Search - Glee Cast :: Glee: The Music, Volume 1

This soundtrack is GREAT, not your typical covers album...

Larry Davis | NYC/Long Island, NY | 11/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All in all, this CD confounds expectations with it's contradictory flair, as does the show...it should be THE uncoolest thing out there...a glee club performing songs by uncool people like Journey, REO Speedwagon, Broadway tunes, hiphop/R&B, and more...



But it's COOL!!!



The way the songs are rearranged and reimagined, the kids (and teacher, etc) can all really sing, the context is about underdogs, the writing is sharp as a knife, and you care about the characters...it's an unexpected, exciting, odd, and brilliant treat. The real surprise is how well the songs and performances hold up as a CD, outside of the show...and yes, get the Target edition for 3 great bonus tracks...I met the kids too, and they're all really nice, good kids...but the main 2 girls (Lea Michele who plays Rachel, and Dianna Agron who plays Quinn) are stunningly (as they say in the UK) "fit" in person. Here's the breakdown of the CD:



1- "Don't Stop Believin'" (Rachel & Finn, the Journey song from 1981, nice arrangement with the accappella opening...it works!!)



2- "Can't Fight This Feeling" (Finn, the REO Speedwagon #1 ballad from 1984, it's given a fresh acoustic guitar treatment and imperfect but tender reading that gives it new life)



3- "Gold Digger" (Will and featuring Mercedes, the Kanye West(?!) song that's sorta like the teacher trying to be "hip" and "up-to-date", but it actually works and is as good as the original...Amber Riley's booming Martha Wash-like vocals add flavour)



4- "Take A Bow" (Rachel, the Rihanna song which works in context of the show and this CD, and Lea sings it with real emotion...I like it better than the original!!)



5- "Bust Your Windows" (Mercedes, the Jazmine Sullivan song which works perfectly with Amber's booming soul vocals, which are on par with Jennifer Hudson & Martha Wash...I like it as much as the original)



6- "Taking Chances" (Rachel, the Platinum Weird song...you're like WHO?? PW was a fictional band with Eurythmic Dave Stewart, but the vocals were by Kara DioGuardi...yep, the American Idol judge...and those 2 wrote this song...their album was almost "released" in 1974 but got shelved, and that actually came out in 2006...they also did a "new" 2006 album, which DID get shelved but got packaged at the last minute with ONLY BestBuy's edition..."Taking Chances" is on that BestBuy CD only...this project was botched basically, and Kara & Dave gave this song to Celine Dion for her album of the same name from 2007/2008...Celine is now only known for this song, not Kara...the original KILLS, Celine's not as great and an identical arrangement...LEA's version here is BETTER than Celine's and as great as the PW version...similar arrangement too...I guess best not to change it at all.)



7- "Alone" (Will & April, the Steinberg/Kelly song that was a huge #1 hit cover for Heart in 1987...Heart's version is iconic, and it's never been a duet before, but it works...this blows all attempts on Idol...except for Alison Iraheta's career-making take...Kristen blows the roof off while Matt is ample support...the guitars are rawer here than on Heart's version...love it)



8- "Maybe This Time" (Rachel & April...the "Cabaret" song, in an iconic spot on "Glee", works excellently here...GREAT vocal dual by Kris & Lea and I love the jazzy arrangement)



9- "Somebody To Love" (Rachel, Finn, Mercedes & Artie...yep, the Queen song, and the cast's take is as great, or better, than George Michael's take...it comes mighty close, believe it or not, to Queen's original)



10- "Hate On Me" (Mercedes, the R&B/hiphop song, TI?!?, not sure, I don't follow mainstream hiphop/R&B really, but it's a decent track, better than the original, as I'd rather listen to this than seek out the original, and that's rare)



11- "No Air" (Rachel & Finn, a hit as a Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown duet, and it's as good as their version...JS/CB didn't write the song, so it was easy for Lea & Cory to match)



