Alexander S. from PEACHTREE CTY, GA Reviewed on 2/24/2007...
Totally fun songs
CD Reviews
Finding Her Voice
Mark Baker | Santa Clarita, CA United States | 10/09/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was impressed with Rachael's debut CD and eagerly awaited her second. That one disappointed me greatly, and I almost wrote her off. Fortunately, a good review convinced me to give her another chance with this release.
While the first CD had an adult contemporary feel and the second had more teen pop/Latin, this CD manages to capture a rock/pop feel that works well for her. Possibly that's a result of her heavy involvement on every song on the disc.
Easily my two favorite songs are two of the ballads. "No Other One" is a beautiful tribute to God. Who is like Him? "The Art" was written solely by Rachael and is a surprisingly honest confession of human weakness and uncertainly relying on God. It has a haunting melody and is worth getting the CD for alone. If this song is any indication of what Rachael can do writing alone, I hope she does it more in the future.
There are some great upbeat moments as well. "When I Fall" and the opening track "All This Time" are highlights of these songs.
Frankly, the only two songs I don't like on here are right next to each other. "Rubberhouse" and "Outrageous" seem more like holdovers from the last project and I don't care for them musically. Personal taste, I'm sure, but they easily get skipped.
After a disappointing sophomore release, Rachael is back on my list of artists to keep an eye on. Hopefully future releases will continue to be as strong as this one."
Something new, something old...
Jess | Texas, USA | 10/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rachael really steps out with her latest album. She co-wrote all of the tracks, and I find the songs to be more meaningful than ever before. While you can hear a bit of Rachael's older sound in the songs, her music is going in a slightly different direction with new pop/rock sounds and even more beautiful vocals. There are a couple of groovy R&B tracks (Rubberhouse, Outrageous), guitar-driven tunes (All This Time, When I Fall), and smooth ballads (No Other One, The Art) with other tracks showcasing a mixture of sounds. Instead of focusing on her powerhouse vocals like her past albums do, "Rachael Lampa" gives Rachael more creative freedom with her voice, and many of the songs feel more emotional than her previous ones. It's hard to compare this album to anything else, but even if you didn't like Rachael's older music, chances are you'll enjoy this one!"
Very Different
Snuggle Muffin | somewhere, OR | 10/28/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"When Rachael's "Live For You" debuted, I was THRILLED with this new female vocalist. She had an amazing voice and the songs were so touching and insightful. Kaleidescope came out a year or so later and it was also good - had a bit more of a "pop" feel to it, but I still really enjoyed it. So, when I heard she had a 3rd album out, self-titled "Rachael Lampa", I ran out and purchased it never having heard a song. When I first heard it I was surprised - it is VERY different from her past 2 albums. This one has more of a "rock" feel to it. I must admit, the first time I listened to it all the way through, I didn't really like several of the songs. But after listening to it more, the songs have grown on me - the lyrics are more personal and in-depth than previous albums (probably because Rachael had a hand in writing all of the songs) and the tunes are unique. I still don't particularly like the song "Being Alive", but there are several, including "No Other One", "You Never Know", "When I Fall" and "The Art" that are obviously heartfelt and show the growth in her Christian walk. Overall, this is a good album and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary music with a bit of a rock or punk edge to it. :-)"
Okay Album
Rheanna | GA, United States | 09/17/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'm a big Rachael Lampa fan and I own all of her albums, so of course I rushed out and bought this one the day it was released. After I had listened to it though, I was more than a bit dissappointed. The major reason I admire Rachael is because of her powerhouse vocals. On this album, she didn't showcase her voice very much at all. Her singing was very average in my opinion. I loved her other albums and can listen to each of them without skipping a track, but that isn't the case with this album. There are a couple good songs on here, but most of them are completely forgettable, some of them are even boring. With that said, let me focus on the positive aspects of the album.
Some standout songs are:
Rubberhouse - The music/melody reminds me alot of Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love'. It's a really catchy, fun uptempo about everyone learning to get along and live together.
Outrageous - This is another catchy uptempo song. It's about living your life to it's fullest.
No Other One - A beautiful love song Rachael wrote for God. It's sort of a softer ballad.
Being Alive - This is my favorite uptempo! It's got a touch of ska to it, and I love the horns in the background. It's really fast paced and I love the message. 'Being alive is breathing in and breathing out, being alive is knowing what you're gonna live for, it's knowing you got something you can't live without oh, love, love, love, love, love, love....So say you will don't say you won't give in when love comes, and when it does you're asking, where will it come from? You will live long enough to learn, long as you have some love, love, love, love...' I had this song on repeat for days!!
The Art - This song makes me cry everytime I hear it. It is a beautiful ballad, and Rachael does showcase her voice a little at the end. She sounds like an angel. My favorite part is the bridge: 'When life is in slow motion, and when the silence is deafening...hold on tight you're gonna cry, but there's always a reason why....'
This is one of my favorite songs of all time now...it's so inspirational. I would have bought the entire album just for this one song.
I would still recommend getting the album just for the songs I mentioned above."
Excellent!
Jiffer | Southern California | 08/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this album even after reading some negative reviews on this site. Those negative reviews impacted my opinions of the album for a while. However, over time, I came to my own personal conclusion that I LOVE THIS ALBUM! It took some getting used to for me because it's so different than her first (which is the only other one I have of hers), but I have come to like every song on the album. Favorites are Rubber House and When I Fall (as well as others).
I have been planning to write a positive review here for months to refute the negative ones and now I'm finally doing it. I was so glad to find that there are many other positive reviews now.