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Fans of Fox’s "Glee," a show about a high school show choir, can now relive the musical moments from the show’s first nine episodes by listening to "Glee: The Music, Volume 1."
While I’ve never watched more than a few minutes of "Glee," the sound track might be enough to get me hooked on the show.
Before listening to the album, one thing must be understood: These are show choir-style arrangements of popular songs and as such should not be compared heavily to the originals.
The album starts off on a high note, as the cast covers Journey’s "Don’t Stop Believin’."
The two soloists do great Steve Perry impersonations, and the supporting vocalists nail the song’s intro by singing the piano part.
"Can’t Fight This Feeling" is a nice, country tinged ballad, and while I’m not familiar with the REO Speedwagon original, the "Glee" cast does a good job with the material.
One of the album’s highlights is the cast’s cover of "Gold Digger," and even though some of the lyrics have been changed to make the song family friendly, it’s still a ton of fun to hear show choir kids singing Kanye West.
Hopefully West will let them finish because the song is a blast and features what sounds like a funky saxophone riff toward the end.
"Somebody to Love" is possibly the best song from the sound track.
While some might doubt that a television show about show choir could produce a version of "Somebody to Love" that good, "Glee" does just this and has a breathtaking cover of Queen’s classic that even Freddie Mercury would enjoy.
"Bust a Move" is another highly enjoyable tune but one that’s definitely not as good as Young MC’s original.
Next up is Neil Diamond’s classic "Sweet Caroline," and while I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the original, the "Glee" cast does an admirable cover version.
The only downside to "Sweet Caroline" is that it’s incredibly short, lasting just under two minutes and leaving out almost half of Diamond’s original song. However, that can slide a bit since it’s a cover song.
The album ends with "Defying Gravity" from the musical "Wicked."
While I’m not familiar with the musical or the original song, the cast gives another good performance, especially soloist Lea Michele.
Michele also shines on tracks like "Somebody to Love" and "Don’t Stop Believin,’" and proves to be one of the more talented cast members.
Another cast member who shines, albeit for different reasons, is Matthew Morrison who raps on "Gold Digger" and "Bust a Move."
While not a talented rapper, Morrison sounds like he’s having a great time rapping poorly and that raises the enjoyment level for listeners. Hopefully rap and hip-hop fans won’t be offended.
The song selections and arrangements on "Glee" suit the cast’s vocal talents, and the overall result is a highly enjoyable album for anyone looking for good and interesting covers of popular songs.
If nothing else, the show’s sound track might be able to win over a few new fans.
Grade: B
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