Category: Reviews

Music Review >> Music From ‘Glee,’ Episode 2×9, “Special Education”

Glee headed to Sectionals in the latest episode, and provided an interesting soundtrack for the listening audience.

I have to applaud whoever is in charge of giving Chris Colfer (Kurt) such great songs to sing so far this season. His version of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita proved to be one of his best vocals ever on the show. Colfer seems to be really blossoming this season, and I look forward for what’s to come.

In addition to Colfer’s fantastic rendition, there is also a full recording of Lea Michele (Rachel) singing “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.” Michele shows vocal restraint and shows a vulnerability while singing the song, that really makes you take notice. With Glee highlighting the latest pop hits every week, it’s refreshing to hear Michele singing songs that truly capture her talent.

Naya Rivera (Santana) finally takes the lead this week with her rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie.” He voice is a perfect fit for this type of song. It’s a saucy vocal, and Rivera really captures the attitude and vibe of the song.

Dianna Agron (Quinn) and Chord Overstreet (Sam) duet on the Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes song, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from the popular Dirty Dancing soundtrack. I was happy to hear these two getting their chance in the spotlight again this season, but I know that there has to be a song that compliments their vocals better this one. Agron couldn’t pull off the bigger notes that were noticeably being sung by Amber Riley (Mercedes) on the track. Maybe it was Overstreet’s vocal phrasing, but I didn’t feel like this song showcased him well at all.

It has to be said that the Glee cast has nothing on Florence and the Machine. Their attempt at “Dog Days Are Over” just didn’t capture the essence of the original recording. Riley and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) sounded okay on lead vocals, but this song was not the song for them.

Darren Criss made his return this past week with Train’s huge hit, “Hey, Soul Sister” which was performed in the episode by Dalton Academy’s Warblers. The multiple-part harmonies combined with Criss’ voice breathe new life into one of the most over-played songs on the radio.

Overall, I think this was an alright batch of Glee music. I definitely expect more with all the talent in the cast.

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

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Music From ‘Glee,’ Episode 2×8, “Furt”

The four songs from the unofficial tribute to Bruno Mars episode of Glee continue the trend of great song choices.

Guest star Carol Burnett and Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester) sing “Ohio” from Welcome Home. Carol Burnett sounds pretty good on the track. Lynch sounds alright. She’s definitely not a singer, but I can appreciate that she steps up to bat for the show.

Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester) steps into the spotlight singing Michael Buble’s “Sway.” Morrison’s vocals are a great fit for this song – and really that whole genre of music. He’s got the swagger that really is needed for this vocal, and he pulls it off nicely.

I really like that Morrison is being highlighted musically more this season. He was a relatively untapped resource last season, so it’s nice to hear more from him.

Glee seems to be on quite the Bruno Mars kick this year covering not one, but two of his songs this episode, as well as covering “Billionaire” earlier this season.

The first of Mars’ songs that the cast takes on is “Marry You.” It’s a fun ensemble number which is reminiscent of the Journey To Regionals version of “Don’t Stop Believing” where all the couples within Glee Club were the highlighted singers. Cory Monteith (Finn) and Lea Michele (Rachel) kick off the song strong. Dianna Agron (Quinn) and Chord Overstreet (Sam) then take the lead with their part of the song. Their vocals together sound pretty decent.

I can only imagine that it is quite the task to find a song that the Glee cast will all sound good singing, but whoever did the music selection for “Furt” did a really good job. “Marry You” allows the cast to show that they can sing current songs and make them just as good of a listen as the original.

I had to raise an eyebrow at Monteith covering Mars’ current big hit, “Just The Way You Are.” Monteith’s solos this season have been pretty hit or miss, but “Just The Way You Are” is definitely a hit. I find that Monteith’s voice hits it’s sweet spot when he’s singing pop music, and I hope that Glee realizes that this is his singing genre.

The music from “Furt” is a pretty good listen. Young fans of the show will appreciate the current hits being covered. Glee should probably not cover any more Bruno Mars music for the remainder of the season. Three songs in eight episodes is quite enough.

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

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Glee Cast – ‘Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album’

I love Christmas music. I love Glee. The combination of the two results in an album filled with a great mix of classic and contemporary Christmas songs.

Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album goes above and beyond any possible expectations I had before I took my first listen. “Deck The Rooftop,” which is a mash-up of “Deck The Halls” and “Up On The Rooftop,” was completely unexpected. Glee definitely manged to put their twist on two popular holiday songs, and made it into an extremely catchy sing-a-long.

One of the tracks that is already getting a lot of buzz is “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which is sung by Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Darren Criss (Blaine). It’s a very sweet duet between the two, and their vocals are superb.

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” sung by the Glee ladies, is one of my favorites. The harmonizing is on point, and they seem to be reining in the glory notes a bit, which gives the song a sense of vulnerability, and allows the lyrics to stand in the spotlight.

I really liked Glee’s interpretation on “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” The song features Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester) and K.D. Lang. I still watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas every year, so I really appreciated this song being on the album. Morrison and Lang really capture its spirit.

I have to make mention of Amber Riley (Mercedes), who sings “Angels We Have Heard On High.” On this song, she has a voice to be reckoned with. The arrangement for me left something to be desired, but Riley’s voice makes the song a success.

I have to say that the group harmonizing on this album is fantastic. The Glee cast really have never sounded better. There’s something about Christmas music that really brings the best out of singers.

Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album really exceeded my expectations. The album has a great combined energy of Glee and Christmas spirit.

Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album is available now. The Glee Christmas special airs December 7 on FOX at 8 p.m.

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Music From ‘Glee,’ Episode 2×6 “Never Been Kissed”

The four songs featured in this week’s episode of Glee pack quite the musical punch.

Diving into the tracks this week, the weakest is definitely the duet between Mark Salling (Puck) and Kevin McHale (Artie) on Bob Marley’s “One Love (People Get Ready).” This song really doesn’t fit Salling’s voice, although when harmonizing with McHale, he sounded pretty good. It definitely wasn’t as good as the other three songs from this week’s episode.

Hands down my favorite track this week was Dalton Academy’s version of Katy Perry’s huge hit, “Teenage Dream.” The song features lead vocals from Glee newcomer, Darren Criss (Blaine). This is a song that I wouldn’t expect to hear covered by a guy, but I thought Glee’s interpretation was wonderful.

The arrangement for this song is great. Replacing instruments with harmonizing does not go unnoticed. The harmonizing is a huge part about what makes Glee’s take on “Teenage Dream” so successful.

I really enjoy Criss’ voice. His voice is a great addition to the cast this season, and I hope that the audience gets to hear more from him.

Onto the mash ups! The Glee girls performed a mash up of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer.”

Amber Riley (Mercedes) took the lead on “Start Me Up.” Her vocal provided a saucy and provocative interpretation of the song.

Lea Michele (Rachel) was the featured singer on “Livin’ On A Prayer.” Michele is able to adapt her voice nicely to the song. To really pull off that song’s chorus, you need a booming, powerful vocal. Michele pulled it off without a hitch.

Both of these songs made for quite the rockin’ mash up.

It also occurred to me while listening to this week’s music that last season on Glee, the guys incorporated a Bon Jovi song into their mash up. I wonder if it’s just pure coincidence, or luck in Bon Jovi’s case, that their new greatest hits album just happened to come out the same week one of their biggest hits was covered on Glee.  I thought that was interesting.

The Glee guys did a mash up of The Supremes “Stop! In The Name of Love” and EnVogue’s “Free Your Mind.”

Now, I really like both of the mash ups, but what gives the guys the edge for me is that almost every single one of them is featured as a lead vocal throughout their mash up. Also, these songs brought the best out of the guys (vocally speaking) and collectively they sounded great.

This mash up is definitely a fun listen. Who knew that two songs that are so different musically and lyrically could fit so well together?

I have to say that whoever is responsible for putting together the arrangements for this week’s crop of songs did an incredible job. Glee definitely had a good music week.

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

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Good Charlotte – ‘Cardiology’

It seems that the guys of Good Charlotte have done a lot of growing up since their last album release in 2007. Their new album, Cardiology, touches on love, life, and family.

Originally formed in Waldorf, Maryland in 1996, Good Charlotte is Joel Madden (lead vocals), Benji Madden (vocals/guitar), Billy Martin (guitar/keyboard), Paul Thomas (bass), and latest addition Dean Butterworth (drums). To date, the band has sold over ten million albums.

