Category: As Seen On Blogcritics

Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Born This Way”

This week’s music from Glee was quite the eclectic mix, but supplied the perfect soundtrack for the “Born This Way” episode.

Glee really brought it with the music this week. I truly enjoyed every track, but the absolute standout for me was the mash-up of West Side Story’s “I’m Pretty” with TLC’s “Unpretty,” which was sung by Lea Michele (Rachel) and Dianna Agron (Quinn).

I usually am not a huge fan of Agron’s vocals, but this mash-up really worked for her. “Unpretty” needs a soft and vulnerable vocal to make it work, and I thought she pulled it off well. I really enjoyed the contrast of her voice with Michele’s and the interchanging “I feel pretty” lines. Both ladies sound fantastic, and it was nice to hear a duet from them.

Cory Monteith (Finn) took on Sammy Davis Jr.’s “I’ve Gotta Be Me.” After listening to this track, I found this to be the best that Monteith has sounded vocally all season. It’s a very clean vocal from him, and his personality is infused throughout the song. I was taken aback a little bit when I saw this song on the track listing this week, but after seeing the episode last night, the song was a great choice for not only Monteith’s voice, but the overall theme of the “Born This Way” episode.

One of my very favorite songs, “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane was sang by Darren Criss (Blaine) and the Dalton Academy Warblers. Seriously, what can’t this dude sing? Criss has a way of emotionally connecting to every song that he sings. With “Somewhere Only We Know,” the listening audience gets to hear a very vulnerable and sincere vocal performance from him. I definitely think Glee did this song justice. And of course, shout out to the Tufts University Beezlebubs for the great backing vocals.

Chris Colfer (Kurt) returns to the solo spotlight with “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Broadway’s Sunset Boulevard. Colfer’s vocals on this track are just stunning. The track is truly just absolute ear candy. I am hoping since Colfer’s character has now returned to the New Directions that we will be treated to a couple more solos before the season’s end.

When I found out that Glee was planning on using Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” for this episode, I thought the song was just too new to utilize for the show. But, what do I know anyway, since this song fit this week’s episode like a glove. With Colfer, Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) on lead vocals, Gaga’s “Born This Way” was hit with a dose of attitude and sass – Glee-style. I am all for uptempo group numbers, and “Born This Way” delivers in a big way.

I think this week’s bundle of Glee music may just be the best of the season, if not a close second after the music from the episode “Never Been Kissed.” Hats off to Glee’s music producers and music supervisors; the song choices and overall production were very much on point this week.

The music from “Born This Way” is available now on iTunes.

Glee airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on FOX.

Originally posted on Blogcritics.

Music Review >> Glee Cast – “A Night of Neglect”

Last week Glee returned with four new tracks to try and make us forget that the show had been on hiatus for a month. The new tracks also marked the return of guest star, Charice.

Charice (Sunshine Corazon) took on the Eric Carmen power balled, “All By Myself.” At the beginning of the season I was wasn’t initially blown away by any means by Charice’s voice, but after listening to the full studio track of “All By Myself,” I now understand why this girl is kind of big deal.

Charice’s vocals on this track are absolutely flawless. Her voice really embraces that feeling loneliness and desperation of the lyrics. Seriously, the girl’s voice gave me chills. If there’s one song from “A Night of Neglect” that is a must-download, it is definitely “All By Myself.”

Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holiday) also lent her voice to the music from Glee last week, and took on Adele’s “Turning Tables.” I think we can all agree that this wasn’t an ideal song choice for Paltrow. Adele’s latest album 21 is probably the best thing to come out of the music world so far this year. Having said that, I knew at some point Glee would try to tackle one of her songs.

I think Paltrow gave the song a good old fashioned try, but came up short because she simply doesn’t have the chops to pull this song off. I thought her voice sounded really good in the verses and as it slowly builds up into the chorus. It was her singing in the chorus itself that made the song kind of unbearable to listen to. Paltrow’s falsetto is not one of her strongest vocal features, and I wish that the Glee music producers had adjusted the key in the song that would have been more complimentary to Paltrow’s voice and not as grating on my ears.

