theyoungfolks (-) review of WTS

[john]

Okay, here's a review of the album that is negative. 4/10 Writer seems to have a chip on her shoulder. I guess she likes Oh! Darling.
https://www.theyoungfolks.com/music/1102...hat-sound/

A generous person would call What’s that Sound? a homage to the 1960s. A less generous person would call it karaoke. ... It feels less like a coherent album and more like the line-up of a ‘cover the 1960s’ episode of American Idol. It wouldn’t surprise me if Reinhart chose these songs simply because they’re popular, not because they fit her neo-soul, pop/jazz aesthetic.

There’s a nugget of a great album underneath here and, with better song choices and more adventurous reworkings, Reinhart would have something great on her hands. As it is, with What’s that Sound?, she gives us a boringly safe cover album that brings nothing new to the table. At least for me, that sound is play by numbers.

[john]

Okay, here's a review of the album that is negative. 4/10 Writer seems to have a chip on her shoulder. I guess she likes Oh! Darling.
https://www.theyoungfolks.com/music/1102...hat-sound/

I responded to the article but the stuff I wrote was not posted -- it was labeled as spam. Here's what I posted in the comment section:

Too hard on the album? I'd say so. You seem to go out of your way gratuitously throw shade Haley's way. For example, you conclude "It wouldn’t surprise me if Reinhart chose these songs simply because they’re popular, not because they fit her neo-soul, pop/jazz aesthetic." Fact is that Haley has been singing these songs, among others from the 60s all of her life. She loves them and knows more about the music of this era than virtually anyone her age. Her parents have played together for 40 years in bands covering this music -- the record is homage to them as well as the 60s. Her father plays guitar on all of the songs and her mother sings backup vocals.

You say "a cover album that’s simply a karaoke rendition of the originals is becoming one of my biggest pet peeves." Just what do you mean, she didn't change things enough? She stayed close to the original arrangements and sounds of the songs by choice, by design. You note that the backing music and arrangements are often top notch -- what you miss is that Haley's voice is also top notch. While staying true to the original sound of the songs she makes each her own.

You mention that on PMJ songs the singer is sometimes overshadowed by the overall sound, but I would say this is not the case with Haley and PMJ. She is a prime reason that PMJs popular quickly grew. She the featured singer on 3 of the top 4 PMJ videos and her 8 videos are all among the most popular on channel.

This is a carefully crafted album not a slapped together Karaoke record. Haley co-produced with grammy winner John Burke. It was mixed and mastered by veteran grammy winners and recorded directly to analog tape using only vintage type instruments. By design.

Your review was a lazy effort by someone who seems negatively predisposed to Haley Reinhart. After trashing her performances on the covers, you say "the original compositions are where the album falters." Oh. The three original songs have to varying degrees a definite 60s feel. Let's Start is most clearly in that genre. Somewhere in Between incorporates a Ennio Morricone sound. I agree the third one is a bit of a mess, but sometimes you miss. As a whole the album is a very solid effort that features some different aspects of Haley's unique and exceptional voice, and fine musicianship and arrangements. The audio engineering is exceptional.

[Tusk]

IMO the first part of the last paragraph speaks to her state of mind for this review.

I fully admit that I might be being too hard on this album. But after a summer where I’ve reviewed a surprising amount of cover albums, a cover album that’s simply a karaoke rendition of the originals is becoming one of my biggest pet peeves.

Thus coloring her opinion of Haley's album. This could have been put at the beginning of the review and been more revealing as to what would follow. That it was a 'cover' album automatically prejudiced the album for her, she wasn't going to be professionally critical with a cover album as she might be with an album of originals.

A lazy review and IMO, not worthy of responding to, as it would only give it more exposure.....sort of how you might treat a trolling comment meant to illicit a reaction....

[mercfan3]

Also, the idea that they were carbon copies is just inaccurate. She's either got a poor ear or she didn't pay too much attention.

[Tusk]

lazy reviewing...really not worth the scorn...in the 21st century world of the internet, literally anyone can be a blogger/critic/web personality....I used to be fairly good at keeping up w/ popular culture, now there's a new form of 'fame' those created by the internet, Youtube millionaires in their early 20s. On Twitter, it's not uncommon to see a 'verified' person tweet and have no idea who they are, only to discover they have at least a million followers and are famous on Vine, Youtube, Twitter or Facebook.....

So yes, she posted a lazy, ill informed and definitely dismissive review, but that's more a reflection on her as a reviewer than anything it has to do w/ Haley...

...The conundrum IMO about WTS is it's what alot of people....as someone who runs a Youtube channel mostly dedicated to Haley, ALOT of people constantly want her to cover a song of this or that... On the other side, there's those who want Haley to be the next Christina Aguilera, or Fifth Harmony, they want Haley to be a Pop mega star... and a third side yet, those who want Haley to pursue the classy jazzy side of her talents, to play the grand halls.

whatever Haley puts out, a fair number of her fans will be vocally disappointed.

....how long have we heard "I wish there was a studio of 'Can't Find MY Way Home' or Oh Darling"....well, that's what we have.....Baby it's you...how often have we seen posts hoping for a studio of that? Now we have songs, covers that have a meaning to Haley...she is making an artistic choice, involving her parents, she is also choosing this opportunity to immortalize this moment where she got to record songs near and dear to all of them on VINYL....

