Indie pop band fun. is hitting their stride on their sophomore effort, Some Nights. The album features the band’s anthemic hit single, “We Are Young (featuring Janelle Monáe).” The track has been featured on Glee and in an ad for Chevy Sonic, which was shown during Super Bowl XLVI.
Category: Reviews
Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Michael”
First things first, I realize Glee took on Michael Jackson songs and that not everyone in the world is thrilled about it, but I look at it like this: It’s a tribute episode. The show utilized its talented cast and gave a handful of MJ’s classics a go. It’s completely ballsy on the show’s part, but I respect it.
Music Review >> SafetySuit – ‘These Times’
Rock band SafetySuit experiments with their sound on latest record, These Times.
DVD Review >> ‘Glee: The Concert’
Glee: The Concert on DVD includes performances not included in the theatrical release and additional features.
Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Hold On To Sixteen”
Last week’s episode of Glee, “Hold On To Sixteen,” featured seven tracks, which included the return of both Chord Overstreet (Sam) and The Glee Project’s Lindsay Pearce (Harmony).
Let’s be real. Overstreet’s returning song on Glee should have been Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack.” Am I right? I’m kidding … kind of. Of all the songs for Overstreet to sing upon his return to the show, Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” was not an option that I was anticipating. But with Glee, as always, expect the unexpected. Unfortunately, this track really felt out of place amongst the rest of the episode’s songs.
I thought that Pearce did an amazing job on “Buenos Aires” from Evita. Man, this girl can sing. She exudes so much energy and personality when she sings, you can’t help to be drawn in. I know she was originally only allotted two episodes per The Glee Project, but from what we’ve gotten to hear from her this season, it would behoove them to figure out how to keep her character relevant. I can’t possibly be the only person that wants to hear Pearce on more than the two fantastic tracks she’s contributed to this season.
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Music Review >> Glee Cast – “I Kissed a Girl”
I must admit that this week’s Glee tracks are possibly the best collection of songs they’ve put together for a single episode in awhile. The running theme of the songs is “by ladies and for ladies,” as declared by Cory Monteith’s character Finn Hudson during this week’s episode.
You can’t have an episode called, “I Kissed a Girl,” without having one of the tracks this week be Katy Perry’s hit, “I Kissed a Girl.” I mean, I guess you could, but Glee loves them some Katy Perry music, so it was kind of inevitable. Taking the lead on this track is Naya Rivera (Santana) and Lea Michele (Rachel). Granted, Glee didn’t do anything particularly special with the arrangement, but the song is just as much fun to listen to as Perry’s original.
Rivera really gets to show off her vocal prowess alongside Idina Menzel (Shelby) on KD Lang’s “Constant Craving.” I feel like with each episode that Rivera gets pushed a little more to show how talented she is, and what better way to prove it than pairing her up with Menzel. Both individual vocal performances were impressive and when combined, the two singers sound just stunning.
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Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Mash Off”
Among my favorite moments in each season of Glee have been the episodes that highlight song mash-ups. This season’s mash-ups for the most part lived up to their predecessors and one particular track stood out as probably the best mash-up Glee has ever done.
In an episode chock full of medleys, Mark Salling’s (Puck) take on Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” was the only solo track. I don’t think Salling gets enough credit for his vocal versatility. He showed a more vulnerable side of his voice earlier this season on a Foreigner track and, this week, we got to hear more depth and fullness in his singing. I think this was one of the better vocal performances we’ve gotten from him, actually. Cory Monteith (Finn) could also be heard on the track, and his voice pairs nicely with Salling’s.
On to the mash-ups, Idina Menzel (Shelby) and Matthew Morrison (Will) sang a medley Lady Gaga’s “You And I” and the Eddie Rabbitt/Crystal Gayle duet “You And I.” On paper, one wouldn’t think this could work, but surprisingly it does. I’m not sure that I’m quite sold on the pairing of Menzel and Morrison as duet partners, however. That said, I liked that Menzel had the bulk of the mash-up, because she really redeemed herself from season one’s recording of Gaga’s “Poker Face,” of which I was never a huge fan. Overall, I found the double dose of “You And I” to be a success.
Music Review >> Daughtry – ‘Break The Spell’
Daughtry is back with their latest studio album, Break The Spell. The album was released on November 21, which happens to be five years to the day that they released their self-titled record, back in 2006.
The band (Chris Daughtry, Josh Steely, Brian Craddock, and Josh Paul) made a conscience decision to go into studio without preconceived notions about what was going to result from the writing sessions.