When I talked to Good Charlotte’s guitar player, Billy Martin last month, he said that the recording process for this album was “a rollercoaster ride.” The band originally started recording Cardiology with producer Howard Benson, but decided to go in a different direction when the album wasn’t turning out how the band had originally envisioned it.

“We kind of just pulled the plug and started over later with Don Gilmore, who had done our last record (Good Morning Revival) and our first record (Good Charlotte),” Martin said. “We wanted to try something new with Howard, and it seemed like a good fit, but in the end it just wasn’t. We kept probably six or seven of those songs. We ended up throwing everything away and re-recording with Don and then a handful of new songs came out during the process.”

The result of going back into the studio with Gilmore is 15 of the best songs from Good Charlotte. The beats, melodies, and lyrics on Cardiology are nothing short of fantastic. There are a lot of different sides to this album; it really is as if they took the best parts of their previous albums, then went and made an album that all of their fans could really get behind.

“When I listen to our first records, it’s so innocent, and I think that we really managed to recapture that feeling with this record without actually repeating what we’ve done in the past,” lead singer Joel Madden explains in the band’s press release. “I get the same feeling of excitement listening to the record that I did when we first started making music.”

I have to agree with Madden on this. I feel like this album really throws back to the band’s first album, yet shows the progression of their music at the same time.  A great example of this is “Counting The Days,” which is reminiscent of their first album: it’s catchy, the melody is simple, yet there’s that something extra in the music that amps it up to the level where the band is at today. I think it would make a great choice for their second single.

Speaking of singles, “Like It’s Her Birthday” is a great bridge from Good Morning Revival to Cardiology. The song picks up from the last album, builds on it, and sets a great tone for this new album.

Also, I appreciated that “Like It’s Her Birthday” was not the first track on the album just because it happened to be the first single. The band really succeeded at making this album flow from song to song, making Cardiology a well rounded collection of solid music.

In songs like “Harlow’s Song (Can’t Dream Without You),” “1979,” and “Right Where I Belong,” you can tell how much the band has matured lyrically. These songs are a departure from the angst in some of their music from their earlier times, and the focus is on the good that they have had in their lives.

“A lot of the lyrics on this album are about being in a different place in my life,” Madden said in a press release. “There are some songs like “Harlow’s Song (Can’t Dream Without You)” that are directly about my kids or being in love and how being in a relationship changes the whole experience of my life, but a lot of the lyrics are introspective. Obviously we’re all in different places in our lives, but we’re giving our fans that same honesty we always have.”

As I was listening to the album, I kept envisioning hearing these new songs live, and the one that I think is going to be a huge crowd pleaser is “Standing Ovation.” It’s somewhat of a light-rock song, but has great sing-a-long potential. I think the band’s fans are going to really enjoy this track.

Musically, Cardiology really has its bases covered. There are the catchy pop tunes like “Silver Screen Romance,” the rockin’ party anthem “Last Night,” and the harder rock track, “Alive.” This album definitely shows progression in the band.

Cardiology is due out November 2. For more information on Good Charlotte, check out their official website.

Definite Downloads: “Counting The Days” and “Standing Ovation”

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Lee DeWyze – “Sweet Serendipity”

“Sweet Serendipity” is the first single off of Lee DeWyze’s upcoming debut album, Live It Up. DeWyze wrote the track, along with David Glass (who also produced the song) and Jordan Lawhead.

Upon first listen, “Sweet Serendipity” is a lot more pop sounding than I was expecting from DeWyze’s first single. The song does have a slight Jason Mraz-y vibe to the melody that I definitely appreciate.

Right around the chorus is where the wordiness of the song becomes reminiscent of Kris Allen’s platinum selling debut single, “Live Like We’re Dying” that was released last year. The choruses of both of these singer’s respective songs are just packed with lyrics. In DeWyze’s case, his chorus is filled to the brim. I have to wonder how he plans to pull this song off live while staying on key, since singing on pitch wasn’t exactly what he was known for during his run on American Idol.

I do think that “Sweet Serendipity” is a good song. I figured that his first single would be a little more rough around the edges and not quite as polished. However, in a time where a song needs to be successful on the radio, I can understand why an upbeat and fun song was picked to lead off DeWyze’s album.

