As Seen On Blogcritics – Page 14

Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Blame It on the Alcohol”

Glee channeled Jamie Foxx, Human League, George Thorogood, and Kesha in this week’s episode, “Blame It on the Alcohol.” It’s only fitting that the cast of Glee perform “Blame It (On The Alcohol),” since it is where this week’s episode got it’s namesake from.

Kevin McHale (Artie) and Amber Riley (Mercedes) take the lead on the Jamie Foxx hit. They both sound really good. Riley got to showcase a much more controlled vocal than usual. I appreciated that McHale’s voice wasn’t weighed down with auto-tune. Mark Salling (Puck) and Naya Rivera (Santana) also are highlighted on this track. Both of their vocals suit the R&B stylings of “Blame It.” As someone who really likes Foxx’s original track, I found the Glee version to be just as enjoyable to listen to.

Darren Criss (Blaine) and Lea Michele (Rachel) team up for a duet of an amped up version of Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.” It’s not surprising at all that their voices sound great together. There seems to be a touch of auto-tune going on in the production, but neither singer sounds unrecognizable. Criss’ deep vocals provides a subtle sexiness to the track.

Dot-Marie Jones (Coach Beiste) makes her Glee music debut this week, doing a duet with Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester) on the George Thorogood version of the John Lee Hooker song, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.” According to TVLine.com, this was Jones’ first time recording a song ever, and to be honest I think she did a pretty decent job. It was a little strange to hear Morrison singing country, but I liked their duet.

Heather Morris returns to the Glee spotlight, as she takes on Kesha’s monster hit, “Tik Tok.” I was pretty excited when I heard Glee was going to be covering this song, because it’s really fun and upbeat. After hearing the Glee version, I wish they would have just left well enough alone. Morris doesn’t infuse the song with any personality vocally like the original. It just felt like a weird Kidz Bop cover with the backing vocals and the auto-tune. For the most part, I think this week’s tracks were pretty good. The music supervisors did a great job with picking songs that went hand-in-hand with the episode’s theme. Production-wise, I really think Glee dropped the ball with “Tik Tok,” as that song could have sounded so much better.

The music from Glee’s “Blame It on the Alcohol” episode are available now on iTunes. Glee airs Tuesday nights 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

‘Glee’ to Debut Original Songs On Latest Compilation Album

Glee: The Music Volume 5 is due out March 8 and will include fan favorite tracks like “Don’t You Want Me,” “Need You Now,” and “Take Me or Leave Me.” The compilation album will also feature Gwyneth Paltrow on three tracks.

In a Glee first, there are two original songs to be found on this latest volume of music. The song “Loser Like Me” was co-written by the one and only Max Martin. The song is described as “an energetic ensemble track.” The song “Get It Right” is a ballad sung by Lea Michele. These two tracks will be featured during the March 15 episode of Glee.

This past week was the show’s biggest sales week since it began, with 880,000 songs downloaded. As a result, seven Glee songs found their way to the iTunes Top Songs chart.

Over 24 million Glee songs have been downloaded to date, and Glee has sold over 9 million albums worldwide. Glee: The Music Volume 1 has been certified Platinum, recognizing sales of over 1 million copies sold.

Glee: The Music Volume 5 will be available a couple of Tuesdays from now (March 8). For more information on music from Glee, check out the official music website.

Glee: The Music Volume 5 Track listing:

1. “Thriller”/”Heads Will Roll”
2. “Need You Now”
3. “She’s Not There”
4. “Fat Bottomed Girls”
5. “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”
6. “Firework”
7. “Baby”
8. “Somebody To Love”
9. “Take Me or Leave Me”
10. “Sing”
11. “Don’t You Want Me”
12. “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)”
13. “Kiss”
14. “Landslide”
15. “Get It Right”
16. “Loser Like Me”

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

David Archuleta Parts Ways With Jive Records

After a somewhat cryptic Twitter update from David Archuleta last week that said, “Decisions.. They are scary things before knowing what could happen after you make them, but I’m excited for what the future holds,” there was speculation that Archuleta had been let go by Jive Records.

