Audiogasm New Music Review: "Hairspray"
As most people know me can attest, I'm a big fan of musicals in general. One in particular that sparked my interest years ago was the Original Broadway Cast recording of "Hairspray," a vibrant and energetic 60's pop-themed show that was basically just a great time. I was leery, then, when I heard the announcement of the new movie that was recently released. Luckily I was very suprised that the soundtrack for the movie (released July 10th, 2007 on New Line Records) more than exceeded my expectations: it exceeded my enjoyment of the original!
Usually, when something (especially a Broadway musical) is recreated, it doesn't live up to the feeling and energy of the original. The new "Hairspray" definitely does just that, to a point where I liked it even more. The main thing I was listening for when I picked it up was how the new singers compared to the originals. Here are the main ones that I picked out that made a big difference to me (keep in mind that I am purely going off of the music for this, as I have yet to see the movie, sadly):
Nikki Blonsky (Tracy Turnblad) - As the leading character in the movie, Nikki Blonsky has to kick it up to live up to the original's portrayal of her character. For someone who just a year ago was a normal teenager working in a Coldstone, she is fantastic! Her voice fits the character amazingly without the sometimes grating quality that was present in the Broadway show.
Amanda Bynes (Penny Pingleton) - While I like Amanda Bynes, she probably should stick to plain acting and away from singing. While she wasn't bad, you can really tell that she's not a singer. She fit the character well though, and in context of who Penny Pingleton is in the story she didn't need to be an amazing singer.
Zac Efron (Link Larkin) - One of the two actors I was most worried about, Efron's portrayal of Link was way more enjoyable to me than the original. He made the character, in a word, hot. I had my reservations since he was in that godawful "High School Musical" (which makes me want to kill myself for liking the music a little), but in the end he was perfect for the role.
Michelle Pfeiffer (Velma Von Tussle) - Before I got the CD, I had no idea Michelle Pfeiffer was in the movie to be quite honest. I was wondering who would play the role of the catty Velma Von Tussle. When I first listened to "(The Legend Of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" I really disliked her in the part, but after a few times she really grew on me. Another actress who would probably do better to stick with acting rather than singing, but did better with it than Amanda Bynes.
John Travolta (Edna Turnblad) - This is the big dark smudge on the album for me. I heard that he's pretty good in the movie, but his singing is atrocious. At least the original Edna Turnblad had that deep scratchy vocal-chords-through-a-cheese-grater voice that made it obvious that the actor was a man and not really trying to disguise it. Travolta has a mock-falsetto half the time while the other half sounds like he's singing/talking in his normal voice. I will say that after a few listens to the album I got used to it and it doesn't bug me too much.
Those were the main actors that I registered as influencial on my feelings about the music. The other actors and singers are very good (especially Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle), but I honsetly expected them to be.
There are also three original songs on the album that weren't in the original Broadway production: "Ladies' Choice," "The New Girl In Town," and "Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)." All three are are fun, but "Ladies' Choice" is so energetic and perfect for Zac Efron's voice and character that it's quickly become one of my favorite tracks of the whole CD.
In addition, the songs "Cooties" and "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now" (which were in the original but didn't make it into the movie) are included as the last two tracks of the CD. The way they did "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now" is really awesome too, they took all three Tracy Turnblads (Nikki Blonsky from this version, Ricki Lake from the original movie that the musical was based off of, and Marissa Jaret Winokur from the Broadway show) and had them sing together. You can tell how well they're matched to their parts since all three sound remarkably similar.
The soundtrack for the new "Hairspray" movie is pretty fantastic and has had me singing really loudly in the car for the last two days. It's one of those remakes that just makes you fall in love with the music/story all over again! If you're at all a fan of musicals or just of good 50's and 60's style music, definitely give this one a listen.
American Idol has been one of the most disappointing TV series for me. Throught the course of it's broadcasting, it has turned out a number of promising, but in the end disappointing, musicians. It has even unleashed some musical horrors (i.e. William Hung) on the world. For all of it's hype and appeal, I always end up not watching it at all. This wasn't always true, however. The first season of the show was new and fresh, and at the end, a truly talented musician was crowned the first "American Idol." Kelly Clarkson is the only AI winner whos music I really love, and that's why I was really excited to hear her upcoming third release "My December" (to be released June 26th, 2007 on RCA Records).
In general there are no big surprises on this album. Clarkson doesn't deviate too far from the sound of her previous work. I don't mean to say that is a bad thing, as all of her music is filled with her powerful pipes and a lot of emotion. There is a little of the retro 80's throwback sprinkles in a few of the songs (as is popular right now), like "One Minute" and "Judas."