12- "You Keep Me Hangin On" (Quinn, the #1 hit Supremes classic, and Dianna pulls it off!!! The arrangement is close to the Supremes original, not Kim Wilde's 1987 #1 cover, but Dianna brings an innocence to her take, which meshes well with the lyrical defiance of the song...it works both in the cheerleader scene on the show and as a track on the CD...not easy...and I LOVE Lady Di's vocals...many think they're weak, but I disagree...I find her vocals charming)



13- "Keep Holding On" (Rachel & Finn, the Avril Lavigne power-ballad which works better on this CD and on the show than in Av's repertoire, I think)



14- "Bust A Move" (Will, see "Gold Digger", but his take on Young MC's memorable late 80s pop/rap classic works better than Kanye, as it showcases Matt's personality better, and the musical track is still just as fun, with the Glee-sters adding fun "you want It, you got it"...girls...and "Bust A Move!!"...guys...)



15- "Sweet Caroline" (Puck, the #1 Neil Diamond standard...on an unrelated note, this tribute to Caroline Kennedy and the Turtles' "Happy Together" are similar songs and the Glee-sters should do that song too...Mark does an AWESOMELY great take on this song, adding fresh energy to his great voice...he's like Neil Diamond mixed with Robbie Williams really...and I'm THRILLED the Glee-sters didn't add the annoying horn-line imitation "ba ba ba" on the chorus that they did on the show and fans of this song always do...but my one complaint is that this version is TOO SHORT!!!! It should have been 2 minutes longer...sorry, 1:58 is too short, it's inexcusable...I should loop it or something)



16- "Dancing With Myself" (Artie, the Billy Idol/Generation X new wave/punk classic, reimagined as a finger-snapping acoustic jazzy shuffler, and it really works...I at first found it annoying, but it was the biggest grower for me on the whole CD...go "Wheels"!!)



17- "Defying Gravity" (Kurt & Rachel, the song from "Wicked", sung originally solo by Long Islander Idina Menzel, and it IS a beautiful song, love it, and I was curious if Lea's vocals would be just as magical, and they are...predictably...if not more so, but the REAL surprise is Chris' BEAUTIFUL falsetto on this duet...like goosebump-worthy...he's worthy of complete adulation...I asked him at the signing when he will get his own song on the show, he said next week...this is the one, and people will be blown away, seriously...again, my one complaint is that the song's a bit too short...2:21, should have been a minute and a half longer)



TARGET BONUS TRACKS:

18- "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Will, the Color Me Badd song freom 1992...here is the ACAFELLAS version, and it's actually pretty cool on record...I never thought I'd love ANY take on this song, but this version's pretty sweet and cool...an achievement)



19- "I Could Have Danced All Night" (Emma, the one track sung by fave Jayma Mays, and she has an utterly sweet voice, not unlike Julie Andrews, and the song fits her like that wedding dress, but the track is, again, way too short...a minute and a half, are you kidding?? 1-2 more minutes please...I'm not into these too-short tracks)



20- "Leaving On A Jet Plane" (Will, the real surprise of the CD...this song hasn't been performed on the show yet, and I had no clue that Matt would be doing this utterly sweet take on this John Denver classic...the guy is better at doing these types of songs than silly rap numbers...being he arranged this himself, I wonder if he's also a songwriter and has put out records before...cuz he has talent...and if you listen to the lyrics, you wonder how it will play out in the show...if it's geared towards his sham of a wife or towards Emma...we shall see...but these 3 bonus tracks are reason enough to buy Target's edition)



The show "Glee" is brilliantly realized and original, this CD is so good and fun and stands apart from the show as a CD itself, which is quite rare, the singing is great, the arrangements are cool and creative, and it makes me anticipate more music and CDs to come...boxsets perhaps???



Maybe I am a "Gleek"!!!"

Get it at target, it comes with 3 extra tracks....

Bumpy | Virginia Beach, Virginia | 11/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i dont watch the show at all, i found out about these songs after my friend played them for me, and i thought they were pretty good, its a different take on some good songs. like i stated in the title of my review, get it at target cause it comes with 3 bonus songs, which are i wanna sex you up, i could have danced all night, and leaving on a jet plane. since i dont watch the show at all, i dont know or care about what songs are missing really, i will say this, i will get the next volume in december though. i thought gold digger was pretty nifty. what they need to do next is sing some iron maiden, or some black sabbath, now that would be pretty cool. since i like all kinds of music and all, im sure they will sing a heavy metal song or two sometime down the road."