On Februray 18, a Jive Records representative told The Hollywood Reporter that “David was released from our roster.”

Archuleta took to Twitter again this week to post a video to thank his fans and to explain the decisions that he is making for himself when it comes to his career.

In the video Archuleta said, “There were offers for me to continue working with [Jive], but it didn’t feel like the right thing now.”

Later in the video, he said that he had also parted ways with his management.

“I realized that this is not where I am need to be right now. This is not where I’m supposed to go, what I want to be doing right now, what I want to be focusing on,” he explained.

Archuleta was runner-up to David Cook during American Idol’s seventh season. In the fall of 2008, he sold 183,000 copies of his self-titled debut album in it’s first week out. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 in the number two slot.

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Idol Wired >> Hollywood Drama

This week’s episodes of American Idol were packed with talent, tears, and drama that make “Hollywood Week” the must-see episodes of the season. It also lets you see a very real side to the contestants. However, seeing some of the contestant’s candidness was not always very flattering. In other words, Clint Jun Gambia, dude you’re toast. But we’ll get to him in just a bit.

Idol chose to mix it up this year with the group rounds. Contestants had make up their group with participants from both group one and group two from the first round of “Hollywood Week” auditions.

Remember the days of Idol when contestants would just group up and make it work? Yeah, that wasn’t flying this week. Contestants were making other contestants audition to get into their groups. It’s a brilliant move, but at times just seemed kind of rude.

I have also never seen so much footage of parents in Hollywood with their underage child/Idol contestant. I think they should have let their kids work a little more independently on their group routine and wait to be asked for pointers, but a couple of these moms were a little too much to handle.

James Durbin (totally over him, by the way) weighed in on the stage moms, and told the cameras that there shouldn’t be young kids in the competition. Really showed a little bit of a cocky side to him. I think he was just jealous that the group of teens were about to wipe the floor with his group, as they were both performing Queen’s “Somebody To Love.”

A quick word of advice to Mr. Durbin: You really need to stop inserting the screechy note into every one of your performances. It’s not necessary. But if you’re going to repeat the path of Siobhan Magnus and toss that note in during each of your performances, you should aim to be on key.

I think the biggest foul of the group rounds was Clint Jum Gambia kicking young Jacee Badeaux out of his group in favor of Scotty McCreery. Gambia didn’t think that Badeaux’s voice fit with the rest of the group, so he sent him on his way. Badeaux ended up joining up with Brett Loewenstern’s group.

If Gambia makes it past the Las Vegas round next week into the Top 24 where the viewers vote, I don’t think he has a chance in hell making it to the main stage. He completely shot himself in the foot by kicking Badeaux out of his group. Plus, he’s managed to come off as completely obnoxious this week. Good work, Gambia.
Continue reading Idol Wired >> Hollywood Drama

Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Comeback”

I currently have the lyrics to Justin Bieber’s hit song, “Baby” playing on a loop in my head.

“Baby, baby, baby ooh…baby, baby, baby ooh…baby, baby, baby ooh…”

Not cool, Glee. Not cool at all.

I have seen The Biebs perform on TV a couple of times, but never bothered to sit down and listen to his music. I had my own Justin Bieber when I was 16, but his name was Brian Littrell and he was a Backstreet Boy.

When I initially heard that Glee would be getting Bieber-friendly, I must admit that I cringed. Upon remembering that this show is set in high school, and that Bieber is pretty much “the dude” right now, it then made sense that the kids in glee club would like his music.

So, how was Glee’s take on Bieber? Not bad, actually. I can’t even believe I’m about to say this, but after taking a listen to the lyrics and the melody, I have come to realize that Bieber has well-written and catchy tunes. This would be why the chorus to “Baby” has not left my brain.

