The third time is the charm. After less than stellar albums from Matthew Morrison and Mark Salling, a “Glee” star finally managed to release a decent album. To the surprise of no one, Lea Michele will be the first “Glee” cast member to release a successful mainstream debut with “Louder.”
Vocally, Michelle knocks it out of the park. She can sing, but after five seasons of singing covers and hitting high notes on “Glee,” that was expected. Lyrically, she could use some work.
Michele’s singles were kind of disappointing. “Cannonball” is bright and uplifting but didn’t quite work for a first single. It seems like someone wanted to use Sia Furler’s songwriting credit (known for her song “Breathe Me” and Flo Rida’s “Wild One”) to validate Michele as more than just the girl on “Glee.” Honestly, it could be a decent song, but Michele’s weird pronunciation of the word ‘cannonball’ is so irritating that I can’t focus on anything else. She grew up in Tenafly, NJ and Bronx, NY; there is no way that she naturally says “cah-nun-bowl.”
The real issue with the first songs released before the album dropped is that someone really wants to show Leas as the broken girl dealing with boyfriend Cory Monteith’s death. Monteith died in July, after Michele finished her album, of a drug overdose. Of course, that has to be a massive part of her life right now, but that isn’t the strength of the album. Only two songs were added after Monteith’s passing (“Cannonball” and “If You Say So”), and it was supposed to be a dance pop album. The best songs aren’t about loss and moving on; they’re about love and not letting go.
The second track on the album might be the best. “On My Way” is the pop anthem that could be blowing up airwaves in the near future. The hook is irresistible and makes my body need to dance. It’s about ignoring logic and following your heart, and it’s the exact opposite of the singles Michele has released thus far. It’s definitely the strongest song.
“Battlefield” comes next. It’s a great ballad, but not good enough to be the second single released. The song, though written before her boyfriend’s death, puts Michele in the victim spotlight again. “You and I have got to let each other go. What seemed like a good idea now seems like a battlefield. Peace will come when one of us puts down the gun.” It’s a pretty ballad and it showcases her voice.
Yet, I was relieved when that track led into another dance anthem, “Louder.” Michele sings, “Turn it up, I know you can. Why don’t you scream a little louder?” she sings (I did say the album’s lyrics left a lot to be desired). Michele’s producers created a great beat and killer hooks that could easily make this a great club song.
Her producers are playing with her voice, though. I have mixed feelings about this. It doesn’t sound like they’re auto-tuning, but they are layering and adding effects that are just unnecessary. It doesn’t contribute anything to the quality. It just makes her sound more like every other pop star instead of showcasing her powerhouse vocal ability. Granted, she wants to prove she can do more than Broadway and show her versatility as a pop artist; However, adding effects to her voice seems to only prove the talent of her producers.
The rest of the album basically follows the trend laid out before without any real standouts. It deals the extreme happiness or extreme sadness, and it’s just a little inconsistent. It doesn’t tell a story. Maybe albums don’t always need to tell a story in the world of buying songs individually, but it’s still better when they do. The weird aspect of “Louder” is that it feels like it could be a story, but someone put it on shuffle. There is no cohesive order in any way, lyrically or musically.
The closing tracks of the album, “Empty Handed” and “If You Say So,” emphasize the disconnect of the album. Christina Perri penned the song “Empty Handed,” which is relatively hopeful. “All I’ve ever known is how to hide a secret, but I’m tired of going on without believing. And love is not illusion, love illuminates bright.” The orchestration is really beautiful (typical for Perri) and sort of reminds me of Coldplay’s “Yellow.” The song is about accepting love and immediately following is “If You Say So,” which Michele co-wrote with Furler about Monteith’s last words to her.
The only track Michele wrote will get the most attention, but it’s probably one of the weakest songs. She isn’t a writer. “You said I love you girl/I said I love you more/And a breath, a pause, you said, if you say so,” she sings. It isn’t bad, but it really isn’t spectacular. It was buried at the end of the album for a reason. It is heartbreaking, though. Michele conveys a lot of emotion in her voice and this song and throughout the album, which really helps the lackluster songwriting.
Overall, it’s an okay album, but Michele can do better. It’s a valiant first effort, but I’m more excited to see what she’ll change on her second album.
PHOTO TAKEN from rollingstone.com
