Search - Various Artist :: American Idol- Season 9

CD Falls Short In Delivering The Shining Moments

Lance G. Augustine | The Midwest, USA | 05/12/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Even though this season of American Idol has been somewhat of a disappointment for me, this record does hint at possibilities for better things to come for several of these young singers, with "singers" being the key word here.



I think I've gotten a little spoiled in recent years with so many near-professionals gracing the Idol stage. Many past contestants already had developed a definite musical identity and possessed a natural ability to take any song and make it sound current and exciting. In general, this year's group may need a bit more guidance and direction to be all they can be. But there are voices here with desirable tonal characteristics, and with the right producers, a lot of hard work and a little bit of time, some are sure to develop into artists rather than just singers.



The tracks on this CD supposedly re-create each contestant's shining moment. While I won't attempt to judge whether or not these songs were the best picks, I do believe that several of these arrangements and/or performances aren't quite as good as the live performances were.



For example, this electronic dance-pop version of Andrew Garcia's "Forever" isn't nearly as effective as his acoustic rendition on the show. Lee DeWyze's "Treat Her Like A Lady" doesn't come close to duplicating the energy and passion delivered live. The simple acoustic guitar/cello arrangement for Casey James' "Jealous Guy" was all that was needed to back up his powerful Idol performance. This recording beefs things up with piano and more strings, which isn't necessarily all bad, but Casey's vocal here doesn't project as dynamically as it did then.



There are several tracks that I would put into the No Better, No Worse category. Tim Urban, Katie Stevens, and Crystal Bowersox equal what they did on stage with these recordings.



Fans of Aaron Kelly, Didi Benami and Michael Lynche should be pleased...these contestants have improved upon their live performances with these recorded versions of their songs. The arrangement for Siobhan Magnus' "Paint It Black" is interesting and somewhat similar (but more powerful) in comparison to her Idol performance, and this recording evens out her vocal inconsistencies.



I believe that when the individual albums from these performers come out, we'll be hearing some much-improved music. In the meantime, this still could be an entertaining album for many Idol fans despite being far from perfect."

The AI Ladies Shine On This CD

Debbie Hudson | USA | 06/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Siobhan Magnus shows off her amazing vocal range and ability on Paint it Black. I wish they had more tracks of her recordings on this cd. Didi Benami's take on Play with Fire is just as thrilling as the live version. This style realling suits Didi. Katie Stevens' vocals were strong and inspiring on Let it Be.



I am glad that they included Casey James singing Jealous Guy. One of my favorite songs from this season. Also, Aaron Kelly did well on I don't want to miss a thing, but I wish they had included his version of Angie, instead.



Lee, Mike, Tim, and Crystal's songs were okay, too. They sounded much better in the recording studio than live (which is typical of recording artists)."