I was thrilled to see a track sung by Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) in last week’s bundle of Glee music. Ushkowitz took on Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers.” It is seriously such a shame that Ushkowitz’s voice is not utilized more on this show. She has a fantastic tone to her voice that really is the balance between Lea Michele’s (Rachel) stellar vocals and Dianna Agron’s (Quinn) somewhat lackluster vocals.

I really thought that “I Follow Rivers” really fit Ushkowitz’s voice nicely. I am not familiar with Lykke Li’s catalogue of music, so I can’t really make any kind of comparison, but my ears were in favor of what they heard while I was listening to the track.

The last track to come out of last week’s episode of Glee was Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way,” which was sung by Amber Riley (Mercedes). This was my other favorite track of the week. I really thought Riley sounds just fabulous on this song. It’s a little dialed back at parts, which I liked. We all know that Riley is capable of hitting some big notes, but it’s nice to hear her have a really nice vocal without as many embellishments upstaging her talent.

The songs from Glee’s “A Night of Neglect” were an interesting mix of songs. After being on hiatus for so long, I guess I expected a song that would really stand out of the pack, and the closest they came to delivering that was with Charice’s “All By Myself.”

Glee airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on FOX.

Originally posted on Blogcritics.

Meet Jessie Frye

Jessie Frye describes her music as “Oscar Wilde climbing into a piano and drinking lots of espresso,” whereas I would describe the Texas native’s music as a refreshing addition to today’s music scene that is reminiscent of The Cranberries mixed in with PJ Harvey and Liz Phair, along with a dash of Sara Bareilles for good measure.

Frye’s first step into the musical world was when she was eight years old and started taking voice lessons. At around the age of 11 or 12, she began piano lessons. For Frye, it was right after she started playing piano that she realized that she was meant to be a creator and make music.

While growing up in Dallas, Texas, Frye listened to the music that that would shape her as an artist, including acts such as The Cure, Tori Amos, Michael Jackson and the pre-rapping days of Madonna. Also, as a huge fan of literature, she counts Oscar Wilde as a huge creative influence. She credits him, saying, “His outlook and his passion and his philosophy really inspired the core beliefs that I have about art.”

In 2008, Frye released her debut EP, The Delve, which she describes as having that “DIY charm,” and that “it’s very innocent, it’s very organic and raw.”

At age 22, the now Denton-based Frye is fresh off her third turn of performing at SXSW and is gearing up to release her second EP, Fireworks Child, this week.

Last month, I spoke with Frye over the phone to talk about performing live, her new EP, Fireworks Child, and her goals for the future. So, without further ado, meet Jessie Frye.

Around what age did you start writing music?

Well, like 11 years old. But, they were horrible, obviously. I feel like you have to feel things out and write some really private bad stuff before you start writing the good stuff. I know good is relative, but when you’re 11, your songwriting probably isn’t as polished as when you’re 20 or something like that.

As you progressed into writing songs that you would go on to perform, where was the inspiration coming from? 

Experiences. I always try to think when I’m writing songs, I think a lot of people think, well, this is about love or this is about a relationship, but for me I try to describe it. Not so much that it’s storytelling, but it’s abstract at the same time, so you take whatever you want from it; like using metaphors, not using blatant sentences in your lyrics. To me, lyrics are a really, really important thing, and no matter how good the music is, I can’t listen to it if your lyrics are dumb. You know, I just can’t do it. I spend a lot more time on lyric writing than I spend on actually arranging the music.

Continue reading Meet Jessie Frye

Idol Wired >> Stefano is LanGONE

I figured as soon as the first guy was eliminated from season 10 of American Idol that they would start falling like dominoes, and as it turns out, that’s the only prediction I’ve made this season that’s been on point.

Following Paul McDonald’s exit from Idol last week, Stefano Langone was
eliminated from the competition last night. I’m not too surprised that Stefano was eliminated this week, it’s just too bad that it had to happen the night after he had what I considered to be his best performance in weeks. It takes me back to when Carly Smithson had an amazing performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar” during season seven, then got knocked off the next night, except I definitely wasn’t as upset.