Chord Overstreet (Sam) sings The Bieb’s enormous hit, “Baby,” and I think pop music is definitely his niche. He isn’t the strongest male singer in the cast, but Glee’s “Blond Bieber” does quite well for himself on this song.

I wasn’t surprised at all to hear Kevin McHale (Artie) doing the rap breakdown in the song. He proves again that he can flow pretty well.

Overstreet, McHale, Mark Salling (Puck), and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike) perform Bieber’s “Somebody To Love.” I have come to the conclusion that when the Glee guys are rocking a pop song, they sound at the top of their game.
Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Comeback”

Idol Wired >> The San Francisco Treat

Since I spend a good portion of my week in San Francisco, you can imagine that I was excited to see how the American Idol auditions went in the city by the bay.

In case you had forgotten, Idol reminded us that Adam Lambert had initially auditioned in San Francisco. Aw, remember the days when Idol would find ridiculous amounts of talent? (Psst…seasons seven and eight, I miss you!)

It’s not that the singers shown weren’t talented, it’s just that they don’t seem as quality as prior contestants. I personally was looking to be wowed by the contestants and that definitely didn’t happen during the San Francisco auditions.

What I appreciated about this particular episode of auditions was that more good auditions were shown overall. And of course there were enough sob stories to fill the hour-long episode, but being that this was the last night of auditions, I was expecting them.

I really didn’t have any personal favorites from this set of auditions. However, there were a couple singers that I am looking forward to hearing from during the “Hollywood Week” round.

Matthew Ness from Huntington Beach, CA had some amazing big notes during his audition. Steven Tyler called the 25-year-old, “a diamond in the rough.”

Stefano Langone, the 21-year-old from Kent, WA sang Marvin Gaye’s, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” He has a Bruno Mars quality to his voice. Very smooth vocal.
Continue reading Idol Wired >> The San Francisco Treat

Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Silly Love Songs”

Glee is getting lovey-dovey this week with the song selections from their Valentines’ Day-themed episode, “Silly Love Songs.”

For the second episode in a row Kevin McHale (Artie) takes a Michael Jackson hit. In his episode, he’s singing “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing).” Out of all the males, I think McHale was definitely the right choice to sing this song. His voice has the right tone and flavor to pull this song off. I think it was important for him and the show to not have a carbon-copy vocal, but still manage to keep the essence of the song intact, and I think they succeeded on both levels.

This week Mark Salling (Puck) is singing Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls.” I know this song fits in with Puck’s storyline for the episode, but I feel like the song was in the wrong key for him. At times it sounded like he was straining to hit the higher notes. Because of this, I have to wonder if the backing vocals are purposely drowning his voice out. It seems depending on the song selection for him, Salling’s vocal performances continue to be very hit or miss this season.

We’re treated to two songs from Dalton Academy’s Warblers during the episode. Per usual, the vocal stylings of Darren Criss (Blaine) are featured on both tracks. First up with Robin Thicke’s “When I Get You Alone,” Criss continues to impress. His vocal performance is flirty and has some swagger to it, which really adds to the song overall. There’s a big note that he hits at the end of the song which is absolutely fantastic. I really like that the Warblers sing songs that are more pop/R&B, because it distinguishes their style from New Directions.
Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Silly Love Songs”

‘The X Factor’ To Award Winner $5 Million Recording Contract

Earlier this week it was announced that the winner of the first U.S. edition of The X Factor will win a $5 million recording contract with Sony Music/Syco. This will be the largest sum of money to be won on television.

Tryouts for The X Factor will kick off Sunday, March 27 in Los Angeles at the L.A. Sports Arena. There will also be tryouts held in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York/New Jersey, and Seattle.

Singers and groups must be at least 12-years-old to audition. There is not a cap on the upper age limit.

“I like the idea that a 12-year-old on this show can compete with an older singer and a singing group,” Simon Cowell said in a press release. “I’ve never believed that there should be a cut-off age for talent, and we are going to put our money where our mouths are with the $5 million recording contract. I’m doing this show in America, because I genuinely believe we can find a superstar.”

