Pros: Great vocals, some fun beats, "Ordinary World"
Cons: Some confused melodies, distinct lack of power notes, "Not Ur Girl"
The Bottom Line: If you find the CD at the store, and you liked Katharine on American Idol, then go ahead and buy it. It is worth the $15 you'll have to spend.
kelly617's Full Review: Katharine McPhee by Katharine McPhee
I'm never quick to subscribe to the fan base of an American Idol runner up. For some reason, possibly the brainwashing techniques of the television and Simon Cowell's scathing remarks, I tail the winner, not the losers. To its credit, American Idol has produced at least two or three cracking entertainers who truly deserve to be where they are, regardless of how they got there. I'm referring directly to Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. So naturally, I assumed Taylor Hicks' album would be the next to join my ever expanding library. Unfortunately for Taylor (or perhaps quite fortunately indeed) his CD was sold out at HMV when I went to purchase it. Katharine's was not. I didn't wonder why, I just grabbed it. I needed my daily music fix and I was rooting for her to win anyway, so I figured I'd give the runner up a go. I suppose you could say, I'm rather glad I did.
First thing's first. This album is nothing special. It isn't out of the ordinary, and none of the songs truly stand out. In fact, they all seem to have drawn very obvious influence from other well known artists of today. It does strike as a bit safe. Katharine knows what she can do, and she doesn't seem willing to experiment or escape her comfort zone. This is strange, because the voice she showcased on American Idol rarely gets shown off, and she stays in the lower octaves for the most part. It could easily just be the American Idol producers who seem bent on creating the most sugary and most mainstream pop sounds possible. To Katharine's credit, she seems to have worked hard to steer the sounds towards a more R&B sound, but sadly, she is still singing very generic pop songs.
The Good:
Love Story opens the album with something somewhat reminiscent of KT Tunstull and Lily Allen. It's cute, even if the oh-ing and ah-ing tends to get a little annoying after a while. The Carribbean beats take you to a beach by the ocean, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Over It gets the classification of 'good' because I like it. It's probably my favourite song on the album. This could well be because it has had more time to grow on me due to it's being released as the first single, but regardless, it is simple and easy to listen to. I'm reminded of JoJo when I hear it, but that could just be me.
Open Toes is another song that seems quite unpopular with the masses. I understand why it would be, but I don't care. I find it fun. I like the mix of Pussycat Dolls and Black Eyed Peas, and though Katharine is no where near as cheeky as either group, the song does lend something to her image that removes her from her Idol roots. If she were to add some meaning to the lyrics and hone her skills, I think this type of song is what she should stick to.
Home is so similar to Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" that I'm almost convinced it was written by the same person. However, in Katharine's defense, she manages to sound ever so slightly more grown up than in her other songs and she almost manages to convince me that she could, one day, be comparable to Christina.
I like Dangerous because it follows in the vein of Open Toes. This is the type of stuff Katharine should sing. I'm reminded again of the Pussycat Dolls, and for some reason, this is not a bad thing. It's naughty, sharp and sassy. Katharine's voice works better with an edge, and the darker subject matter is just more enjoyable to listen to.
Ordinary World is where the magic is at. Katharine's version of "Over The Rainbow" was her best preformance on American Idol, and she channels that same energy to sing through this power ballad. Her voice is clearly rusty, but she carries the powerful notes with grace, and the result is very pretty. There is more Christina in here too, but this time, it's original in it's own right.
Better Off Alone makes it impossible not to compare Katharine to Kelly Clarkson. The subject matter, the vocals, the notes, the piano in the background, it's all reminiscent of the first American Idol. That said, it is also quite good, and if it didn't sound so much like what Kelly has already done, I'd say this song could work to set Katharine apart from the television show that got her here.
The Bad:
Each Other is boring. I don't know if there's anything else more to say about it. The lyrics are uninspired and the melody doesn't have the same kick as even some of the softer ballads. Katharine's voice is far above this song and the more I listen to it the less I want to.
Do What You Do starts off with a little bit of dialogue from Katharine warning us that "this is sick". No, it isn't really, it's just a bit confusing. For some reason, it sounds like she recorded two different songs and they accidentally got spliced together. The chorus does not fit with the verses and the sporadic piano riffs that come in and out randomly don't make any sense at all. There are parts of it that are fine, and find some of the magic that Nelly Furtado worked in her album, "Loose". Still, all of that good work is spoiled by the nonsensical melodies that interfere all too often.
Toni Braxton has infiltrated this CD! Oh, never mind, it's still Katharine, she's just a little lost. Neglected is not only too low for Katharine to sing properly, but it's also too hard to understand and after a few seconds of the first time through the chorus, you really don't care anymore.
I'm not really sure if I like Everywhere I Go or not. It's simple, and fairly generic. I don't know if it will grow on me a la "Over It" or not, but I'm willing to keep a relatively open mind about this one. Of course, I'm not one for fence sitting, and it just doesn't strike me as good enough at the moment.
The Ugly:
Not Ur Girl is not good, but it isn't bad either. It's worse. First of all, with a title like that, can you really expect a song to do well? This song is the ugly sister in a sea of mediocre looking ones. Katharine doesn't even sound like herself here, and she relies far too heavily on her backup singers. Not only that, but she sounds bored as she sings it. During the chorus, you half expect her to burst into a rendition of "I'm Every Woman", but she doesn't, and it's oddly disappointing.
Conclusions:
Overall, this CD includes some songs I love, some songs I don't, and one song I have already deleted from my library. I like the disc enough to pop into my car while I'm driving, and I have even stuck Over It, Dangerous and Ordinary World on repeat a few times. I really think that if Katharine can avoid obscurity, she'll manage to work a decent career out of all this by releasing a smashing second album.
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