Free Music Notes for American Idol Season 2: All Time Classic American Love Songs

American Idol Season 2: All Time Classic American Love Songs

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Free Music Notes for American Idol Season 2: All Time Classic American Love Songs

Free Music Review: American Idol Season Two All Time Classic Love Songs Review
Hit: 5 Stars

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE- An okay rendition but it was just a little boring for me. It sounded almost the exact same from the show. I find myself blaring the volume to actualy be able to hear this song or skipping over it. 3/5

SUPERSTAR- Ruben Studdard recorded this song and lets you know why he IS one of the top contestants' on AI. He performed very well showing off his vocal talent. Very good. 5/5

ON THE WINGS OF LOVE- Clay Aiken sang this song with high spirits, I would say. He put his down-to-earth self into this song. The song itself is just a little boring so I sometimes skip over it. Clay did a really nice job though. 4/5

AT LAST- Julia Demato sang this with the old fashion it was written to be used in. She did alot better than she did on the show and I like this song. It doesnt sound like Julia so that might make you think that she would have had a good chance on the show 5/5

THREE TIMES A LADY- Wonderful song performed by Joshua Gracin. I found myself dedicating this song to my girlfriend. It is very sad and means alot. Very well done. 5/5

LET'S STAY TOGETHER- Trynece did a very nice job. I dont care much for the song anymore because Justin over did it last season. Well done. 4/5

BACK AT ONE- Rickey Smith did very well. This song show his slow R&B style music. His voice isnt the best, but he sounds very well and you can tell he tried hard. 4/5

KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG- Kimberly Caldwell did a very good performance for this song. Very good. Better than she did the whole show. Great job. 4.5/5

OPEN ARMS- I didnt care much for this song,but Corey Clark REALLY uses his vocals in this song. GREAT job. 5/5

HOW DO I LIVE(WITHOUT YOU)- Carmen Rasmusen did a "pop" version of this song and sounds really good. I really enjoyed hearing her on this CD. I was very curious to see if she could record a good sounding song. She proved the song justic and made it her own. 4/5

OVER THE RAINBOW- Kimberley Locke sang this, but it almost sounds as if she is whispering the song. She can hold the beats, and SURELY can sing, but, I think she should have really blasted out the song and won the title of "best" song on the CD. Nice performance though. 4/5

OVER JOYED- Charles Grigsby did really good. If he would have sang like this on the show, he would have made it far. I dont remember a whole lot of Charles, but he did really well on this song. 4.5/5

GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.(PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN)- The ten finalist who sang this remix of this song did a very nice job. It really makes you like it more for what has been happening in America lately. A little more soul and emotion and this song would have been beautiful. 5/5

OVERALL REVIEW- A must get for any American Idol fan. It may not have had the powerful rocking voice of Nikki McKibbin or the sweet sound of RJ Helton but, they all did a great job. I recommend that you pick up AI's season one and season two CD and jufge wich group was better. I enjoyed both. The contestant's showed that they could record and manage to make a CD someday. I hope this review helped you. Thanks for reading. I may not be right on my review grades on the song, but that is why you will have to pic it up and decide if it is right.

Free Music Review: Great New Takes on Old Classics
Hit: 5 Stars

Below are the 13 featured songs with my comments on the side:

THE TRACKS

1. "What The World Needs Now" - The Top 10 Finalists: This is the popular Burt Bacharach song that the Finalists also released as a single. Outstanding rendition.

2. "Superstar" - by Ruben Studdard: Ruben shows why he was number 1. Also available on Rubben's single release.

3. "On The Wings of Love" - by Clay Aiken: Another solid showing and showcase for Clay's powerful voice.

4. "At Last" - by Julia DeMato: Not my favorite track on the CD by Julia does a nice job with the song. She was very much underrated on the show in my opinion.

5. "Three Times A Lady" - by Joshua Gracin: The Marine does a nice job with this Lionel Richie classic. Interesting song choice for Joshua, but a good rendition.

6. "Let's Stay Together" - by Trenyce: Not really my type of song, but it has a nice hip-hop/R&B vibe to the song.

7. "Back At One" - My favorite track on the CD and great choice for Rickey Smith as he rocks this Brian McKnight classic.

8. "Killing Me Softly" - by Kimberly Caldwell: Decent performance of Roberta Flack's classic.

9. "Open Arms" - by Corey Clark: Corey's signature high voice adds a nice touch to Journey's classic. I actually preferred Clay's rendition on the show though.

