Fresher: The Musical [The Original 2011 Recording]

Date Released: November 14, 2011

Label: Paulden Productions Ltd

Time: 28:53

Music and Lyrics: Mark Aspinall

Main Singers: Gary Albert Hughes, Natasha J. Barnes, Andrew Bryant, Rebekah Hinds

1. Opening - 1/5 - This is not the way to start an album. The singers are atrocious (no vibrato, tone deaf, etc.). Also, most of the time, you can't even make out what they are saying. For example, once the song switches style, Hughes seems to be singing "So I ride....keys to my room." What he's saying in between "ride" and "keys" is completely inaudible. I don't get how they can release an album in which the first song is crap. Hopefully the rest of the album will be better.

2. That's a Sign - 2/5 - Well, I was wrong. Hinds's voice is very nasally and her accent gets in the way of her singing. It's a song you can nod your head to (for the most part, as in there are parts where it sounds like the band itself messed up the rhythm). This is one of the only songs that isn't marked "explicit." I'm not sure why. I wouldn't want an 8-year old listening to this song.

3. Nothing - 0/5 - Oh dear God. This is probably the worst showtune I have ever listened to. James Darch's voice is appalling, the time signature is wacky, and you can't even hum it. This song is called "Nothing" and that is what is shall recieve.

4. Funny - 2/5 - This song is sometimes funny, usually not. Rebekah Hinds's talking in the background completely distracts me from Andrew Bryant's voice. Not that his voice is worth listening to anyway. An attempt at a humorous song. Falls short of that.

5. Rupert's Lament - 3/5 - Hughes's voice is quite nice in this piece. His emotion fits the song perfectly. There's only one problem: The only love song on this entire album and it's horribly obscene. Not the language, but the slang. It's just bad. I feel if you replaced the lyrics, it would be a perfectly nice love song.

6. In The Club - 3/5 - This is a meh song. It changes tempo without any warning. The singing is average. Just meh. The instrumental sections are quite good and driving, though.

7. You're All The Same - 4/5 - It seems like this album is getting progressively better. This is a good jazzy song, with just the right amount of intensity. Quite pleasant.

8. The Way We Are - 2/5 - This song is very dull. There is little to no variation in the theme. Very predictable. An all around blah song.

9. Finale (The Best Years Of Our Lives) - 1/5 - Dear God. They started with a horrible song and ended with a worse one. This song is basically the cast giving you a summary of what just happened in the show. The lyrics are filthy and dumb. The beginning of the song is just the members of the cast insulting other members. The only reason I'm giving it 1/5 is because it means that the album is over.

Conclusion: I've heard some horrible albums (looking at you, Toxic Avenger) but this one trumps them all as far as bad albums go. NEVER buy this album.

2.0/5

Tears of Heaven [The Concept Recording]

Recording Date: August 6, 2010
Label: GlobalVision Records, LLC
Time: 71:18
Music: Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics: Rob Lerner
Main Singers: Linda Eder, Rob Evans, Christiane Noll, James Barbour

1. Between Heaven and Earth - 4/5 - First off, I would like to state that I have a soft spot for Frank Wildhorn and Linda Eder. But all that aside, this song, featuring Morgan James, is pretty good. Her vibrato is a bit too warbly and sometimes makes it so that she is incomprehensible. Other than that, the tempo/style change is smooth and not jarring. Very good piece.

2. Shadows On My Heart - 5/5 - Linda Eder is amazing in this song. There are very few times when her vowels fall flat. This song is a great style for her. Filled with emotion, her voice floats through the song with ease.

3. Pearl of the East - 2/5 - This song is very strange. It's kind of out of place in the album. The style is odd and the company is modulating all over the place. The key changes like nobodies business. Definitely not one of my favorites.

4. The First Time I Saw Paris - 5/5 - If I was smelling cinnamon or nutmeg and had a fire going, I would be convinced that this was a slow jazz remix of a Christmas song. This song is very good. It makes you feel warm and cozy just listening to it. Very nice.

5. The Tiger and the Dove - 3/5 - Rob Evans's is very pleasant in this song, sadly the song doesn't match. It's just all around a boring song. Nothing special about it. Very little variation. Just blah.

6. Who Can You Trust? - 4/5 - A very evil sounding song (which I like). Michael Lanning is very intense in this song, which I feel fits the song. Linda Eder, on the other hand, sounds like she is trying to match Lanning's growl, but her voice just can't do it. She should just stick to what she does best (everything else, that is).

7. Morning Comes - 3/5 - Strange, this song reminds me of something that should be in "Lion King". It sounds like a jungle tribe singing some kind of morning ritual song. I don't know, maybe I interepreted the lyrics wrong, but that's what it sounds like to me.

8. I've Never Loved Like This - 4/5 - A very nice and powerful duet between Rob Evans and Linda Eder. The pair sing very well together. Their voices fit perfectly with one another, like a puzzle.

9. Can You Hear Me? - 3/5 - This song seems lackluster. There is not a lot of emotion in this song. But seeing as though the rest of the album is very good, I shall let it slide.