Think what WTS 'means' to Haley....her choices are not for profitability, nor vanity, nor prestige, her choices have meaning.

For me, I'm true and blue "Haley Reinhart"...she's the artist, I'm not, I'm here for the ride, no matter what genre....

I have never encountered an artist like her, had the fortune to follow her from her early beginnings, learning, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes. Her path has been unconventional to say the least, which is fine by me as long as she continues to grow.

That is the bottom line IMO when it comes from 'no name' bloggers and reviews like this one...they are not professional because they don't do their diligence, they don't take each job seriously...how do they know the artist they blow off could be the next Michael Jackson?

On the subject of this review, someone said to me 'Slezak gets it'...to which I replied, because we understand WTS in it's context. So does Slezak.

[Himm2]

My reply: Tu Himm • in a few seconds
Katie, I'm sorry that your minimal research review misses the whole back story of this album. You judge it simply like the school girls that voted on Idol without a qualified evaluation of vocal talent. This album pays homage to her life growing up in an extremely gifted musical family and her old soul love of the tempo and history of the 60's culture. The way she plays with the notes and evokes emotion is the farthest thing you'd ever see from Karaoke. But thanks anyway for listening...or was it more just hearing?

The reviewer's bio confirms she's a novice:
Katie Gill
Katie Gill is a pop culture writer who enjoys girl groups, C-list superheroes, and country ballads about being a hot mess. When she's not writing, she's exceedingly mediocre at a wide assortment of arts and crafts and spends way too much time talking about her dog.

[Tusk]

Reviewer:

There’s a nugget of a great album underneath here and, with better song choices and more adventurous reworkings, Reinhart would have something great on her hands.

Haley

I found myself pulling many tunes from my parents’ band (Midnight's) repertoire, some of which I've covered in the past, and others that have always struck my fancy! These songs have been a part of my journey through life...I've grown up with them embedded in my soul. They've helped shape the artist I am today and I feel the urge to showcase that and pay homage to the original artists.

Think what WTS 'means' to Haley....her choices are not for profitability, nor vanity, nor prestige, her choices have meaning....

That is the bottom line IMO when it comes from 'no name' bloggers and reviews like this one...they are not professional because they don't do their diligence, they don't take each job seriously....
...we understand WTS in it's context.

[Tom22]

To be fair, as touched on in the album thread, there are commercial reasons to re-record classic songs with cleaner, well engineered recording quality.

-- I don't think that needs to be disowned or refuted. Yes, for commercial reasons some of the songs were recorded very close to their originals in order to give those songs continued life in new contexts that a cleanly engineered cover can bring.

There are a number of wonderful original songs of Haley's on the album. I like them very much.

There are a couple covers that have been re-made or considerably interpreted (like Sunday afternoon) .. they were also super and showed that creative flair on top of honoring the songs.

But many of the covers, I believe DELIBERATELY , kept extremely close to the original recordings.

I believe that "These Boots" is the perhaps the most clear example of that, with nearly every drum kick and bass lick replicated and Nancy's diction and syllable emphasis also nearly duplicated by Haley (atlhough for us Haley fans extrondinaire, we can certainly still hear "haleyisms" within that nearly mirrored diction.

I believe that the covers like "Boots" that held extremely close were done to serve as artistic contributions that can/will allow those songs to be put into movies, tv ads, etc in ways that using the original recordings with perhaps too heavy a snare.. too much echo in the voice etc(the original recordings sound like 'recordings' - you don't always want the sense that 'ok, cue the jukebox' etc).

So, I think it is a fair criticism to some extent making very very close covers at some level, however when the purpose is exactly that, to make nearly exact covers to extend the live's of songs, that is a high goal in terms of preserving art in itself.

[Tusk]

But many of the covers, I believe DELIBERATELY , kept extremely close to the original recordings.

In addition to reworking them so they could be used for later syncing in commercials, Haley stated herself in the PopMusic100 interview, the choices she made w/ the covers was a way she could pay homage and respect to the originals, which IMO meant not straying too far from the originals, NOT reworking them and 'making it her own'....Except for Light My Fire, the target exclusive bonus. I think that tip of the hat from the Zombies REALLY meant something to her, I'm willing to bet she immediately gave her folks a call when she saw their acknowledgement

I really appreciate the thought Haley puts into her decisions, they've almost always been for reasons 'other' than financial, Haley holds her values, the value she learned from her Parents, above those that might be thrust upon her by the 'music industry'.....

This philosophy doesn't work for everyone, but the groundwork Haley has laid these past years has allowed her the freedom to continue making decisions that mean something to her, and she has the talent and personality to back it up

[john]

And Howard Kaylan, singer of the Turtles' version of You Showed Me, specifically expresses his appreciation that Haley stayed true to that original. Ooo...

Howard Kaylan <turtle icon>
@howardkaylan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRADXg77d_4&sns=tw … via @youtube

Ooo
This is nice.
Thanks, Haley, for being so true to the original. #YouShowedMe