I first heard Amerie’s great beats and fluid voice on the track “1 Thing” from the soundtrack of the movie Hitch. She seemed to have a great energy behind her powerful voice, which in itself has something unique to it. I hurried to buy her first release “Touch,” which had some great songs on it, my favorite being the title track. Although the CD had Sony’s short-lived copy protection software on it, preventing me from putting it on my iPod for a long time, Amerie’s newest album “Because I Love It” (released May 15th on Sony/BMG Records) thankfully does not. It does, however, have more of her great energy that makes the album perfect for a night out.
Hey, you should come here with me,
Anyone who is an avid viewer of Fox's hit TV show "So You Think You Can Dance" will probably recognize the female fireball Sandra Colton from a few season back. Ever since her debut on the show she has been busy, touring the nation gaining fans and performing at big venues like The Viper Room, Key Club, Cabana Club, and White Lotus. Her combination of dance moves and singing voice have gotten her the description of being "a cross between Appelonia, Janet Jackson, Cassie, and Marilyn Monroe." I got my hands on her album "Just Dance" (released February 14th) and had a listen.
My only other complaint about the album was the lack of melody. Granted, in the musical genre that this album falls into, melody is often foregone for more driving and danceable beats, almost developing the beat itself into a type of melody. But this seems to be the case for the majority of the album. Bringing some more instrumentals and blending them with the great dance beats would add a new dimension to the music, making it a whole lot more listenable.
Even though my musical tastes tend to gravitate toward classical, classy sounding jazz styles, upbeat pop, or alternative rock, I sometimes come across an R&B or rap flavored artist that I really like, and Rihanna was definitely one of them. Her singles "Pon De Replay," "SOS," and "Unfaithful" seemed to catch my ear and sing along every time I heard them, still holding a well-listened-to spot in my iTunes library. So, of course, when I recieved an advance of her new album "Good Girl Gone Bad" (slated to be released on June 5th, 2007 on Island / Def-Jam Records) I was ready to take a listen.
All in all, Rihanna's new release "Good Girl Gone Bad" is actually an impressive third album. Most of the tracks have a great beat that you can rock out to, and it is an album I would love to take to the gym with me with it's energy. Rihanna hasn't disappointed me with her performances yet, and this album definitely won't be the one to do that.
I have to confess, at first one of the only reasons I checked out the album "Life In Cartoon Motion" by MIKA (released on February 14, 2007 by Casablanca) because of its bright and eye-catching album cover. I'm a sucker for a creative cover and have fallen prey to many bad impulse buys while wandering through Borders. This luckily wasn't one of those mistakes.
In something akin to a homage to Queen, MIKA's "Big Girl [You Are Beautiful]" seems to almost reinvent "Fat Bottomed Girls" in a very fun way:
Through a friend, I recently discovered the album “Medulla” by a recording artist I had never expected to like this much, a little lady from Iceland named Björk. Before now all I had heard of her music had been little snippets and pieces that, by themselves, felt too strange (in an unappealing way) for me to get much interest. But with some more patient listening, I discovered that her music holds a lot more than most people think. Having heard her latest album, I asked my friend that introduced me to it what his favorite was. He told me that to find the album “Post” and give it a listen, and that is exactly what I intend to do, and you all get to come with me!
In my oh so humble opinion, this is definitely Relient K's best CD so far. It has a fresh and modern feel to it while keeping totally in key with their previous work. They have gone through lineup changes, like the new bassist and guitarist for this album, and acheiving mainstream success without going down the "sellout" road. They have firmly stuck to their message of hope and faith.
The second album release by Amy Winehouse, "Back To Black" (released March 13. 2007 on Republic Records) is, in short, an amazing soul album. Much of the album is a throwback to a lot of fantastic 60's girl-rock with a great modern spin on the genre. Pulling influences from such powerhouses as The Supremes and the Shangri-Las, Winehouse's album promised to be great, and did not disappoint.
The music on this album, while being very 60's influenced in melody and sound, is definitely appropriate for the modern age. While it still fits in with the modern R&B sound, Winehouse's new release stands out in a lot of ways, namely its grown-up dealing with subject matter. Her lyrics and tone bring forth a distinctly mature feeling of working through so many parts of life. For instance, the opening track on the album, "Rehab" is a stompy, church gospel inspired song about Winehouse's father attempting to get her off of alcohol:
It may seem a little cruel in cold print, but take a listen to the song itself and it takes on a whole new feeling. 
