"Listen Up!" - Reviews Thread

[Miguel]

Nice review on someone's blog. I like the comparison to Lana:

Listen Up! is very sexy, in a sultry, old glamour way. But unlike Lana Del Rey, whose persona is a Greta Garbo on pills, Haley is not pretending to star in a David Lynch film. She's effortlessly sensual and you can hear it all over the album.

Haley possesses a beautiful voice which has many shades and flavours. From a clear coo to throaty growl. She can belt, and she can whisper. And she sounds like no-one else. My dear mother, who loves music but unlike me doesn't spend much time thinking about it, can always 100% recognise Haley when I play her - which REALLY means something.

Because Haley is such a great vocalist and an amazing live singer, I was really worried that her voice would end up sounding less rich and much more processed on the album (as is the norm in pop these days) but I needn't have worried. While the production is slick, you can still tell Haley is an exceptional singer.

Not only that, she's also a good songwriter: all of the songs on Listen Up! were co-written by her (except for the first single Free), and well...the songs are better than good. Catchy, sexy, timeless, with a retro sheen.

[breaks down individual songs]

Haley Reinhart's debut album Listen Up! sounds every bit Haley-an. You can hear Dusty Springfield and 60's girl bands influences, yet the album ends up feeling timeless, and...modern. And hot.

A recommended listen for sunny summer days of 2012 and many years to come.

http://fantastic7voyage.blogspot.com/201...eview.html

[NUG]

I am loving that everyone has different favorites on their list...such a great album!!

[LovinDaHaley]

Listen Up! – The entire album is my favorite release of any genre in the past two decades. Thank you so much Haley Reinhart! You are making a lot of people very happy with your music.

IMHO

Spiderweb – Is this song naughty and dangerous? Perhaps it would be if anyone else was singing it (it would be downright scary if it was a Lady Gaga song). But the fact is, Haley Reinhart is one of the sweetest and purest souls on the planet, and that makes this guilty little pleasure of a musical masterpiece suitable for our next prayer meeting. 10/10

Follow Me (I'm Right Behind You) - Fantastic lyrics, fabulous vocals, incredible musical effect for a great mood. This song makes me feel adventurous and a bit mischievous - I love it! I'm slow to follow anyone, but I can't stop myself from following Haley to the places she can take those who "Listen Up!” Musical genius! 10/10

Hit the Ground Running - Is there another artist who gives a clearer view of the beauty within them by the way they sing and annunciate the various lyrics of any given song? I can see why so many people are totally obsessed with Haley Reinhart and her debut album. The vocal nuances in this song alone are a kaleidoscope of ever-changing beauty and vocal prowess. 10/10

Free - I admire and appreciate the rock-solid vocals in this song. And how could anyone not enjoy watching and listening to Haley Reinhart in all of her class-act yet sexy glory in the official video? However, I would like to see something released on YouTube that has the potential of going viral. Good song for showcasing Haley's vocals and style. 9/10

The songs with titles that start with a W - I am grouping these together because I feel the same about all four (Wasted Tears, Walking on Heaven, Wonderland and What You Don’t Know). Now don’t get excited, I am sure they are all awesome songs in their own right, but not one of these 4 songs is my personal cup of tea. HOWEVER, I do still listen to them because I love hearing Haley sing; hell, I’d listen to her sing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” 99 times. 7/10

Keep Coming Back - OMG! The multitude of variety in the ways this woman says everything she says in everything she sings totally blows me away. Listen Up! There is so much glorious and beautiful depth to this album that I doubt anyone will ever find the bottom (reaching the ocean floor at the Mariana Trench would be a casual snorkel adventure compared to this). This song reminds me in so many ways why I love music so much. 10/10

Let’s Run Away - I’m packed and ready to go! This song is a plethora of Island Music joy and happiness. If you don’t like this song you REALLY need a hug. 9/10

Liar - This song gives me the feeling that I’m going somewhere important. And by the gracious and insanely incredible vocals of this glorious songstress, by golly, I am now a better person! Too much fun! Is listening to this album even legal? 10/10

Now That You’re Here - This feel-good jazzy grove is making gay people straight and straight people gay all around the world. Nuff said… 10/10

Oh My - It truly is mind-boggling to me how such a simple song can make even a nerd like me feel like James Bond. This song has an old school yet modernized and hip sound. Whether you’re a hip-hopper, an old school pop tart like Nancy Sinatra, or music royalty such as Henry Mancini, you’ll probably agree, this song is destined for greatness. I can definitely see “Oh My” being around for years to come and being used in the soundtracks of many a blockbuster. 10/10

Undone - Just when I thought I had no more tears. Haley! Don’t! Stop! Don’t Stop! 10/10

[Miguel]

Nice breakdown there. I like hearing people's opinions of individual songs.


The Star Tribune picked up the NYT review and ran it with a nice picture of Haley:

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment...um=twitter

[LovinDaHaley]

Nice breakdown there. I like hearing people's opinions of individual songs.


The Star Tribune picked up the NYT review and ran it with a nice picture of Haley:

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment...um=twitter

Thank you Miguel. And agreed, that is a nice picture of Haley. Thank you for the link.

[Miguel]

Michael Slezak ‏@MichaelSlezakTV

"I hit the ground runnin' runnin' runnin'/ So don't go followin' me..." Ahhh, @HaleyReinhart, so good to have your new music on my iPod.

^^ 24,883 followers (many Idol watchers, of course)

[Flask Man]

Love how Slezak kept Haley as his wallpaper the entire Season 11, and still has it up today. He's never done that before. Shows what great taste he has, and recognizes sales be damned this girl is something really special.

[LovinDaHaley]

Slezak has good taste, and I love his tweeting to Haley (every bit helps), but I hope his "husband" doesn't get Jealous.

"She also has the super power to make Gay Guys turn Straight, and to make Straight Girls go Gay. These are called Haleysexuals." (Urban Dictionary)

[john]

Pop Quiz review

Haley Reinhart is a star for another era.

A jazz-soaked voice that can be both sexy and sweet that was first featured on season 10 of “American Idol,” now has full range to show off. Listen Up! is one of the greatest chart-topping records from the late 60s that never was. But just because Listen is a throwback album, doesn’t mean it’s not very necessary for today.

Actually, it’s quite respectable to embrace such an old school sound. Flowing from doo-wop to jazz, from summery pop to disco, Reinhart’s debut LP isn’t necessarily riding the Adele train, but dusting off the old tracks left behind by performers like Dusty Springfield and Nancy Sinatra and giving them a new shine.

The third-place reality show finisher co-wrote on all but one of the album’s 14 tracks. “Free,” the album’s first single, is the only one the singer didn’t write on, but she still delivers a pure emotion that can too often be void in to world of pop music. A song about heartache and letting go, one might think this 21-year-old is an old soul.

Elsewhere, Haley shines on standouts like “Now That You’re Here,” “Hit The Ground Runnin’,” and the absolutely effervescent “What You Don’t Know.”

Listen Up! wasn’t crafted for Top 40 radio in 2012, but remains true to the artist at its core. And like all artists (with teams pressuring them for a product) sometimes inspirations can become too narrow or simplified, and that’s where the shine can become dull. Yet, for a debut, this is one of the strongest from the “American Idol” line.

It’s a strong start for an old soul in a new age.

Grade: B+

Download: “Liar,” “What You Don’t Know,” “Now That You’re Here,” “Undone,” “Wonderland.”

http://popquizbeat.com/2012/05/haley-rei...listen-up/

[LovinDaHaley]

LOVE IT! Going to bed now with a with a big smile. Thank you for posting that John