American Idol season 3: Greatest Soul Classics
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Free Music Notes for American Idol season 3: Greatest Soul Classics
Free Music Review: "Great" and "Soul" are right
Hit: 5 Stars
this is by far the best Idol CD yet by far. All of the tracks sounded amazing and each of the contestants were at their best (almost). I can't really rank them all the way through because there really weren't any super stand-outs and no one was bad but here is my top 5 and then the best of the rest.1) Jennifer Hudson-Neither One of Us
She has gorgeous tone and control and she is the first one on the album to bring the tear factor. (yes I cried, sigh...) But she sings with so much power and emotion. It's sad (and ironic that she sang this song) That she was voted off so early. My personal favorite
2) Fantasia Barrino-Chain of Fools
Wow, she has an amazing voice and she definitely made this song fit her voice perfectly and did so many cool things vocally. Hot and up-beat she updates the classic Aretha tune magnificently (wow 4 syllables, it's that good!)
3) hmm.... I'd have to say Camile-Until You Come Back To Me
Seem to be liking the Aretha tunes this time around, but I love this song so much because it doesn't sound like Aretha at all. Because she MAKES it fit her PERFECTLY. I not sure if it is AS amazing as everybody makes it out to be (in my opinion) but still one of the better tracks and definitely the type of music that Camile needs to sing to make it big.
4) Leah LaBelle- Betcha By Golly, Wow
Wow. I'm impressed. I actually really liked Leah on the show and didn't think that she deserved to go so early so that I could hear more of her and this is the reason why. There is something.... Some.....thing that I don't really like about her voice but I can't put my finger on it.... Like at the beginning when she does all that scooping and it sounds like she's under pitch almost... but after she gets into her belting register she sounds great.
5) Oooooh tough one... but I'm going to have to go with George Huff- Me and Mrs. Jones
He has this gorgeous tone and this is the perfect song for him (although not particularly one of my favorite songs ever....) He makes it work for him. There's not a whole lot I can say, he just does a great job
-THE BEST OF THE DeGarmo- I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Wow, also pretty good, I never really liked her on the show until recently but she sounds great on this song, the vibrato is good and she sounds amazingly mature for a 16-year-old although there are still some parts where she sounds like a 16-year-old. I was getting some Kelly Clarkson flashes a couple times though
La Toya London- If You Don't Know Me by Now
Hmm... I can't quite say I'm disappointed but.... Well, yeah I'm disappointed. She still sounds great and I love her voice but it's not the best I've heard her, she definitely sounds like she's screaming at the end. Still it's a good song because it IS La Toya, but it's just not my favorite from her.
Amy Adams- You Make Me Feel Brand New
She has a gorgeous, gorgeous voice but I definitely prefer her belting the up-beat songs like "Sin Wagon." Maybe a bit boring for me dawg. For me. She gets into the song more at the end and her voice is gorgeous but just a little slow for me. More of a song that I listen to when I'm lying in bed at night pondering the day.... getting a little off subject here but yes, not bad, but not breath-taking
Matt Rogers- Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
I haaated Matt on the show, but this almost doesn't even sound like him. The vocals are very good and not too cheesy like he did on the show. Not as good as the George version, but this is definitely good especially for Matt.
Midnight Train to Georgia- Jasmine Trias
Aaaaahhhhh.... The power of Jasmine.... She has a BEAUTIFUL tone and she sounds SOOOO freaking mature for 17. But what's with this song????? WHY OH WHY!!!! Definitely wrong song choice for her voice. No one should do this song except for Gladys Knight.... And maybe Jennifer Hudson (that would be cool)..... but not not not not not the right song for ol' Jaz. Potentially my favorite VOICE out of the bunch but didn't like this song on her
Jon Peter Lewis- My Girl
Interesting... this is very good. This is the JPL that I heard in the auditions and loved but never quite heard in the finals. He has a very interesting voice but I like it. Good good good and a ton better than when John Stevens did it.
