"Listen Up!" - Reviews Thread

[Miguel]

I purposefully didn't link to that review because I didn't find it credible. If you do leave a comment, please focus on pointing out the review's inaccuracies rather than attacking the reviewer.

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Below, a 2 out of 4 stars review that stings a little because "The RedEye is a daily publication put out by the Chicago Tribune geared toward 18 to 34-year-olds."

A few things to keep in mind when it comes to my take on Haley Reinhart: I've never watched a full episode of "American Idol" and female vocalists readily described as "old souls" kinda drive me nuts.

The basic facts: Reinhart is young, from Chicago (suburban Wheeling) and placed third on "Idol" season 10, which I think was last year.

Also, she appears to like '60s bathing suits and tank tops. Which is about as good a transition as any to the idea of "throwback" voices. You know the ones--Duffy, Adele, etc. Bold yet nasal-y. Backed by lots of swingy horns. It's retro! No one does this anymore! Except everyone kind of does.rns. It's retro! No one does this anymore! Except everyone kind of does.

But if you've gotta have a gimmick to get noticed, Reinhart has it covered. Her debut album leans heavily on her "unique" voice. She sounds like the middle ground between Amy Winehouse (RIP) and Natasha Bedingfield. Middle school me would have loved this stuff.

The first track, "Oh My!" features a phoned-in B.o.B. verse and immediately drives home the '60s feel with heavy big band drums and horns. If you hate it, turn it off. The album really doesn't move from this formula. I haven't heard this many horns since Mark Ronson got his hands on Winehouse. The tracks all kind of blur together in forced, fuzzy nostalgia after a few minutes.

One exception would be the refreshingly horn-free piano-backed ballad "Undone," which begs a comparison as a (lyrically/musically) weaker version Adele's "Someone Like You," but remains the best feature of Reinhart's full vocals.

Overall, I wasn't unimpressed by "Listen Up!" Reinhart's got some unique pipes. To really shine, she's going to need to step away from artists with similar quirk. It's hard to launch a powerful retro album in the days of Adele domination, but at least she didn't fall flat on her face.

http://www.redeyechicago.com/entertainme...3273.story

The comment I left in response:

The disclaimer "I've never watched a full episode of American Idol" was not needed. This album has nothing to do with the show. Implicit in your statement was the message "Please don't think I would ever stoop to watching American Idol." Implicit in that message is a bias against anyone who would appear on the show.

Haley does have a unique voice and, being a singer, it’s not surprising her debut album “leans heavily” on it. Notice I didn’t feel the need to put quotes around “unique.”

Ironically, the statement “Middle school me would have loved this stuff” reflects your immaturity. A more self-assured reviewer would have stated “She sounds like the middle ground between Amy Winehouse and Natasha Bedingfield” and left it at that.

I disagree with the assertion that “the tracks all kind of blur together” While they share a retro sound there is a lot of variety among them. What you call “forced, fuzzy nostalgia” the New York Times calls “fresh and convincing.”

[gillyking]

The reviewer eliminates his published opinion from my respect, by his opening disclaimers. "Well first of all, I've never eaten a whole pizza, and cheese readily described as a major component kinda drives me nuts"
So overall, I wasn't unimpressed by the pizza. The pepperoni was unique and at least there were no anchovies on it!

So basically, I think t hat the redeye reviewer may as well have been doing a pizza review. IOW.. irrellevant review! :-(

[Miguel]

Seattle Post Intelligencer

There's something to be said for taking your time to create the right album, and Haley Reinhart makes more than a solid case for this with her debut album, Listen Up!

...One of the album's standouts, "Wasted Tears," finds Reinhart in the pocket of her craft. The soulful throwback track contains airy, melodic verses that feed into a chorus that packs a punch. There's a finesse to this track in just how the notes are creatively handled, in which every vocal nuance impacts the song in just the right way.

There's an unwavering feeling of honesty to be found on the ballad "Undone." Backed by piano and strings, the gripping lyrical sentiment of hurt can be felt through Reinhart's compelling and vulnerable vocal performance.

From the engaging songwriting to the thoughtful and well-crafted genre-crossing musical arrangements, it's very apparent that Reinhart knows exactly who she is as an artist and knows how to express it in such a way that you can't help but Listen Up!

http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogc...z1vjupSAmL

[Flask Man]

There is no way a serious reviewer could pan Listen Up! I understand some may offer mixed praise, but panning requires either bias, incompetance, or both.

[Miguel]

Review from "A Blog About Music, Culture, Life & Beyonce"

Likes: Undone, Free, Now That You’re Here

Overall: LOVE IT. If Amy Winehouse released a pop album, this is what it would sound like.