The X Factor debuted in the U.K. in 2004, and has been the #1 show for the past seven years. The show has been #1 in 15 territories, and has a worldwide audience of over 100 million.

For more information on The X Factor and for more details about auditioning, check out the show’s official website.

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Jane Lynch Talks About ‘Glee’s’ Big Super Bowl Special

Glee finally returns for a special episode after Super Bowl XLV this coming Sunday. Jane Lynch, who plays fan favorite Sue Sylvester, talked during a conference call earlier this week about the upcoming episode, which she described as “on steroids and writ large,” the different sides of her character, and how playing Sue Sylvester influences today’s girls.

It’s always a big deal for the show that gets to follow the Super Bowl every year, and this year Glee is taking the bull by the horns for it’s biggest episode, yet. Lynch commented on the two opposite TV forces coming together this Sunday.

“Football is very masculine and basically, to me, anyway, a metaphor for war. You’ve got your air game and your ground game. And you’ve got these “light in your loafers” guys, and I’m talking about even the straight guys, singing and dancing. I think it’s a terrific world we live in and I love seeing these two things come together,” she said.

The cast of Glee started filming the episode after the holidays, yet were seen only a couple weeks ago shooting footage during New Directions’ half-time performance. Lynch told us that it was all for additional footage.

“This is a big episode. It’s kind of like the Madonna episode. It’s like the episode we for four months, like it drags on that long. I think we started actually after the holidays, but we needed to pick up a couple of really quick reaction shots during the “Thriller” song. They were really quick and fast, and everybody had to get back into everything. You know, the zombie makeup, etc. So, it was a big deal for two shots,” she explained.

This season on Glee, the audience has seen two different sides of Sue Sylvester; the side where she’s terribly mean and is shooting off some of the funniest one-liners on the show, and she has also shown a softer side when visiting her sister in the rest home. Lynch filled us in about which side of Sue we would be seeing Sunday night.

“Sue Sylvester is a little bored with her routine, even though she has kids riding around on BMX bikes and jumping through fire. And this one routine with Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” she wants to top herself, so she finds out there’s a human cannon in town, she buys it, and wants to shoot Brittany out of it,” Lynch said.
Continue reading Jane Lynch Talks About ‘Glee’s’ Big Super Bowl Special

Idol Wired >> Is The Torture Over, Yet?

When I first sat down to talk American Idol, I had just the worst migraine, which was caused by the auditions in Los Angeles that aired last night.

No, I’m not kidding. The L.A. auditions were by far the worst auditions that I have ever taken the time to sit and watch. I seriously want that hour of my life back.

This is season 10 of American Idol. I expected better than Thursday night’s episode. I guess I should have known better.

Before I get ahead of myself, let’s talk about Wednesday night’s auditions in Austin, TX. Even though the episode was so much better than the L.A. auditions, there were only a couple singers that I would consider being actual contenders in this season’s competition. Those singers are 21-year-old Jaqueline Dunford from Scottsdale, AZ and 19-year-old Casey Abrams from Idlywild, CA.

Jaqueline Dunford auditioned for the show with her boyfriend, 19-year-old Nick Flint. Dunford, who sang Duffy’s “Mercy” was in my opinion the best of the female singers in the Austin. She took that Duffy song and really in the ridiculous words of Randy Jackson, “blew it out the box.” I really like the tone of her voice, and appreciated her demonstration of vocal control.

My other favorite from Austin, Casey Abrams sang “I Don’t Need No Docter” by Ray Charles. This dude can sing. And scat. I love it! I am sensing a trend with the male singers with the soulful, raspy voices this season, but Abrams infused his audition with so much personality, that he set a nice tone for himself going into “Hollywood Week.”

The L.A. auditions episode that aired Thursday night was hands down the worst episode of Idol I’ve ever watched, and I’m saying this as someone who watched the train wreck known as season three in its entirety.
Continue reading Idol Wired >> Is The Torture Over, Yet?