John Stevens- You Are Everything
How refreshing. I must say, I think this is the first time ever that I have really appreciated John's voice. Flawless and silky smooth. I can't help comparing John to Norah Jones. They both have these beautiful voices that you love but they just don't give you quite enough. Which isn't a bad thing. I would hate to hear in belt it out a couple octaves higher, this is his type of music. I could definitely see him getting a contract with Norah Jones's label.
Ensemble- Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Hmm... they should just mark this as a quartet by George, Jennifer, La Toya, and Fantasia because those are really the only people singing. Sure we get a little JPL and about a half a line of Diana, Camile and I think that was Jasmine but Amy, Matt, Leah, and John are mysteriously absent. We could assume that they are singing the background music but the program also marks that there is someone else singing background. Hmm... I still really enjoy this track and George and Fantasia sound amazing in particular.
And there you have it. A great album. Great... Soul... Classic...
Free Music Review: Old School Soul Idol Style
Hit: 5 Stars
"American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics" showcases the talents of the 12 Finalists from Fox's American Idol's third season. Each of the showcased 12 finalists performs a song individually and there is one group number.What may surprise fans of the series is that even those performers deemed as the "weaker" of the group all turned in solid performances on the tracks making this a CD of definite keeper tracks. Fans of American Idol and Motown will love the Idols and their takes on these old school classics.
Below are the 13 featured songs with my comments on the side:
THE TRACKS
1. "Chain of Fools" - Fantasia Barrino: Outstanding rendition by the top rated Fantasia as she definitely puts the soul into it.
2. "Me and Mrs. Jones" - by George Huff: The ever popular and outstanding Huff brings new life to this classic as his voice definitely puts the groove into Mrs. Jones. One of MY favorites from this track.
3. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - by Diana DeGarmo: Great rendition of this classic by Diana and her Southern twang.
4. "If You Don't Know Me By Now" - by LaToya London: Good job by the top rated LaToya on this, smooth and subtle if not powerful.
5. "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)" - by Jennifer Hudson: Not one of my favorites on the track and not really one of my favorites on the show but Jennifer definitely does a good job with the song.
6. "You Make Me Feel Brand New" - by Amy Adams: Smooth version of this classic love song by the ooh to early departed Amy Adams, one of my personal favorite songs and one of my personal favorites from the track.
7. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" - by Matt Rogers. Surprisingly well done track by Matt Rogers who does a fine job on the Otis Redding classic.
8. "Midnight Train to Georgia" - by Jasmine Trias: Not really Jasmine's genre of music but she does a good job with it.
9. "My Girl" - by John Peter Lewis: Again, another surprisingly well done performance by John Peter Lewis who does Motown proud with this rendition.
10. "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" - by Camille Velasco: Never heard this song before but Camille does a real catchy rendition with it as it's a perfect fit for her voice and style.
11. "Betcha By Golly, Wow" - by Leah Labelle: Again, surprisingly a great rendition of this song as Leah's vocals and the background make it an infectious track. One of my favorites.
12. "You Are Everything" - by John Stevens: Not a bad track. This isn't John's genre but his mellow laidback sound make this track a pretty decent serenade.
13. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - The Top 12 Finalists: Motown never sounded better than the 12 Finalists kickin' it on this old school classic!!!
THE VERDICT:
Overall you get a SOLID bag of tracks. What I found great about this track is that they arranged to songs to play to ALL of the Finalists strengths as even the "marginal" singers in the group still turned in solid performances in the track. In my opinion there were no weak performances on the CD. Here's my rundown:
Keepers: George, Fantasia, Amy, Camille, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
Goods: The rest
Bad: None whatsoever
With no bad tracks on here and a truckload of classics and favorites this CD's 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: Really Impressed
Hit: 5 Stars
I became a big fan of American Idol this season and was thrilled when the CD came out. For starters, they are all great songs, but I found myself even more impressed with the caliber of talent displayed. A lot of the Finalists sounded great on the CD despite the fact that they didn't always sound so great on the show. I'll break it down by song and artist and give my opinion.1. Fantasia Barrino - "Chain of Fools": I lost a lot of respect for Fantasia after she got really snippy with Simon when he told her to be herself, but I think she did a great job with the song, and it fit her voice very well.
