"Listen Up!" - Reviews Thread

[Miguel]

Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly gives Listen Up! a B+.

https://twitter.com/#!/teamaims/status/2...to/1/large

[Tusk]

Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly gives Listen Up! a B+.

https://twitter.com/#!/teamaims/status/2...to/1/large

Better than Cooke.

I was suprised at how 'big' the bass was as soon as the cd started with "Oh My'. We both reached for the stereo to turn down the bass, so maybe that's what he means by 'overproduced'.

[Miguel]

The way it was written, it sounds like he was referring to her voice as occasionally being overproduced.


A different shot indicates that was a review of single by Cook.

https://twitter.com/#!/teamaims/status/2...to/1/large

The Cult album received an "A" from a different reviewer.

[Tusk]

The way it was written, it sounds like he was referring to her voice as occasionally being overproduced.

You might be right, If so, I would have guessed he was talking about "Follow Me", but it's likely he's reviewing the regular CD, not the Deluxe, so in that case, he might be referring to Wonderland?

[midnightblues]

The Cult?? there still around? Fire Woman was there best.

[Flask Man]

From what I've heard from previews and the 4 songs released in full, the review seems about right. One major reason FREE is my favorite of the full songs I've heard is because it's the least produced. When you have a gifted vocalist like Haley, who thrives in organic music settings, implementing heavy handed production effects is criminal.

Still, a B+ is DAMN close to an A, so if that's the worst review she gets that's pretty damn strong.

[Miguel]

ALL MUSIC review: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

The debut album from 2011 American Idol finalist Haley Reinhart, 2012's Listen Up! features the singer framed in slick, retro-influenced pop and R&B productions. Working with a handful of pop songwriting and production wizards including Busbee (Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry), Mike Elizondo (Nelly Furtado, Natasha Bedingfield), Rob Kleiner, MoZella, and others, Reinhart has delivered a solid set of catchy, dance-oriented cuts that maximize her sexy, playful persona and come off a lot hipper than you'd expect from a major label AmIdol release. Vocally, Reinhart has a cherubically gutsy, deeply resonant vocal sound perfectly suited for these boomy, '60s pop-influenced productions. In that sense, tracks like the punchy leadoff cut "Oh My!," the sultry lil'-diva single "Free," and the equally as swaggering and funky "Liar" are catchy, post-Amy Winehouse dance-soul productions that mix scratchy vinyl-sounding beats, blurty horn sections, driving piano lines, and some sassy backing vocal parts. Elsewhere, we get the pumping Motown-esque "Wasted Tears," the similarly engaging disco anthem "Now That You're Here," and the swoony girl group meets soft rock number "Wonderland." Definitely an ear-grabber, Listen Up! ultimately posits Reinhart as a kind of old-school pinup, a mini-Mariah Carey if she'd grown up listening to a mix of Dusty Springfield, Lisa Stansfield, and En Vogue.

http://beta.allmusic.com/album/listen-up!-mw0002339530

No mention of Undone in the review. Those who like it a lot should consider this a 4-star review.

[john]

No mention of Undone in the review. Those who like it a lot should consider this a 4-star review.

She gets dinged a half star for coming out of Idol.
(Scotty got 2 stars and did alright.)

[Miguel]

kaypea on IF:

I like that the reviewer called it much hipper than what you'd expect from an ex Idol but I really can't go along with alot of it.The reviewer seems to see this as a dance album more than anything else.calling it "A solid set of dance oriented cuts"...and refers to Now That You're Here as a "disco anthem".Really? ermm.gif wacko.gif

I had the same reaction.

The reviewer is not old enough (b. Oct. 1973) to recall the disco era and too old to be in touch with current dance music. To my ear, the songs on the album are not dance songs or singer-songwriter (WGWG) songs, they're listener songs. Listen Up!

[Flask Man]

I somewhat agree with the review, though not with the score of 3.5 out of 5. There are many diverse elements on the album, but there are 3 heavily disco infused songs (Now That You're Here, Walking On Heaven and What You Don't Know), and pointing that out is not being derogatory. I like the disco tracks, myself.

The 4 Motown infused tracks (Hit The Ground Running, Wasted Tears, Oh My and Wonderland) also are dance driven. To say she made an album that has a set of catchy, dance-oriented, hip, sexy, playful cuts is not off base. He also gave reference to her sultry, Amy Winehouse sound on Free and Liar, and to Mariah Carey for the sex-kitten pinup influence. Not such terrible company for cherubic li'l Haley.

Only thing I'd question is why so low on the score? For as glowing as the review was, the number should have been at least a 4 star. Prolly trying to save face with his/her Idol-hating friends/colleagues.