Glee: Vol. 1- A Few Missing Hits, But Good

Antoine D. Reid | Durham, NC United States | 11/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In case you've been living under a rock for the past few months, 'Glee' is probably among the best in terms of new television shows to arrive this season. 'Glee' is your typical high school drama mixed with heavy doses of atypical popular music packed into each episode. In a way, 'Glee' is Fox's version of Disney's 'High School Music' franchise except better acted and with a far better soundtrack. This first volume of music comes from the show's first nine episodes and features a variety of music and genres, from Broadway numbers, to 80s hits and even some old school hip-hop. While none of this music is original (all of these songs are cover songs of popular hits and artists), the 'Glee' versions and arrangements of the songs are fun and almost just as good as the originals.



The Good: As stated before, don't be turned off that the 'Glee' soundtrack is full of cover songs. These are actually well performed and are not 'karaoke' or butchered like the cover songs on Fox's other hit show 'American Idol'. The best part of this soundtrack is that it offers something for all audiences. Yes, to a degree, the songs are somewhat cheesy. The show is about a high school choir - the songs are meant to be a little cheesy. Lea Michele is the lead vocalist of the cast, having a background in musical theater. Her performances are probably what you expect from a show of this nature; a bit over the top, big, Celine Dion-ish with lots of theatrics. Her version of Rihanna's "Take a Bow" is (in my opinion) better than the original with how she simply belts it out and adds a touch of emotion and sincerity/innocence to it that really sets it apart from just your typical "cover" song. Yet, another underestimated vocalist that's featured throughout the soundtrack is Amber Riley who has the sassy attitude necessary to deliver the hip-hop "Hate On Me" song and the pipes to belt out some show-stopping notes on Queen's "Somebody To Love." In all, the songs are high quality and it's fun to listen to cover versions of popular songs that aren't butchered or are a bit too big for those performing it. Guest vocalist/actress Kristin Chenoweth puts her stamp on the 'Cabaret' number "Maybe This Time" and Heart's 80s power ballad "Alone"; Matthew Morrison comes off as the awkward high school teacher trying to remain hip (and pulling it off to some degree) on hip-hop songs "Bust a Move" and "Gold Digger"; Amber Riley makes a lasting impression with the Jazmine Sullivan cover song "Bust Your Windows".



The Bad: Some of these songs are best enjoyed within the context of the show more so than as stand-alone songs. There are a few songs on this release that I felt weren't as great and could have been replaced with other songs from the show that didn't make the cut for this soundtrack. "Sweet Caroline" and "You Keep Me Hanging On" are just okay. "Defying Gravity" and "Taking Chances", while great vocal performances from Lea Michele, are just a little weak when you aren't able to see the actress fully perform the songs with her acting alongside her singing. There were some songs that made more of an impression on me as a viewer and listener of the show that I am a bit surprised didn't make the cut for the soundtrack (yet were released digitally): "Push It", "Rehab", "Mercy", "Last Name" "It's My Life/Confessions Part II", "Halo/Walking On Sunshine" were all some of the best moments from 'Glee' so far this season yet all of these songs were left off and we're left with mediocre numbers like "Defying Gravity", "Sweet Caroline", "You Keep Me Hangin' On" all make it? In part, I believe it was because some of these songs featured guest stars (or in the case of "Mercy" and "Rehab", groups) instead of the core cast. Still, it's a shame because I'd rather have the true best performances of the season (so far) on a disc and be forced to buy some of the other tracks digitally than the other way around.



In all, a good release with my main area of criticism being that some of the best musical moments of the season were left off. Still, 'Glee' and its music is worth purchasing. It's fun, upbeat music and the cast really manage to step in and put their own stamp on the music. This is one to add to your collection.



Listen To These: "Take a Bow", "Hate On Me", "No Air", "Alone""