Katharine McPhee’s self-titled debut album was leaked onto the web late Tuesday night. Within a few hours most of the sites removed the ripped songs but the early reviews from fans are that it is a fantastic album and Katharine McPhee should have won last season of American Idol. The tracks vary from upbeat modern hits to slow and soulful, Katharine’s specialty in my opinion. My personal favorite is “Dangerous”, its got a nice beat and talks to us ladies.
With regards to the hot album cover McPhee had to say this, “I actually didn’t pick the album cover. What I wanted was a bit more conservative. You pick your battles. Many people think it’s suggestive, but really when you look at it, there’s almost no skin, no crotch shot. I am completely covered, which makes it that much sexier.””
Her album drops on January 30, 2007, the first single is “Over It” and her track list looks like this:
1. Love Story
2. Over It
3. Open Toes
4. Home
5. Not Ur Girl
6. Each Other
7. Dangerous
8. Ordinary World
9. Do What You Do
10. Better Off Alone
11. Neglected
12. Everywhere I Go
VH1 is streaming her entire album. Preview it and then preorder your copy now!
Katharine fans rejoice! Santa hasn’t forgotten the Kat Pack this year - Katharine has two new songs out and available at Wal-Mart just in time for Christmas. Since Kat’s debut CD has been pushed to January 30th, the release is sweet indeed for the McPheever-stricken. Even sweeter, neither of these songs sound like “Open Toes”. Sorry, I just didn’t care for that one at all. I’m fairly ambivalent about the new tracks, “I Lost You” and “Dangerous” although I think they are far, far better than the three tracks that were leaked earlier. I tend to agree with the conspiracy theorists that the release of “Never Saw It Coming” was postponed due to their lukewarm reception.
“I Lost You” is a slower ballad, but honestly, am I the only one who didn’t think it sounded like Kat - at all? It wasn’t offensive cough*Open Toes*cough, but it seemed strange. Of course, my track record for picking a winner is pathetic - I didn’t like Kelly’s “Since U Been Gone” the first 20 times I heard it either…maybe I should hedge my bets and predict “I Lost You” will be my favorite song. At least it’s spelled correctly…
“Dangerous” sounds even less like Katharine than “I Lost You” to me - I don’t know…where did I put those Q-Tips? It is catchy - the club/dance mix is going to explode!
Follow the links to the songs while you can or risk getting crushed in the Taylor CD stampede at Wal-Mart.
It’s going to be a busy few months for Fantasia. Her sophomore album drops on Tuesday, December 12th, and the promotion campaign has already started. Fantasia performed ‘When I See U’ on the Today show recently. Rumored to be her second single (the first single is ‘Hood Boy’) it’s definitely my favorite song from the CD and it was a great performance. The entire CD is surprisingly good – I say surprisingly because for me, Fantasia tends to get a bit screechy. I didn’t expect to like it – especially after I had listened to Taylor’s CD three times in a row – but I did.
I’m not the only one either. In the December 14th issue, Rolling Stone magazine gives ‘Fantasia’ 3 ½ stars and reviewer Evan Serpick claims: “Fantasia expands her range, adds some attitude and comes up with some genuine R&B gems.” Among his favorites: ‘Hood Boy’, ‘Not The Way That I Do’, and ‘Bore Me (Yawn)’ Serpick’s calls ‘Baby Makin’ Hips’ “ferocious” and claims it is “…Fantasia’s best song to date, a potential shout-along classic on par with Mary J.’s “No More Drama” and Kelis’ “Caught Out There.” Can’t get much better than that!
Fantasia will also be opening for Jamie Foxx on several dates on his 12-date tour beginning the day after Dreamgirls hits theatres. Foxx’s show will be a combination of songs and standup comedy. For ticket/tour information, visit http://tour.jamiefoxx.com.
Listen to Fantasia’s album here:
I’m having a great day here at my desk. Not only have I listened to Taylor’s entire CD (without interruptions) three times now, I am currently listening to Fantasia’s soon to be released sophomore album (with interruptions). Not that I have one single credential that would make this review “meaningful” in the grand scheme of things, but here it is. Take it for what it’s worth.
I had already heard “Hood Boy” and seen the video, but I listened anyway -I’m still not crazy about it, but then again I didn’t like “Since U Been Gone” for a month either. Go figure…
I had also heard “When I See U” and loved hearing it again. Fantasia has the ability to go overboard without trying very hard, but for me, she is at her very best when she is a bit more subdued.
Which is probably why I like “I Nominate U” - great vocals and I like the lyrics, too. God, how I would love to dedicate that song to someone.
