Rita Wilson AM/FM

[Miguel]

I was checking out how Haley's album was doing on iTunes (it's #29 POP). Looking over the "competition" I saw many had been released some time ago. Then my eye spotted AM/FM by Rita Wilson. It was #7 POP and just came out Tuesday. The first review caught my eye.

Admirable Debut Effort. Great song list, but why now? This is an album that should have been released years ago. Hopefully, Ms Wilson will not let this be a One Time Thing.

That peaked my curiosity so I did a quick search to learn more about her. It revealed: "She has been married to actor Tom Hanks since April 1988..."

You may recall:

Tom: I had dodged the (American Idol) virus for many, many years...This year I got hooked on watching with Rita. I must say, I never voted until last week for the first time. I voted for Haley. I voted twice....and I thought, well, that'll put her over the top...

The next review of Rita's album includes this description:

"She's made an album of songs from the 60s and 70s that doesn't sound like a vanity project at all. In some cases, her arrangements surpass the originals..."

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^^...I was listening to Haley's "Oh My!" while typing that. I just listened to several of the tracks on Rita Wilson's album. There was a jarring difference. Rita has a nice tone and a nice voice, but it seems like she is singing soft songs from the 70s that she has slowed down and made softer. I suppose it's something you might play if you wanted a tranquil effect and were looking for very mellow music to play in the background. I mean, it's really sleepy. I sampled most of tracks and there didn't seem to be anything with a faster pace and more energy. It could be this was done to create a cohesive feel, but it struck me as Rita being afraid to challenge herself.

[john]