2. George Huff - "Me and Mrs. Jones": To hear it, you would think he had been singing for years, he sounds awesome and it truly was the perfect song for him.
3. Diana Degarmo - "Heard it Through the Grapevine": Not in my top 5 on the CD, but well sung nonetheless.
4. La Toya London - "If You Don't Know Me By Now": I was actually disappointed in La Toya's vocals for this song, I don't think it show-cased her voice well at all. However, if you get towards the end of the song, she manipulates it a little more to her style, and she sounds very good at that point.
5. Jennifer Hudson - "Neither One of Us...": My second favorite song on the CD, she sounds awesome, and I really enjoy this particular song tremendously.
6. Amy Adams - "You Make Me Feel Brand New": I was absolutely blown away by this song, it is unquestionably my number one favorite on the CD. Amy has a beautiful voice that's a bit unique comparitively, and she just really sounds phenomonal.
7. Matt Rogers - "Sittin on the Dock of the Bay": Not really my favorite, but no fault of Matt's as he sounds excellent, just didn't blow me away.
8. Jasmine Trias - "Midnight Train to Georgia": The first few times I listened, I wasn't really impressed, but the more I listened, the more I really came to enjoy it. Jasmine does really sound good.
9. Jon Peter Lewis - "My Girl": One of my least favorite songs, it wasn't bad by any means, but really didn't care for the way it was sung.
10. Camile Velasco - "Until You Come Back to Me": As I was not a fan of Camile's on the show, I was prepared to dislike it. However, although it is not a favorite, it was well done and enjoyable.
11. Leah Labelle - "Betcha By Golly, Wow": I wanted to like this song on this CD because I have really loved the song in the past, however, Leah warbled a lot in the song and it didn't really contribute at all. My least favorite on the CD.
12. John Stevens - "You are Everything": Another one that just utterly blew me away, the first several words sung can give a person chills. I found myself backing it up just to listen to the opening lines. He sounds utterly phenomonal - wonderful voice.
13. Ensemble- "Ain't No Mountain High Enough": I was prepared to dislike this song as I feel it has really been overdone, but I do enjoy it, and it's fun to try and discern different voices. You can definitely pick out George, Fantasia, La Toya, and Diana, but I was a bit disappointed that not everyone had a solo piece.
Ultimately, I love this CD and listen to it often. I strongly recommend it to everyone and would definitely recommend keeping an open mind, as one may find themselves liking an artist they may not have previously cared for on the show.
Free Music Review: WOW....
Hit: 5 Stars
I am not going to compare this season to any other because it has been very different. The worng poeple have gotten voted off multple times( Amy and of cource the amazing jennifer hudson). The guys this season have not been very good, and some of the poeple whom showed be in the top 12 were not(like nicole tieri). However this cd is really good so here is my review of each song.1. Chain of Fools - Fantasia Barrino - Honestly she does not sound very good on this track. Sometimes i really like fatasia and sometimes i think she sounds like macy and on this song she sounds like macy gray alittle to much for comfort.
2. Me and Mrs. Jones - George Huff - Oh Huff you picked the worng song. His voice does not sound very strong and his personality does not come thru.
3. I Heard it Through the Grapevine - Diana Degarmo - Diana is my favourte in the top 5 right now, she is young yes, but has a amazing voice and is a great performer but this song doesnt show that. Dont get me worng she does a great job on this song and her voice is strong but i just dont think it showed off all her talent.
4. If You Don't Know Me By Now - La Toya London - Wow!!! Latoya did amazing! She sounded like a pro on this track and sang it flawlessly.
5. Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye) - Jennifer Hudson - AMAZING!! Jeniffer was the best singer in A.I.3 but was voted off because poeple are stupid, and to me this track will just show you what you are missing.