This may be a little surprising to most who read Idol Wired, but I would have preferred Stefano to stay one more week if it meant Jacob Lusk was going home. I cannot believe Jacob has made it as far as he has in the competition. And Jacob’s performance in comparison to Stefano’s was definitely the weaker of the two performances.

Alright, I have to say it; I was super disappointed to see Haley Reinhart in the bottom three. C’mon, America! Haley had the best performance the other night, she deserves your votes.

Also, did anyone else catch Stefano totally snubbing Scotty McCreery when giving out hugs last night? What in the world was that about?

Switching gears over to the return of David Cook to the Idol stage. David performed the first single, “The Last Goodbye” off his highly anticipated sophomore album, This Loud Morning.

I thought that once David shook off his initial nerves, his performance was excellent. It must be a trip to return to the show that made him “more than a name or a face in the crowd” to debut his new single. I love that he’s kicking off his album with something upbeat and lyrically catchy. I’m really hoping that you, yes you and everyone you know hopped on iTunes and downloaded his single. I am all in favor of supporting former Idol contestants, especially ones named David Cook.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch David’s performance of “The Last Goodbye,” or you just want to watch it again, check it out below!

What did you think of last night’s Idol results? Are you liking David Cook’s new single? Also, what do you think of the Idols singing Carole King songs next week?

Originally posted on Blogcritics.

Music Review >> Kimberly Caldwell – Without Regret

A word that comes to mind upon hearing the name Kimberly Caldwell is drive. Caldwell was a contestant during season two of American Idol in 2003. Now, eight years later she’s gearing up to release her debut album, Without Regret.

“I’ve been a performer my entire life and everything I’ve done has led up to this moment,” Caldwell stated in a press release.

Caldwell grew up in Katy, Texas where her love of country music and desire to perform led to her appearing on the original Star Search as a child. She won five times. When she was 12-years-old, her family moved to Branson, Missouri after Caldwell landed a gig with a singing revue called, “Country Tonite.” Three years later, when she was 15, Caldwell was ready to head back to Katy, and be a normal teenager.

American Idol had an audition stop in Texas during their second season of the singing competition. Caldwell auditioned and made it all the way through to the Top 7 in that season’s competition.

Caldwell’s album, Without Regret was produced by Marshall Altman, Tommy Henrikson, John-Mark Baxter Seltzer, and MachoPsycho.

Without Regret overall is a pretty good mix of music. The standout tracks on the album include “Mess of You,” “Heart of Mine,” and Caldwell’s single, “Desperate Girls & Stupid Boys.”

Continue reading Music Review >> Kimberly Caldwell – Without Regret

Idol Wired >> Shock Elimination!

I’m sitting here in just absolute shock. Pia Toscano has just been eliminated from this season’s American Idol.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Pia should have made it all the way to the final two this season. But instead she went out in ninth place. American Idol is now down to two women and all six men. C’mon now.

Pia was in the bottom three tonight with Stefano Langone and Jacob Lusk, who was my prediction to bite the dust this week.

Earlier today, I re-watched everyone’s performances and the last person I would have predicted in the bottom three was Pia. Granted, she needed some work in the stage presence department, but her vocal performances, including last night,  have been absolutely flawless this season.

I think a lot of people are going to blame Pia’s elimination on voter complacency, which to be honest, definitely must have something to do with tonight’s shocker. However, the judges need to accept that part of Pia’s elimination is on them.

During Wednesday night’s performance show, not one of them said anything overtly negative to the contestants about their performances. Part of the judge’s job is to let the audience know which contestants rock and which ones need to get it together. When everyone’s receiving praise, the voting public doesn’t know what to do.

That said, judges get your heads back in the game and do what you are overly paid to do, which is to critique these singers. Jennifer Lopez needs to find her inner “Jenny From the Block” and let the contestants know what’s what. Steven Tyler needs to altogether wake up and start making comments that are useful. Not every performance is “beautiful.” And Randy Jackson, I expect you to call it how you hear it. Don’t dial back your feedback; it is so needed.

