MGF Reviews Curtain Call, Vol. 1: New Songs from Past American Idol Finalists

Reviews


Curtain Call, Vol. 1: New Songs from Past American Idol Finalists
Artists’ Addiction Records / Rocket Science (2/05/08)
Pop / Rock

Don’t be deceived by the cheesy cover art, this isn’t a “best of” or “artist interpretation” collection; these are past members of the American Idol casts performing new songs. A lot of these names are unrecognizable to me, especially those from the early seasons. The collection is offered exclusively through Wal-Mart and iTunes, and the first volume features Idol veterans Jon Peter Lewis, Ryan Starr, A.J. Tabaldo and Stevie Scott.

Ryan Starr, who kicks off the album with “My Religion” was a top-10 finalist in American Idol‘s first season, and definitely has a rock edge to her. She could be easily compared to Pat Benatar and MorrisonPoe, and should record a full album because she has the vocal prowess to captivate audiences, though I’d like to see it happen on her own terms instead of a compilation. I’d love to hear her own music if she’s willing to take the risk.

AJ Tabaldo was one of the top-24 finalists on Season 6 and I have to give him credit, as he wrote all his songs. I enjoy that because I can’t tell if these songs were handed to these singers, or if they had a choice or any emotional investment in these songs. At least Tabaldo seems to have had some artistic control. He has a pleasant voice in “Let You Go”, and I could see him doing decently on the pop scene if paired with the right producers. This song has the best chance of being a commercial success for this record, especially out of the three pop songs he contributed.

I don’t know who Jon Peter Lewis is, but I was glad to hear his voice even though “Boy Next Door” sounded more like it should be covered by a lead in a rock/pop boy band. Jon’s got some great talent, and I loved “Gypsy Queen”, because for a moment, it sounds like he could take it in a more British rock direction. Then, Jon surprises me again with “Man from Amsterdam” as if he’s a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and pulls it off pretty nicely. I like Jon’s vocals and I’ll be looking into his 2006 full-length album, Stories from Hollywood.

Finally, Stevie Scott, a top-24 Idol finalist in Season 5, has the retro pop/soul music market cornered on her material from this release. I enjoy this genre, and I think Scott would be a greater opener for Toby Lightman, Michelle Branch or Colbie Caillat, as long as she continues to cut records like “Know Better Next Time”. Scott is the best storyteller on this album, and has a lot of potential to grow as an artist.

I do hope this album helps the careers of these artists where they can take their talent in their own chosen artistic directions, instead of capitalizing even more on the Idol empire. In all honesty, Curtain Call is something I would have expected to see pushed in an infomercial at 2 in the morning when I couldn’t sleep. Is this an album I’d buy without previewing the songs first on iTunes? No, but you should be able to find songs from all these artists that you can purchase separately if you want.

Rating: 1 star1 star