6. You Make Me Feel Brand New - Amy Adams - When i first heard this song i had to see who the singer was and i couldnt beleave it was amy. I wasnt a huge amy fan when she was on the show, though she was good, but after this song i am a huge fan!
7. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay - Matt Rogers - Why would he sing a song george is known for singing? It just doesnt make sense to me. It sounds just ok, nothing special.
8. Midnight Train to Georgia - Jasmine Trias - I was very surprised to hear this track by jasmine, she really did a great job and had alot of passion, good for her!
9. My Girl - Jon Peter Lewis - Again why would he pick this song when john stevens is known for singing it. It just doesnt sound very good. His voice is to deep to sing this song the way it was ment to be sung.
10. Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) - Camile Velasco - Major props go to camile! She really had to prove herself to people on this track and she did. Her voice came off very strong and you could her the passion in her voice.
11. Betcha By Golly, Wow - Leah Labelle - This is the best track on the album, and the biggest surprise. I did like leah but i didnt think she was as good a singer as this. Her voice is very strong and beautiful.
12. You Are Everything - John Stevens - Ok people i know he is a nice guy but does that mean he can sing? Well maybe. I was excpecting this song to really sound bad and....well it didnt. His voice came off very soothing, very frank sanatra-ish. Thats the only kind of genre he can sing, which is ok.
13. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Ensemble - This is not a ensemble song! It came off very scattered and just wasnt a good song for everyone to sing.
Free Music Review: A Great Souvenir for Fans
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD is for fans, there's no reason to judge it by any other criteria. I think the producers may have put the cuts in order of what they felt to be best to worst, it pretty closely matches my feelings about how the tracks rate.1. Chain of Fools - I love Fantsasia and can't think of enough superlatives for her weekly performances this season. This track is grossly over-produced and the background is week, but Fantasia can make anything work.
2. Me and Mrs Jones - I'm not one of George's biggest fans, but this track is exceptional, possibly the best on the CD.
3. I Heard it Through the Grapevine - This song really showcases what I don't like about Diana. The girl can SING, there's no question about it; she has a beautiful voice and is probably technically the best singer in the competition. That said, this song is, about heartbreak and betrayal. It's not a happy song about camp sung by the California raisins.
4. If You Don't Know Me by Now - Fantastic job! LaToya expresses more emotion in this one song than she did if in all of her competition performances combined.
5. Neither One of Us - Exceptional! Jennifer could use a vocal coach to help her learn to control her voice and an acting coach to help with her stage presence, but she is a huge talent. Beautiful, unique voice, great range, and absolutely heart-wrenching emotion.
6. You Make Me Feel Brand New - Beautiful. I liked Amy and felt that she was booted from the competition way too soon, and this recording makes me think she should have been in the top 5. She has an exquisite voice, clear as a bell, evocative, and full of emotion.
7. The Dock of the Bay - This is okay. Matt Rogers clearly has talent. He can sing and has a charismatic personality, but I don't think he sings well enough to make it a career. He didn't butcher the song, but I'll skip it from now on.
8. Midnight Train to Georgia - Jasmine also has talent, but not really enough to be a professional singer at this point in her life. She blew the doors off the first week of competition and hasn't come close to repeating that performance since. This is a poor song choice for her and I'll skip this one, too.
9. My Girl - If you like JPL, you'll love this. If you don't (like me), you may like it anyway. The interesting quality in his voice that got him to the top 12 is evident here. I like it.
10. Until you Come Back to Me - This is awful. If you are one of the people who believe that Camille has an interesting "tone," you might like it.
11. Betcha By Golly Wow - This isn't bad. Leah has an interesting voice which might have grown on people over time had she remained in the competition.
12. You Are Everything - First, I love John Stevens (I didn't vote to keep him in, though). When he puts out a CD, I'll definitely buy it. I think, though, that it's the John Stevens that I envision in 2-3 years that I love. John doesn't have the voice of a teen singer, he has a man's voice and he needs to grow into it. There's no shortcut and it will take some time, but he has real talent that will become more and more apparent over time. Like his performance on Movie Night, this is almost good, but not quite.