What in the world were the producers thinking?
09/27/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I was very excited to hear that the Broadway Kids were recording a new CD. Though I was hoping for a CD of showtunes after the recent release of the dreadful Sing America, I decided to give the pop CD a chance before judging it.From the moment I saw the new CD design (featuring a cartoonish teenage girl spinning records rather than the usual group photo) I knew it was going to be interesting.There are only a few kids on this CD who can pull off a popish sound and they are featured heavily in almost every song. The other children all sing short solos and backup, never being given the chance to really show much talent as singers.Here is my opinion of each song:
1. Family Affair - I found this song to be a very ineffective way to start off the CD. It is very flat and low energy. It does not make the listener want to hear more.
2. Music - This was awful. Again, it is flat.
3. I'm a Believer - This song was decent, though not at all remarkable. It's one of the better songs on the CD.
4. Unpretty - I was a little shocked that lyrics in this song were not changed. Is it necessary to have kids repeat certain words several times in a song? While this song does not contain extreme profanity by any means, I think the producers forgot that the group is meant to appeal to children and therefore should be entirely suitable for young kids.
5. Pop - I found this song to be very dull and low energy.
6. Survivor - I almost laughed out loud when I heard this song. The kids sound ridiculous singing it. Their immature voices as well as their overiculation ruins the song.
7. Imagine - The song gets better as it progresses. The beginning is full of entirely too many riffs but the harmonies work nicely.
8. Overprotected - Again, I have to question why lyrics were not changed in this song.
9. Reach - This is by far the best song on the CD. The featured soloists all do a very ncie job and the harmonies are very nice.
10. Bouncing Off the Ceiling (Upside Down) - This seems to be a favorite amongst other reviewers but I cannot stand to listen to this song. While is one of the few age appropriate songs on this CD, the harmonies are awful.
11. This I Promise You - This is an unnecessary song. I realize that Michael Shulman, the lead vocalist in this song, is the son of The Broadway Kids creator (Julius Shulman) but he is no longer a kid. He is a grown man now.
12. All Star - This is another song I almost laughed at. The immature voices sound ridiculous singing such a rock song.
13. Graduation - The idea behind putting this song on the CD is a nice one, but there two major flaws: the harmonies during the refrain are the worst on the CD and the speaking voices edited in are difficult to hear at times.I was very disappointed in this CD. It has been compared in other reviews to Kidz Bop and that is a very accurate comparison. While I enjoy pop music just as much as I enjoy showtunes, most of The Broadway Kids do not have the voices for pop and should stick to showtunes. The one good thing that came out of my purchase of this CD is that it gave my friends something to laugh about in the car one night."
Absolutely horrible
Olivia Quinn | Colorado, United States | 07/07/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I was so unbelievably disappointed in this CD! If I had wanted to hear kid singing pop songs poorly, I would have bought Kidz Bop. The whole point of Broadway Kids is that they sing BROADWAY! The "Broadway Kids" do NOT have pop voices. It is truly unbearable to listen to, with the exception of Bouncing Off the Ceiling, which is really cute. But Michael Shulman simply MUST stop recording with them! He is NOT CUTE anymore and has a horrible pubescent voice. Let's hope they go back to recording what they are known for, which is BROADWAY."
A Letdown-Do Not Buy This CD!
01/30/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Not what I was going to expect out of these wonderous kids...oh man...it sounded pathetic and kidsy,un-like their other superb CDs. DO NOT BUY IT!"