If you were a fan of DeWyze while he was on Idol, I think the song may initially throw you for a loop. Due to the catchy melody and lyrics, it should grow on you in no time.

“Sweet Serendipity” is available on iTunes now. DeWyze’s debut album, Live It Up will be released November 16.

For more information on Lee DeWyze, check out his official website.

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Sugarland – ‘The Incredible Machine’

Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush are back on the country music scene with Sugarland’s latest highly anticipated album, The Incredible Machine.

Sugarland has sold over 8 million records and have had six #1 singles on the charts including, “Something More,” “Baby Girl” and “Stay.” Their current single, “Stuck Like Glue” is #5 on the Country Songs charts. The band has toured the U.S. on many occasions, as well as performing in six different European countries.

The Incredible Machine is a great mix of music. There are anthems to sing-a-long to, fun ventures into pop music, and gorgeous ballads.  Opening track “All We Are” has a Bon Jovi-esque quality about it. It’s a big anthem of a song, as well as the track “Stand Up,” which would be a great number to open a live show with.

The lead single, “Stuck Like Glue” is a sweet love song with catchy lyrics. It has a classic bubbly pop sound, with lyrics that their fans will definitely find themselves singing-a-long to.

“‘Stuck Like Glue’ is just plain, unashamed, Sugar-fun!” Jennifer Nettles said in a press release. “It sticks in your brain, no pun intended. To me it feels young, hip and of course sassy!”

“Little Miss” is another catchy track to be found on The Incredible Machine. The mid-tempo song talks about picking yourself up and dusting yourself off. Definitely one of those songs you can turn to get through a rough time in your life.

The two stand out tracks on the album are ballads, “Tonight” and “Shine Your Light.” “Tonight” is an extremely well-written track. There’s a classic rock vibe to it, that gives it that power ballad feel. “Shine The Light” is a piano driven, uplifting song. Nettles really is allowed to let her strong vocals just shine with this motivating song.

The Incredible Machine is out Tuesday, October 19. For more information on Sugarland, check out their website.

Originally posted at BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Music From ‘Glee,’ Episode 2 x 04 “Duets”

The music recordings for Glee’s episode “Duets” is probably the best batch of music from the season so far. The vocals from the cast members are fantastic.

Kicking off this week’s bundle of music is Lea Michele (Rachel) and Cory Monteith (Finn) singing “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee. These two always sound fantastic together, especially on the more upbeat songs. You get a sense from the recordings that they were having fun singing. Monteith is definitely coming into his own as a singer, and Michele’s voice compliments his voice very much.

Chris Colfer (Kurt) sings “Le Jazz Hot” from Victor Victoria. This is hands down the best Colfer has ever sounded while on the show. The last note during this song is phenomenal.

Newcomer Chord Overstreet (Sam) and Dianna Agron (Quinn) sing the popular Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat track, “Lucky.” This is a really sweet duet between the two, their voices sound well together. Agron is pretty limited vocally compared to the other female Glee cast mates, but pop songs like this she pulls off quite nicely. Overstreet is definitely poised to give the rest of the Glee guys a run for their money, as he has one of the strongest male voices on the show.

The best duet from this week came from Michele and Colfer, who sing “Happy Days Are Here/Get Happy” by Barbara Streisand and Judy Garland. Glee pretty much struck gold, when they decided to pair these two up for a duet. They both have excellent vocal control, that allowed for a vulnerable, yet stunning duet.

As much as it was wonderful that we got to here from Harry Shum Jr. (Mike) on his a Chorus Line duet “Sing!” with Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina), it was definitely the weakest duet of this week’s recording. Shum isn’t even singing, he’s rapping, which is fine, because it allowed for Ushkowitz to shine that much more in their duet.

Naya Rivera (Santana) and Amber Riley (Mercedes) paired up for Ike and Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High.” Rivera really is no match for Riley’s vocal, she’s easily overpowered. Riley really just brings it, and once again contributes a fantastic vocal to the week’s recordings.

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

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Review >> Music From ‘Glee,’ Episode 2×03 “Grilled Cheesus”

In this week’s bundle of Glee music from “Grilled Cheesus,” the audience gets to hear the first solos of the season from Glee’s most beloved characters who are not Rachel Berry.

