groban’s first studio record since 2007’s best-selling album of the year, “Noel,” “Illuminations” has been three years in the making, during which fans have heard of exciting collaborations and a change in the production of the album. Splitting from long-time producer and collaborative partner David Foster, the man behind greats like Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Andrea Bocelli, Groban teamed up with legendary producer Rick Rubin, whose previous repertoire includes the Beastie Boys and Run DMC.            Groban and Rubin were a duo that baffled fans. Groban, a clean-cut pop opera superstar, and Rubin, with his exuberant clients and wild look, seemingly clashed in style and ideas. And yet “Illuminations” proves that the two couldn’t be more in sync.            The album’s cohesive feeling is basically flawless. It’s a record meant to be enjoyed from start to finish. The final three tracks, “War at Home,” “London Hymn” and “Straight to You,” a cover of the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song of the same name, wrap the album in a similar way as “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” did for The Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”            “Illuminations” is undoubtedly Groban’s strongest effort to date. A decrease in pompous ballads makes the record more accessible to the masses while not cheapening Groban’s talent.