Other thumbs up: “Baby Makin’ Hips”, “Only One U” (I counted 4), “I Feel Beautiful” and “I’m Not That Type”.
I like this whole album. There is definitely a theme here, and the theme is “Fantasia”. She really spills her guts on this one. She’s looking for love on her terms, she’s become a confident, not-willing-to-settle woman, who but hasn’t lost her romantic notions. I probably couldn’t listen to it over and over again, but it has certainly earned a spot in my CD rack.
Arista is firing up the PR machine for next week’s release of Taylor Hicks’ debut album. From an Arista press release:
“Taylor Hicks digs deep into the blues-drenched roots of Birmingham, Alabama’s favorite son, a singer and songwriter whose song choices every week never strayed from the soul music he holds so dear. Virtually every new song on the album was ‘Taylor-made’ for the artist, starting with “Dream Myself Awake,” written by Rob Thomas, and “Give Me Tonight,” which Taylor and Serletic co-wrote with Matt’s friend Kevin Kadish and hit songwriter Kara Dioguardi. Hitmaker supreme Diane Warren contributed “Places I’ve Been”; while “The Maze” was written by the same duo who penned Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.” And Taylor’s fans will be delighted to hear that he has re-recorded new versions of self penned “Soul Thing” and “The Deal,” two songs that previously appeared on his second indie album Under the Radar.”
I just LOVE that two of his previously released songs made it! Taylor is breaking new ground all over the place for future Idol winners. Kelly Clarkson had to fight just to name her CD ‘Thankful’. Times they are a changin’…
“The new album was produced by two-time Grammy Award-winner Matt Serletic, whose multi-platinum track record with matchbox twenty & Rob Thomas, Santana, Willie Nelson, Collective Soul and Aerosmith made him the perfect choice for the project. That chemistry is evident throughout, from the opening feel-good up-tempo groove of “The Runaround,” the dramatic ballad “Just To Feel That Way,” and the heartfelt closing number, “The Right Place,” which was originally written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance for Ray Charles to record before his death. Taylor considers it an honor to have had the opportunity to make this song his own.”
‘Runaround’ is already my favorite song of the bunch. I don’t dance to any song sober except ‘You Dropped A Bomb On Me’ - but I was a dancing fool during Taylor’s incredible ‘Tonight Show’ performance (I still can’t find the cat). Good grief! When that guy lets loose, he really lets loose! I can’t even imagine what kind of carbo loading must go on before a performance like that! He was insane! I just loved how the entire band was smiling - they were having as much fun as the audience watching Taylor do his thang.
“Along with Taylor’s heroes, Otis Redding, James Brown, and Sam Cooke, the memory of Ray Charles is always centerstage — and can be heard on “Heaven Knows,” whose riffs pays homage to Ray’s “What’d I Say” and Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t That Peculiar,” the Motown classic written by Smokey Robinson. The album’s next track, “Gonna Move,” comes from another personal favorite of Taylor’s, revered singer-songwriter Paul Pena (composer of Steve Miller’s “Jet Airliner”). It is followed by an early Marvin Gaye composition, “Wherever I Lay My Hat” (a hit for Paul Young in the ’80s).”
While there was some moaning, groaning, and worrying going on when the first songs were leaked off the album, I think we will hear the Soul Patrol’s collective sigh of relief on December 12th. Taylor is the first fully-developed musician Idol has ever had - or at least the first one who wasn’t shackled for two years. I wonder what would have happened to Ruben, Fantasia, and Clay if they had been allowed to have as much input and control of their first albums as Taylor has had? They say hindsight is 20/20 - maybe it was Kelly Clarkson’s 6x platinum, Grammy-and-every-other-award-known-to-mankind-winning, internationally acclaimed ‘Breakaway’ that made the producers toss their cookie cutters.
“Daughtry”, Chris Daughtry’s debut album dropped yesterday. Here are just a few reviews - we will be updating as more reviews come in.
The News and Observer - nothing nice to say…at all: “Daughtry” (RCA Records) might be the most generic album yet to emerge from the show”;”ultra-lame lyrics”; “Vocally, Daughtry comes on like a faux-grunge Michael Bolton”
The Daily Brief - so-so review: ”good hooks”, “great freakin’ vocals”, “The songs are all solid works on their own, I just don’t see myself listening to the entire album very much. I’m not disappointed. I like the songs, just too much all at once? Does that make sense?”
Billboard.biz - ”This is music tailor-made for ill-conceived radio formatting, music for consumers whose taste has already been well-established if not preprogrammed. But Daughtry sure does sing his ass off.”
Musical Ramblings: The only one that counts!