the warblers – Wait…WHAT?

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”

VIDEO: Glee: Behind the Scenes with the Warblers

Check out Glee’s latest behind the scenes video featuring Darren Criss and the Warblers!

What did you think of last night’s Glee episode, “The First Time”? Were you happy to see the Warblers return? And what are your thoughts on Sebastian?

VIDEO: Glee Sneak Peek: “The First Time”

Get a first look at next week’s episode of Glee, “The First Time”!

Check out a performance of “Uptown Girl” from the Dalton Academy Warblers, featuring Curt Mega on lead vocals!

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

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.

Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – ‘Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (Motion Picture Soundtrack)’

‘Glee’s’ Darren Criss Headed To Broadway

Darren Criss is definitely on a roll! Going from YouTube fame to being recently promoted to a full-time cast member on Glee, it was announced today that Criss will make his Broadway debut replacing Daniel Radcliffe as J. Pierrepont Finch in a limited three-week engagement of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying early next year.

“Daniel gives an extraordinary performance eight times a week and we knew finding someone to fill his shoes would be nearly impossible. When we learned of Darren’s dream of performing on Broadway we knew we had found our Finch but presumed his Glee schedule would eliminate any chance to work with him,” said the Broadway show’s director/choreographer Rob Ashford.

“We are ecstatic and grateful to Ryan Murphy and his Glee team at 20th Century Fox TV for helping to make both Darren’s and our dream come true.”

Criss’ limited three-week engagement will run from January 3, 2012 through January 22, 2012. Tickets are on sale now.

For more information, check out the official website for How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.

Photo credits: Kristian Dowling/Picture Group for FOX

Originally posted on Blogcritics.

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!

Video: Darren Criss Backstage at Irving Plaza

Check out a couple behind the scenes backstage videos from Darren Criss’ show at Irving Plaza from last month!

Part two after the jump! Continue reading Video: Darren Criss Backstage at Irving Plaza

Video: Mini Warbler Performs “Teenage Dream”

I came across this video on Twitter earlier today, and it’s basically the cutest thing ever. Check it out!

A certain Glee cast member also saw the video and tweeted his thoughts!

That mini Warbler is all sorts of adorable! (And that guy that plays a Warbler on TV isn’t so bad himself!)

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

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.