Pia has been receiving high praise from the judges all season long, and maybe her fans thought they could ease up on the power voting.

Whatever the case may be, it’s was completely disheartening to see such a huge talent be sent home way before she should have been. It is unfortunate that the “Judges’ Save” had already been used this season, but that’s the nature of the game. I don’t think the judges ever thought that Pia would ever need to be saved. I guess they haven’t been watching the past couple seasons, where female contestants have been picked off before the men repeatedly.

So, the moral of this story? Judges, please do your jobs and judge the contestants. Fans, vote to keep the talent in the competition. Don’t ever think your contestant is safe.

My last thought for the night: It’s now Scotty McCreery’s competition to lose.

Alright Idol fans, let me hear your thoughts on tonight’s insane results.

Originally posted on Blogcritics.

Music Review >> Jennifer Hudson – ‘I Remember Me’

Jennifer Hudson released her highly anticipated sophomore album, I Remember Me, on Arista Records on March 22. The record is the follow-up to Hudson’s 2008 self-titled debut, which debuted on Billboard’s Top 200 chart at number two. Hudson won a Grammy Award for her debut effort in 2009 for Best R&B Album.

“I’m excited about this album because it’s almost like a renewal for me, reflected through the chapters of my life,” Hudson revealed in a press release. “I’ve called it I Remember Me because of the journey I’ve been on. I’ve learned that life constantly surprises you, no matter your plans. My fans have been so loyal, I feel like they have been on this
journey with me.”

Hudson collaborated with Ryan Tedder, Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, and Ne-Yo on her sophomore effort.

The lead off single, “Where You At” a slower, ballad-like song was written and produced by R. Kelly. Hudson performed the single during a recent results show at her old stomping grounds, American Idol.

That was the first time I had ever heard the single, and to be honest, I found it to be quite boring. Even after listening to the recording, the song wasn’t really holding my attention. I will never understand why performers choose ballads to lead off an album. Nothing about that song captured my attention or made me feel like I had to hear the rest of her album.

That said, there are some tracks that did stand out to me on I Remember Me, including “No One Gonna Love You,” “Angel,” and title track, “I Remember Me.”

The album opens with “No One Gonna Love You,” which was produced by Rich Harris. The song has a slight storyteller vibe to it, where Hudson is telling the person she’s singing to that she’s gone through things in her past, but that they won’t hold her back from loving that someone the best she knows how.

Continue reading Music Review >> Jennifer Hudson – ‘I Remember Me’

Idol Wired >> Wait…What Just Happened?

I could be heard throughout American Idol’s Thursday night’s results show repeating the same question, “What just happened?”

I mean, seriously, where to start? Do I start with the “Judges’ Save?” Do I start with Hulk Hogan? Or do I start with Steven Tyler turning 120? (I kid, I kid!)

Let’s start with the “Judges’ Save,” because a little more than a week ago I made what has been I believe my only prediction about season 10 so far via Twitter. It was then shown on MTV.com’s “Idol Party Live!” hosted by the super awesome Jim Cantiello live after each results show. Check out who I thought the “Judges’ Save” was going to go to this season.

Of course, if you watched Thursday night, you know that my prediction was totally wrong. Supposedly Casey Abrams had the lowest total number of votes after Wednesday night’s performances. I can kind of believe it, because he didn’t have a great performance and he went first that night, which means that with 10 other performances, people could have just forgot about him. Also, there’s the possibility of voter complacency. However, the conspiracy theorist in me thinks that Idol really wanted to create some buzz. And what better way to create some buzz than to possibly eliminate a huge fan favorite?

Even I have to admit that when the judges told Casey he was saved was a great moment. Although, I thought for sure he was going to throw up, or have to take another trip to the hospital. Casey’s reaction was truly the icing on the cake for the night.

Other than that, I hope next week’s results show can be as entertaining and unexpected as last Thursday’s was. I loved seeing the contestants singing with Stevie Wonder. More than that, I loved Steven Tyler’s reaction to Stevie Wonder on stage. As much as I enjoyed Idol pulling out the stops to celebrate Steven’s birthday, I had to wonder if Randy was sitting there thinking, “I’ve been on this show for the entire time it’s been in existence, and never has anyone surprised me with Mariah Carey serenading me on my birthday!”