10. "How Do I Live (Without You)" - by Carmen Rasmussen: Carmen's singing style always reminded me of LeeAnn Rimes so I had high expectations for this song (one of my favorites). I was a little under whelmed with this arrangement and performance. The arrangement was slowed down tremendously and a lot of the emotion was sucked dry from it because of it. This is too bad because I actually liked Carmen and thought she could have totally rocked this song.

11. "Over the Rainbow" - by Kimberley Locke: Kimberley takes her performance from the show to the studio. Nice remake of the classic.

12. "Overjoyed" - by Charles Grigsby: Charles also takes his performance from the show to the studio. I personally liked him a lot and thought he shoulda lasted longer on the show. Nice performance of Stevie Wonder's classic song.

13. "God Bless the USA" - The Top Ten Finalist: Same as the single they released. The complete version of Lee Greenwood's classic. I liked the version they did on the show better personally...

THE VERDICT:

Overall you get a SOLID mixed bag of tracks. Most of the tracks are winners with a few so-so's and duds. Here's my rundown:

Keepers: Clay's, Joshua Gracin's, Rickey Smith's, Corey Clark's, Kim Locke's and "What The World Needs Now"

Alrights: Rubben's, Charles Grigby's, "God Bless the USA"

Ehhh....: Julia DeMato's, Trenyce's, Kim Caldwell's, Carmen's

Following my policy for purchasing CDs, there's at least 5 great tracks on here so that makes this CD a definite keeper.

If you were a fan of the show you'll definitely want to get this CD. Even if you aren't an A.I. fan you'll definitely dig these new takes on some old classics.

Highly Recommended

Free Music Review: Surprising Talent Shines Through!
Hit: 5 Stars

1. What The World Needs Now- Very nicely done, although it gets boring after awhile. Clay has a strong first verse. Whats up with Julia's one note solo? Very random. (4/5).

2. Superstar- Ruben Studdard: Yes, he can sing. Yes, he has a very talented voice. But he just doesnt always do it for me. He sounds like he's singing the same thing that he always sings. I just get bored with him.(3.5/5).

3. On The Wings Of Love-Clay Aiken: The song is a bit cheesy. But Clay can sing anything and make it sound amazing. He could sing the phone book, and I'd still listen. He really shines on this song. I think he should have won American Idol 2. He's been my favorite since the first episode I saw. (5/5).

4. At Last-Julia Demato: Wow! Why didn't Julia sing this way on the show? I think her rendition is beautiful. My one complaint is that maybe it was the studio making her sound this amazing- if not though, awesome. (4.5/5.)

5. Three Times A Lady- Josh Gracin: This song is helping me block out some downright painful performances of his on the show such as "Celebration", "Bad Blood", and "Jive Talking". He sounds good on the song, but he should lose the twang sometimes. (3/5.).

6. Lets Stay Together- Trenyce: I really like the song, its fun and catchy. Trenyce really does a great job, and her voice is well showcased. She deserved a spot in the final four for sure. (5/5).

7. Back At One- Rickey Smith: Poor Rickey in the fact that he only placed in the top eight. He does a decent rendition of the song and it proves he should have gone further then he did. Very solid singing, just not one of my favorites. (4/5).

8. Killing Me Softly With His Song- Kimberly Caldwell: This is my third favorite song on the CD. She sounds beautiful. I liked her voice on the show just okay, but if she does ever get a contract, I'll think about buying her CD. Because she does an awesome job on this song. (5/5.)

9. Open Arms- Corey Clark: The worst song on the CD. Corey can NOT sing. I hate his voice and his skanky "bad boy" personality. He sounds like an off pitch girl on this song. Clay outsang by so far on the show. Painful. Just painful (As Simon would say, just not good enough. I just try to replace his version with Clay's in my head (0/5).

10. How Do I Live Without You- Carmen: *shrug* I like the song because its how I feel about Clay Aiken ;). Carmen does a good job with it, she sounds nice. Like Josh, it helps me forget some of her painful perfomances. I like it, what can I say. (4.5/5).

11. Overjoyed- Charles Grigsby: I just don't like the song. Charles sings it well enough though. (3.5/5).

12. Somewhere Over The Rainbow- Kimberley Locke: I adore Kim's voice, she is my second favorite Idol. But the song bores me to tears, she could have picked a better one. But she sounds good. (4/5).

