"Listen Up!" - Haley's first album

[Miguel]

ALL THE SONGS ARE WAY TOO PERFECT!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 (9 hearts for her fav number!)

So you never broke down and listened to any of them early, correct?

What a treat this must have been for you!

[midnightblues]

Good for her ,she made her dreams come true and that takes a lot of work. There is no questioning her worth ethics not in the least. I Noticed there is a lot of bass in the recording especially if you have to 12 inch subwoofers blasting pictures off the wall. My hope for Haley in the future is that she will not be hassled by her record company and she will receive all the money that's due to her. And she will have a long successful career. And go on as an inspiration and a visionary to people around the world. She mentioned that, I believe it was when the judges were pickingout the top 24. All Hail To the Hales

[Miguel]

Having the full version, Addicted2Haley was able to decipher the backwards track on "Follow Me/I'm Right Behind You."

Pre-order Listen Up! ‏@Addicted2Haley

it's a completely shout to The Beatles in "Follow Me (I'm Right Behind You)". She says all their names addition to "The Beatles I Love You"

Figure8 confirmed this with the producer:

[Haleylvr4evr]

ALL THE SONGS ARE WAY TOO PERFECT!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 (9 hearts for her fav number!)

So you never broke down and listened to any of them early, correct?

What a treat this must have been for you!

No, I purposely wanted to wait for the real thing! I felt if I heard the previews, that it wouldnt be as special as it is to hear everything for the first time!

[riley]

Whoot Whoot Free was just on in Chicago 101.9 the Mix!!

[buzzenator]

I just can't get over how wonderful the whole album is! I am so glad that I waited to hear the whole songs instead of snippets. I know, y'all prolly thought I was crazy, but let me tell you it was very worth it! I love it more with each listen. AC loves funk (really, who doesn't? LOL), and could appreciate the funkiness of Keep coming back and Hit the ground runnin (which in our opinion is funk with a little country flavor). He said he would have liked Now that you're here a little better with more funk on the drums instead of the disco (straight line) beat. But he still loves the album too........he just hasn't listened to it as much as me yet He wasn't home when it got here so I started without him (yes, I am an evil bitch!). Follow me reminds me of Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz. So far on the scale of 1-10, AC ranks it 8 and BB gives it a...........wait for it.......... 10

~it's good to be a Halien~

Very nice review...and for an evil bitch you still had virgin ears...until today!

Don't forget to remind AC that at his age he should have a yearly colonoscopy & hearing test...that might move him up to a 9

[Haleylvr4evr]

So far on the scale of 1-10, AC ranks it 8 and BB gives it a...........wait for it.......... 10

~it's good to be a Halien~

Just a 10? What about 100000000000000000000?

[makefigure8s]

Having the full version, Addicted2Haley was able to decipher the backwards track on "Follow Me/I'm Right Behind You."

Pre-order Listen Up! ‏@Addicted2Haley

it's a completely shout to The Beatles in "Follow Me (I'm Right Behind You)". She says all their names addition to "The Beatles I Love You"

Surprisingly, it's still tough to find unless you listen closely! Have fun searching for it--that's the fun part.

[Tom22]

I really can't believe how great an album it is.

i've got all sorts of poetic thoughts on that.. but I'll leave it at that...

I'm constantly shaking my head.. she's channeling some sort of way of thinking that seems to speak to me too... she's just putting in all wonderful words in a way only music can speak directly to the soul.

"They call me crazy but I'm just waiting
For the world around me to change
I'm thinking maybe if we look inside
We'll find the love and peace of mind

Can't see the halos, can't feel their wings flow
But I've got faith that the angels will sing

Walking on heaven
Walking on heaven
Streets around are paved with gold
Walking on heaven
Walking on heaven
Free your mind and let it go"

[Mr. Bill]

Hey guys... I wanted to share with you my review of Listen Up! from my blog. I am actually an author and I write a blog that gets some hits, not a ton. But anyway, I've been writing about Haley since Benny and the Jets and since I've been posting here a lot recently, I thought I'd share:

http://billkonigsberg.blogspot.com/2012/...en-up.html

I admit it: I've been Halien-ized. Not since my utter obsession with the new wave group Missing Persons and perhaps my fascination with Aimee Mann in the late 90s/early 00s have I been quite like this about a singer/group. There are plenty of groups and artists I love: I'm a huge fan of Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright. I adore the Scissor Sisters and Mika. I have loved James Taylor, the Eagles, and Fleetwood Mac for more than 30 years. But this. This is different.


I'm not sure I fully understand. I mean, yes she's a beautiful 21 year old with an amazing voice. Yes, she seems to be a particularly good soul (I've watched a LOT of interviews at this point). She has great poise. She's a throwback to music I loved (Motown/Girl Groups). But I'm a 41-year-old gay male. This feels ... odd. Am I attracted to her? Yes! But I think what I'm attracted to is her spirit.

Anyhow, after a long wait her debut CD has arrived. As you might imagine, I pre-ordered it and downloaded it last night as soon as it was available. As you also may have imagined, I've done everything I can to hear snippets of each of the songs already.

But listening to the entire CD is a different experience. This is what I can tell you:

It is perfect. From the opening bars of "Oh My," which sounds like a combination of a steamy August night in New Orleans and something pulled from a James Bond film from the 70s, to the gorgeous "Walking on Heaven," which may be the best Mariah Carey song not sung my Miss Mariah, there is no filler here. Just one great melody after the next.

Here's "Oh My." It features a rap by B.o.B. which fits the song well and is clearly Interscope's attempt to create some buzz for an artist who surely deserves it.

(video embedded)

The single, "Free," is a terrific mid-tempo track that showcases Haley's voice nicely. That said, it's also the only song she did not have a hand in writing, and it's the only track that lacks a strong hook, making it an interesting choice for a lead single. Better perhaps might have been "Wasted Tears" or "Hit the Ground Running," which sound like updated takes on The Supremes, or "Undone," a stunning ballad that is reminiscent of "Someone Like You" by Adele.

(video embedded)

So far the reviews have been extremely positive, but Haley has an uphill battle to climb. The Idol moniker actually works against an artist like Haley in some ways. She's not a cookie cutter pop star. She doesn't fit into any particular mold, although if she did it might be a combination of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, and Bruno Mars. Not a bad combination in today's pop world, but those artists in some ways go against the mold of what plays on Top 40 radio these days.

It will be interesting to see if this CD soars based on the fact that it's too good not to. Unfortunately, there have been plenty of amazing CDs in the last decade that have gone unnoticed. Time will tell.

Buy it. If you like good pop music, you will love it. I promise.