I have to say that seeing Hulk Hogan on Idol is hands down the craziest thing that I have seen on this show. I loved the video of the contestants talking about James Durbin’s love of pro-wrestling. His reaction to Hulk Hogan coming on stage to let him and Paul McDonald know they were safe and going on tour was pretty hilarious. Hogan “punching” Ryan Seacrest into the crowd was also funny. I don’t care to see a professional wrestler every week on Idol, but it was a cute moment this past week.

Thinking ahead to next Wednesday, with Casey being saved this week, what does that mean for the contestants? Well, all 11 contestants will be going on tour this summer, so there’s that. But, they still have to sing their butts off next week, because it is “Elton John Week” and two of them will be eliminated. My only advice for the contestants next week is more like a plea. Please don’t sing “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” It’s been done over and over and over again.

So to recap, Casey was saved from elimination, the Top 11 will tour, and two contestants will go home next week. What did y’all think about the results and Thursday’s overall show?

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Yellowcard – ‘When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes’

The roaring violin intertwining with guitar on the opening track of Yellowcard’s latest album, When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes, was the first inclination to me that this band is most definitely back.

After not working together for two years, Yellowcard (Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Ryan Mendez, Sean O’Donnell, and Longineu Parsons II) connected with each other via email to exchange demos and song ideas, as going to each other’s homes in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Phoenix to hammer out ideas for their seventh album.

“There’s a really fresh energy to it,” lead singer Ryan Key said in a press release. “We didn’t feel like we had to top something we’d already accomplished; it was almost like writing our first record again.”

Violinist Sean Mackin shares Key’s sentiment stating, “I feel like we’re doing it again for the first time. Everyone is so happy to do this. We remember why we do this and it feels incredible. Yellowcard has always been about good friends enjoying music together.”

After my first listen of When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes, I felt that the band really just knocked this album out of the park. Everything about the 10-track collection of music was on point. Key’s vocals are stronger and more emotive than ever, the song arrangements are fantastic, and the lyrical content of the songs reveal how this band has grown as not just artists, but as individuals.

Continue reading Music Review >> Yellowcard – ‘When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes’

‘Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers’ Out April 19

Glee: The Music presents The Warblers is due out April 19, and will highlight Glee’s Dalton Academy Warblers, the all-male a capella singing group featuring Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, the Tufts University Beezlebubs.

The album will include “Teenage Dream,” which still holds the record of having the best first-week sales of any Glee track, along with “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and “When I Get You Alone.” The album will additionally feature two exclusive songs, one of which being Barbra Streisand’s “What Kind of Fool,” which Darren Criss and the Warblers performed as the opening number at the 2011 MusiCares Person of the Year gala.

Songs from Glee’s Dalton Academy Warblers have sold 1.3 million tracks to date. In the last week, Glee had it’s highest first-week sales from a single episode with 722,998 downloads of tracks from “Original Song.” Combined with their other music, Glee sold 964,000 downloads in the last seven days, which breaks their own record that they set this past February with 880,000 tracks sold in one week.

Glee: The Music presents The Warblers is set to be released April 19. For more information on music from Glee, check out their official music website.

Glee: The Music presents The Warblers track listing:

1. “Teenage Dream” (Katy Perry)
2. “Hey Soul Sister” (Train)
3. “Bills, Bills, Bills” (Destiny’s Child)
4. “Silly Love Songs” (Wings)
5. “When I Get You Alone” (Robin Thicke)
6. “Animal” (Neon Trees)
7. “Misery” (Maroon 5)
8. “Blackbird” (The Beatles)
9. “Candles” (Hey Monday)
10. “Raise Your Glass” (P!nk)
11. “Somewhere Only We Know” (Keane)
12. “What Kind Of Fool” (Barbra Steisand)
13. “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (Rod Stewart)

Originally posted on BlogCritics.