Mark Salling (Puck) has his first big solo of the season with “Only The Good Die Young” by Billy Joel.

It’s great to hear from Salling so early in the season. However, the Glee vocal coaches should work with him on his vocal vibrato while holding longer notes and try to smooth them out.

Amber Riley (Mercedes) sounds absolutely beautiful singing Whitney Houston’s “I Look To You.” If any of the Glee cast can pull off Whitney, it’s Amber.

Her vocal runs at times felt unnecessary, but overall it’s a very strong vocal from Riley. This song is so much better than anything she sang during season one.

Lea Michele (Rachel) contributes this this week’s recordings with “Papa, Can You Hear Me” from Yentl.

What really can be said about Michele’s voice that hasn’t already been said? This is an absolute stellar recording. Michele has a voice to be reckoned with.

Chris Colfer (Kurt) sings “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles in this week’s recordings.

I absolutely love how Glee chose to rearrange this song. It had such a dramatic feel that really captured the emotions that Colfer’s character was feeling.

Colfer has a really great vocal. I really hope he is featured more this season.

R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” was a great song choice for Cory Monteith (Finn). However, what was not great was having him record it as an attempt to sound like Michael Stipe. Monteith has a great voice, there was no need for the sound-a-like vocal phrasing.

I loved that Amber Riley had two solos this week, but there was so much auto-tune used in her rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” I couldn’t tell if it was Riley or Naya Rivera (Santana) singing the song at first.

The big group number of the week was a rendition of Joan Osbourne’s “One Of Us.”

Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina), Monteith, Michele and Colfer are the featured vocals on this track. I was really surprised that Salling was not featured on this track, because the song would have fit his voice perfectly.

The cast of Glee sound great altogether. It seems like every week their group numbers are getting better and better.

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

Originally posted at BlogCritics.

Music Review >> Music From ‘Glee,’ Episode 2×02 “Britney/Brittany”

The highly anticipated Britney Spears episode of Glee aired this past week. The cast took on five of the singer’s popular hits, as well as a current hit from the band Paramore.

For the first time on Glee, we got to hear Heather Morris (Brittany) sing. She’s actually pretty good. Who knew?

Morris’s vocals were featured on three of the five Britney songs in this past week’s episode: “I’m A Slave 4 U,” “Me Against The Music,” and “Toxic.”

On “I’m A Slave 4 U,” Morris injected sultriness into her vocal, which gave it the just the right tone and attitude for the song. Her version is just as sexy-sounding as Britney’s original recording.

One of the highlights from this week’s recorded tracks was “Me Against The Music,” a duet between Morris and Naya Rivera (Santana). The ladies have terrific vocal chemistry, making this one of the most enjoyable tracks of the week to listen to.

“Toxic” was definitely one of the strongest tracks from this week’s episode. The song featured Morris, Lea Michele (Rachel) and Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester) on lead vocals.

I like the subtle changes to the song, especially how in the first verse the vocals build up to this absolute stunning chorus. Vocally, I believe this was the best track of the week. Morris and Michele sound fantastic singing together, and it’s nice to hear Morrison on a track with the Glee Club kids. His vocal really added a smooth quality to the track.

Elsewhere, Kevin McHale (Artie) tackled the Britney track “Stronger” with no problem. McHale’s voice is a great fit for the song due to Britney’s original recording of it in her mid to lower register. The song also ties in well with McHale’s character’s current storyline.

“Baby One More Time,” which was performed by Michele, is the weakest of the tracks out this week. The song is an awkward listen because her voice really isn’t suited for this type of pop song. I would sooner listen to the original Britney track.

Michele really redeems herself with her second solo track (and the only non-Britney track) in this week’s recordings with Paramore’s “The Only Exception.”

Her voice sounds fantastic on this ballad. She shows vocal vulnerability, which allows the audience to connect emotionally with the song, as well as her character.

Even though this song went along well with Michele’s character’s storyline in the episode, I do think another Britney track could have been used in its place to round out the tribute episode.

That said, I think the cast of Glee did a great job with their musical tribute to Britney Spears. They really captured the essence of each song and gave some of her hits a second life to be enjoyed all over again.

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

Originally posted at BlogCritics.