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.
Tag: New Directions
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 – “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.
Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “The First Time”
Music Review >> Glee Cast – ‘Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (Motion Picture Soundtrack)’
What’s better than listening to your favorite Glee hits? Listening to live performances of your favorite Glee hits, of course!
Earlier this week the Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (Motion Picture Soundtrack) was released, and the album contains 23 tracks from the upcoming Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, which is out this Friday, August 12.
I like that Glee released the live tracks from the movie, because it gives the fans a chance to not only sing along to their favorite songs, but also appreciate the cast of Glee for their tremendous live vocals.
Lea Michele (Rachel) is the star of this collection by far. From her chill-inducing duet with Chris Colfer (Kurt) on the classic “Happy Days Are Here Again”/“Get Happy” and her standout solo of “Don’t Rain On My Parade” to the bubbly “Loser Like Me,” Michele proves she has the vocal capability of singing just about anything.
And speaking of Chris Colfer, his live rendition of “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” is simply moving. His performance of the song during the “Grilled Cheesus” episode of Glee was very touching, and hearing the performance live, you truly get a sense of the emotion he’s projecting.
I have to give props to Cory Monteith (Finn). I feel that his vocal ability is often underrated, which is unfortunate, because he truly has a great natural voice. Singing his solo number “Jessie’s Girl” along with his lead verses on “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Loser Like Me,” Monteith’s soft, raspy-yet-quality pop vocals add to the unique blend of voices that make up the cast of Glee. Even live, he and Michele’s voice complement each other perfectly.
VIDEO: Glee 3D Movie: On The Road with Brittany S. Pierce & Kurt Hummel
Check out a couple more “On The Road” videos featuring Glee’s Brittany S. Pierce & the fabulous Kurt Hummel!
The Glee 3D Concert Movie is out August 12!
Video: Glee 3D Movie: On The Road with Rachel Berry & Blaine Anderson
Hey y’all! I’m slowly trying to get back in the swing of things. I don’t want to overdo things quite yet with a full post. I’ll get back to more written content posts when my arm is hopefully feeling not as sore.
Anyways, the Glee 3D Concert Movie is coming out on August 12, and to kick off your gleek out session, check out two vignettes featuring Rachel Berry and the Warblers’ Blaine Anderson!
And in case you haven’t seen it, here’s the trailer for Glee 3D Concert Movie!
Concert Review >> Glee Live! in San Jose, CA 05.25.2011
Last Wednesday, I got my Gleek on with the best of ‘em at the HP Pavillion in San Jose for Glee Live!
Tickets to the show are a bit on the pricey side, especially if you’re making it a family outing. However, as soon as the curtain rises and Cory Monteith (Finn) and Lea Michele (Rachel) kick off Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” as part of the five original members of Glee’s New Directions, you’ll be happy that that you got to witness this spectacle live.
The stage is set up in such a way that there’s a main stage with a cat walk that leads out to another stage area, which leads into the first few rows of the crowd. Also, about three-fourths the way towards the back of the arena, there’s another small stage set up, which featured a couple of the night’s best performances.
The Glee concert set list highlights fan-favorite group numbers like “Born This Way,” “Loser Like Me,” and “Somebody To Love,” as well as wonderful solo numbers from some the main players.
Mark Salling (Puck), Chord Overstreet (Sam), Kevin McHale (Artie), Harry Shum Jr. (Mike), and Darren Criss (Blaine) come together during the show to perform an acoustic version of the Rebecca Black song “Friday.” With both Salling and Overstreet on acoustic guitar, the guys really carved out quite the moment for themselves.
Continue reading Concert Review >> Glee Live! in San Jose, CA 05.25.2011
New ‘Glee’ Promo!
After last night’s repeat episode of “Grilled Cheesus,” Glee unveiled a new promo for what’s to come starting April 19, including a quick shot of New Directions performing Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”
Watch the latest promo below!
I cannot wait for Glee to return!
Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Original Song”
In this week’s mix of music, Glee offered up three full-length original tracks, as well as three tracks from Dalton Academy’s Warblers, and a solo from Chris Colfer. To be honest, this was probably one of the best weeks for Glee, musically speaking.
Let’s talk about the original songs, shall we? Both “Get It Right” and “Loser Like 
Me” debuted after the announcement that there would be original songs on Glee this season a few weeks ago.
Upon first listen, I was semi-horrified at “Loser Like Me.” It’s co-written by the master writer of all pop songs, Max Martin, so I felt like I had to give the song another chance. It’s definitely a Max Martin song. It has a good beat and cheesy, yet catchy lyrics.
I think that it should not have been sung by Lea Michele (Rachel) and Cory Monteith (Finn). I am assuming they were showcased in the song, since it was being used for Regionals, and neither of them were featured in the songs used for Sectionals. I think that Mark Salling (Puck) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) would have been a better fit for the song. Ushkowitz is a wasted talent on the show and deserves her turn in the spotlight.
Michele’s voice on “Get It Right” is phenomenal. I love how her vocals are reined in, and then build up to that wonderful glory note. I seriously got chills while listening to it. I also love how the song related to Michele’s character’s storyline.
The thing with both “Get It Right” and “Loser Like Me” is that they work much better within context of the episode, which is definitely a good thing. I think both songs are pretty good anthems, and hopefully they do speak to the audience. But for me, I probably won’t be singing along to them in my car anytime soon.
“Hell To The No” was the third original song included in with this week’s song releases. Amber Riley (Mercedes) takes the lead on this very much ridiculous track. I just can’t take this song seriously when there’s a line about the previous tots storyline. Also, this is probably Riley’s weakest vocal performance to date. She sounded as if she was shouting throughout the length of the song.
Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Original Song”
Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Sexy”
You know that phrase, “catching lightning in a bottle”? I think that is what Glee accomplished the first time with guest star, Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holiday). Her rendition of Cee-Lo’s “Forget You” is one of season two’s better tracks. Paltrow even went on to perform the hit with alongside Cee-Lo at this year’s Grammy Awards. 
This time around, I felt like the magic was mostly missing from the three tracks Paltrow is featured on this week. That could be because she is not one of those singers that can sing the phone book. She’s good, but she’s not Lea Michele.
To kick things off on a positive note, Paltrow’s take on the Joan Jett song, “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” is pretty good. I think Paltrow sounds best when she’s able to infuse some personality into the songs she’s singing. I think that is part of why “Forget You” became fairly popular, that she sounded pretty sassy while she was singing it. This was my favorite of the three Paltrow-dominated tracks this week.
Dalton Academy’s Warblers took on Neon Tree’s hit, “Animal,” this week. I would just like to say that it’s about time that Chris Colfer (Kurt) is featured on a Warblers’ track. Although, both his and Darren Criss’(Blaine) vocals were slightly attacked by the monster known as auto-tune. Colfer and Criss have fantastic singing voices, I don’t completely understand the need to overdo it with the studio magic. Shout out to Tuft University’s Beelzebubs for another job well done with the backing vocals.
Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Sexy”
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