“We said, ‘Let’s just write and see what happens,'” lead singer Chris Daughtry said in the band’s press release. “We came up with some pretty interesting tunes that sound nothing like anything we’ve done before. Even though some of them didn’t make the album, the process stretched us and took us to new places. It was an absolutely inspirational experience.”
Working with producer Howard Benson, who also produced the band’s first two albums, Daughtry co-wrote the entire album with his fellow band mates, as well as collaborating with Marti Frederiksen, Busbee, and Brett James. It was Benson who encouraged the band to think outside of the box with their new tunes.
“Howard called me and said he had some ideas for what we needed to do to differentiate this album. He said, ‘I really think we need to push ourselves,'” Daughtry shared in the band’s bio.
And push themselves, they did. Break The Spell is harder rock music mixed in with Daughtry’s classic sound that the core fan base has grown accustomed to over the years.
The in-your-face track “Renegade” leads off the album with high energy guitar riffs and Chris Daughtry’s intense vocals. This is a side to the band that I felt was starting to show itself on their last album, 2009’s Leave This Town, but now has fully come to fruition. Roaring on, the guitar-laden “Outta My Head” is bold step in a rockin’ direction. The gritty rocker contains one of the catchiest choruses on the album and is sure to get the audience moving at live shows.
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Music Review >> Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers – ‘Gift Horse’
Last month, Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers (Kit “Goose” Karlson, Brian “Boots” Factor, and Sam “Steamer” Getz) released their fifth studio album, Gift Horse. It’s the band’s second release with Vanguard Records.
“There’s the old saying, ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,’ which translated as showing appreciation for what you have,” Kellogg commented in the band’s press release.
“That’s exactly what this record’s about – appreciation that I have a job right now in 2011, with all that’s going on economically in our country; appreciation for my family, because there’s nothing that I value more; and appreciation of America in general.”
Produced by Mark Weinberg, the songs on Gift Horse have a classic rock, almost Americana kind of vibe about them. You can tell by just how these songs were written from personal anecdotes. The entire album plays out like a collective book of stories on life and family.
Kellogg has taken his storyteller writing style and really captured moments within his life and turned them into meaningful music. This is demonstrated on tracks like the uptempo “1993,” which is the story of how he and wife met and fell in love and “Noelle, Noelle,” which is written in admiration of his daughter, which is probably the sweetest song on the record. In songs such as “Gravity” and “Roots and Wings,” Kellogg sings of lessons learned from his family.
Gift Horse’s lead single, “Gravity,” is an upbeat tune about enjoying and appreciating the life you have now, instead of worrying about what lies ahead. I like that the arrangment really fits the song; coming off lighthearted and fun and truly drawing that picture of leaving your woes at the door and enjoying what’s right in front of you.
“Roots and Wings” is one of my favorites on the record. The song speaks to doing the best you can with your kids, but when the time comes to let them off to explore the world, you handle the change as best you can. Arrangement-wise, the song has a very anthem feel to it; I can see it being a great track to hear performed live.
Music Review >> Glee Cast – “The First Time”
This week’s episode of Glee, “The First Time,” features the cast covering music from the acclaimed musical West Side Story and the return of the Warblers.
Lea Michele (Rachel) and Darren Criss (Blaine), who on the show are playing Maria and Tony in McKinley High’s production of West Side Story, are highlighted on tracks “Tonight” and “One Hand, One Heart.”
In general, I think that Lea Michele can handle whatever piece of music is thrown her way, so it should be no surprise that she reigns supreme on these two tracks. Over the past couple seasons, listeners have been made aware of just how truly talented she is, and with these songs she packs a one-two punch. And Criss is no slouch, either. His voice comes across strong and pure on both tracks. He demonstrates a lot of vocal control and sounds wonderful in contrast to Michele.
Naya Rivera (Santana), whose character also took part in the production as Anita, also pairs up with Michele this week for a duet. Both singers showcase their strong points during “A Boy Like That.” Michele’s voice ascended to operatic heights during the song, however, I’m going to give the edge to Rivera, who proves she can offer the show so much more than the occasional Amy Winehouse cover. She really captures the drama of that scene between Anita and Maria in her voice and it translates beautifully to the ears.
Rivera’s vocal performance on both “A Boy Like That” and “America” are truly standout moments for her this week. I would go out on a limb and say this is the best she has sounded throughout her entire time on the series. Rivera displays rich vocals that are full of personality and pizazz. These songs allow for the singer to show some range and depth to her voice, which is a joy to listen to.
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