13. God Bless The U.S.A- They sound great and I can see why this has been the number one single for weeks in the country. I love it, and this song got me obsessed with the whole show.(5/5)

Free Music Review: Clay, Josh, Kim C, Kim L, Carmen and Julia are stars
Hit: 5 Stars

"Superstar" - Ruben can sing but he has just never done it for me. Although many will disagree, he can be a bit predictable and boring. (3/5)

"On The Wings Of Love" - Classic, in every aspect. This song now belongs to Clay Aiken. His voice is superb and sends shivers down peoples spine. Clay Aiken is in every way an American Idol. (5/5 isn't enough to describe it)

"At Last" - Oh, my god. If I was a record producer and heard Julia for the first time on this recording, I would take her on without a doubt. She outshines all her performances on the show with ease. (4.5/5)

"Three Times A Lady" - Like Clay, there is no words to describe Josh's rendition of this song. He may not have been the best singer on the show but he comes a damn close second to Clay on this CD. (5/5 also not enough to describe)

"Let's Stay Together" - Trenyce was never one of my favourites but I did grow to like her before she went. Which is why I am a bit disappointed with this recording. If she recorded "Have You Ever?" it would have been much better. (3/5)

"Back At One" - Rickey sounds no different to Brian McKnight. Unfortunately Brian McKnight is not one of my favourite singers but it isn't bad. (3.5/5)

"Killing Me Softly With His Song" - Stunning vocals by Kimberly Caldwell. There is no way she was ready to go when she did. Definitely the best female on the CD (although Carmen isn't far behind). Kimberly was amazing on the show and even more so on this recording. Could be the start of her career. (5/5 easy)

"Open Arms" - Let's be realistic. Corey should never have made it onto the CD after being eliminated from the show. Vanessa should have been called back to record a song. And Simon was right about his "Against All Odds" performance, it was diabolical. (1/5 if he's lucky)

"How Do I Live" - Amazing! Perfect song choice for Carmen. Simon can bite his tongue after some of his comments about Carmen. She didn't deserve any of them. (But I guess you have to credit him for choosing her in the Wild Card show). Again she comes a very close second to Kimberly as the best female on the CD. (a very easy 5/5)

"Over The Rainbow" - A much better rendition than her original performance. Smokey Robinson was right that "she can SANG!". Although she could have picked a better song (eg. "If You Asked Me To" or "Emotions") she still pulls this one off with ease. (4.5/5 but only because of the song choice)

"Overjoyed" - I think Charles deserved a bit more credit than he got. He definitely deserved to be in the final 12 but I have to put it down to him not being one of my favourites. Decent. (3.5/5)

"God Bless The USA" - Another spine shivering song. Although the vocals could have been spread out among the finalists a bit better. Still (5/5)

Free Music Review: 5 Stars for fans, 4 stars for first-time listeners.
Hit: 5 Stars

"Open Arms" by Corey Clark displays his good higher register, but the arrangement was a letdown, as was, with Trenyce's "Let's Stay Together" which also has a very odd and cheap-sounding arrangement. A huge pity because her rendition of this song in the semis was very memorable. I've always thought Julia DeMato's voice was very enjoyable from her auditions to the semis, but suddenly her performance seemed to dip in the Finals, and in this CD, she doesn't even sound herself at all. Her voice used to be deeper and had more dimension, now it sounds like she's trying to sound more childlike.

Kim Caldwell sounds much better on this CD than on the show but somehow the track is still a bit lacklustre. I was looking forward to listening to Joshua Gracin record "I'll Be" because I think his rendition is even better than the original; his "Three Times a Lady" is as simple and pure as a monologue but gets a bit dreary after a while. While I've always loved Kim Locke's voice, her "Over the Rainbow" - which is not even a love song - is a bit too "smokey" sounding here. It sounds like she's not enjoying singing the song. Carmen Rasmusen - I always skip this track because her vocals are way off par compared to the others. It just somehow always sounds flat and uninteresting. But you got to give her credit for dropping the fake vibrato she often engages on the show.

It is a big shame that Vanessa Olivarez was not included in this CD. Her voice is certainly worth more space on this CD than Rasmusen's.

The group songs are well-arranged and the contestants sound very good together. On "What the World Needs Now", Julia's ending note of "one" is a bit too weak and Ruben sounds very tired on his solo verse, but the rest of the solos were still good. Rickey Smith's beautiful high register supports the performance and gives it a gorgeous depth. "God Bless the USA" is also a good and powerful track, easily stirring up patriotic feelings.

Definitely worth your purchase.