Details: http://jsays.weebly.com/2/post/2012/05/h...eluxe.html

[Tusk]

There is no way a serious reviewer could pan Listen Up! I understand some may offer mixed praise, but panning requires either bias, incompetance, or both.

On this I whole heartedly agree.

[Miguel]

Alexander Klausner ‏@AlexKlausner
Early impressions of new Haley Reinhart album: I couldn't be more pleased that soul is penetrating pop music

"Blogger for Lesson25 Music and FreshWetPaint.com. Drummer in The Savants of Soul and Waxed Curbs. Music is my middle name." (only 40 followers)

[Miguel]

Figure 8 found this review by a blogger. It's included in a larger Idol recap titled, "A fading Idol picks another strumming white dude and Haley Reinhart shines"

Hot, young white men plaintively singing love songs win Idol all the time.

Is it something she should be concerned about? Not at all.

Case in point is the fine new record put out by Haley Reinhart, Listen Up (19/ Interscope). Reinhart’s the bluesy singer who got bounced just before the finale last year and she has avoided the typical watered down, overproduced Idol debut album curse. This is a gutsy, well sung set of songs that accentuates her throaty vocals. Despite the middling single “Free,” there’s plenty to like here as there are enough hooks to cross-over into pop, but she never loses her identity. Reinhart shows plenty of personality and songs like “Undone” (terrific), “Keep Coming Back” and “Hit the Ground Runnin’” are infectious and gritty. There’s one sop to contemporary (OK, hip-hop) stylings with an awkward cameo from B.o.B on “Oh My” and it’s just a mistake as B.o.B simply doesn’t belong on this kind of throwback white-chick rock/soul disc. Still, this is easily one of the more fully realized Idol debuts ever. Compare this to McCreery’s dull-as-dirt, Clear as Day, from last year or the recently released, numbing Thank You Camellia from Kris Allen and you realize just how right Reinhart gets it.

http://blogs.capecodonline.com/cape-cod-...nd+News%29

How the author describes himself:

Ken Capobianco wrote about rock and hip-hop in the Boston area for 20 years before moving to the L.A. area to be closer to the music industry two years ago. Nah, he went to work on his tan.

[john]

Another Fig 8 find:

taks listens to songs
Album Review: Haley Reinhart – Listen Up!
Published May 24, 2012 Album Review Leave a Comment


Though she didn’t win last season of American Idol, Haley Reinhart still managed one of the most impressive and unlikely runs on her way to a respectable third place finish. While every contestant on Idol dabbles across genres to some degree, Reinhart was especially hard to define stylistically; she jumped between jazz, soul, classic rock, R&B, country and contemporary pop to varying degrees of success. On Listen Up!, Haley has a clearly defined sound, though that doesn’t mean she’s settled on just one genre. It’s entirely retro, recalling sounds from every decade since the 60′s, mixing Motown with funk with neo-soul with disco with throwback pop. The record has a surprisingly left-field sound for a debut CD of an Idol alum, which ends up being the source of its biggest strength and weakness.

Listen Up! is a strikingly solid effort, with most tracks contributing something unique to the album. It’s a shame, then, that the opening track is easily the worst. “Oh My!” prominently features horns that blast throughout the entire song, effectively robbing the song of any potential dynamics. The entire track is unnecessarily loud, with a refrain that consists solely of Haley screaming “oh my”. It’s hook-less and sloppily delivered, and B.o.B’s verse is uninspired and uncharacteristically clunky. As a huge fan of B.o.B, I was disappointed across the board. It’d be an absolute mistake to release a track this messy to contemporary radio, though with a featuring credit, that’s certainly what’s going to happen.

Luckily, the album picks up considerably with “Free” which was wisely released as the first single. The chorus glides over tinkling keys and provides the catchiest melody on the entire CD. It’s a bouncy, piano pop song driven by Haley’s distinct jazz-styled vocals. Where “Oh My!” shows all the way Haley can misuse her voice, “Free” places the many gorgeous textures and quirks of her voice on impressive display. Haley continues to effortlessly twists lines like “You gave me chills not scars / Left me with nothing to hate” on the gripping “Liar”. . . .

http://takslistens.wordpress.com/2012/05...listen-up/

[gillyking]

College student review? She hasn't won over everyone yet.

http://www.thelantern.com/a-e/review-hal...71JClKwWEM

Take the time to leave a comment on this site...we can show this reviewer the extent and passion of the Halien nation.

I see where Miguel commented in the early morning hours, long before I read the review and commented there.

I left one as anonymous @#30ish and followed that one by my Gillyking alias... What an incompetent review from some colllege knucklehead.. What bugs me is that reviews by incompetent so called journalism students are far more hurtful and damaging to a hard working struggling artist who's given it their all, only for some numbskull who probably thinks that "soul" if is located on the bottom of her shoe, to throw them under the bus.