10. I've Had To Learn - 4/5 - Rob Evans's driving solo. A very nice piece. He's singing about how he's had to cope with killing innocent people. I think. It definitely seems like that's what he's singing about. Anyway, quite a good song. Very dark. The only problem with it is that Evans doesn't sound like he means what he is saying. He doesn't emote very well. Which is rare, for him. He usually emotes too much.

11. The End of the World - 2/5 - Okay. First of all, this song reminds me of "Over the Moon" from Rent. THere is little instruments in the background, a complete solo, and very little melody. An overall depressing piece about the fall of Saigon. The lowest point in the album.

12. Tears of Heaven - 3/5 - The titular song (sung by Linda Eder) is not anything to shout about. It's kind of a boring song. Very little melodic quirks and variation. A blah song.

13. Moving On - 4/5 - James Barbour (who we haven't heard in a while) sings beautifully in this song. The last note of the piece sounds like something Colm Wilkinson would sing. Truly beautiful. A very heartfelt track.

14. Raining Fire - 6/5 - Yes, I know that the rating is absurb, but this song is SO FREAKIN' GOOD!!!! I listened to it about 6 times in a row! In love Frank Wildhorn's songs like this. I could compare it to "Facade" (Jekyll and Hyde) or "Madame Guillotine" (The Scarlet Pimpernel), but here Wildhorn has outdone himself. If you only listen to one song on this whole album, listen to this one.

15. Without Her - 5/5 - Forgiving the lyric "No one turns their back on me/Unless I tell them to", this song is a delicate balance of intensity and tenderness. James Barbour is powerful and hits all the high-belting notes with ease. Extremely good.

16. Sweet Song of Life - 4/5 - Quite a dainty piece. Linda Eder's voice is perfect for it. A nice love song.

17. My Confession - 3/5 - No, it's not that God-awful Usher song. Christiane Noll's voice is way too overblown and shrill in this piece. Evans's is fine, but compared to Noll, he's basically a mouse scurrying in the background. That's how loud she is. Not the best.

18. Tiger and the Dove (Finale) - 4/5 - Ending on a high note (figuratively and literally), the finale is a rare occurence when the reprise is better than the original. A good ending to a good album.

19. Tears of Heaven (Radio Mix) - N/A - Just think of the original, but with a pop music style.

20. Can You Hear Me (Radio Mix) - N/A - Same as above.


Conclusion: This album is definitely worth your money (or at least the amount of energy it takes you to click on the download link.) I highly recommend it.

 4.3/5

Download Album: http://www.mediafire.com/?c2nnxnqf3ie1jwb

Elf [Original Broadway Cast Recording]

Recording Date: October 16, 2011
Label: Ghostlight Records
Time: 47:02
Music: Matthew Sklar
Lyrics: Chad Beguelin
Main Singers: Sebastian Arcelus, Amy Spanger, Beth Leavel, Mark Jacob

1. Overture - 4/5 - This piece makes me smile. It makes me feel all warm and happy inside and also makes me feel like I'm watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Very fun and jovial.

2. Christmastown - 3/5 - The opening number is definitely a sign as to what the feeling of the whole musical will be. Christmastown is a very upbeat song, but sadly, it's quite forgettable. It doesn't stand out much.

3. World's Greatest Dad - 3/5 - Another peppy number, Arcelus is flat and nasally on his held notes and it kind of deters from the song. The lyrics are sweet and sugary, but the singing is sticky.

4. In The Way - 4/5 - This song is about the company workers dreading the Christmas rush. It's a song that will make you chuckle. The only downside to this song is that when the company joins in, it feels like they were far away from the mic when recording it. Other than that, no qualms about this one.

5. Sparklejollytwinklejingley - 2/5 - This song, although sparkley, jolly, twinkley, and jingley, falls flat. It just isn't very interesting. It feels like a song from a kid's show. Not a high point in the album.

6. I'll Believe In You - 3/5 - Finally! A song that isn't bouncy! The sad part is that the performers sing as if they were plugging their noses. It's a very odd sound. It sounds lik two girls, even though it's supposed to be between a son and his mother.

7. In The Way (Reprise) - 4/5 - A dark (well, as dark as this musical can get, at least) reprise of the above song. It's about the mounting tension between the Hobbs'.

8. Just Like Him - 4/5 - I mainly like this piece because it's one of my favorite scenes from the movie. The lyrics are funny and the secretary is deliciously sarcastic. Very good track.

9. A Christmas Song - 3/5 - Once again, another uneventful, forgettable track. Peppy, but too drawn out.

10. World's Greatest Dad (Reprise) - 3/5 - Probably the saddest song in the show. It has Buddy singing about how he let his dad down. Just like how this musical let me down.

11. Nobody Cares About Santa - 3/5 - Santa has a very weird voice. It sounds like he's trying to suppress his voice, because it would be too loud or overpowering otherwise. It guttural and odd.  The lyrics are good and witty, but the voice of Santa is muddy and strange.

12. Never Fall In Love (With An Elf) - 4/5 - This song sounds like a jazzy remix of a Christmas song. I really like it. The lyrics are a bit bland, but the mood of the song is very nice. Would definitely listen to this again.

13. There is a Santa Claus - 3/5 - Once again, the boy's nasally voice is overpowering. I believe he was in the Addams Family musical as well. I didn't really like him there either, but I try not to be biased. The song is about him believing in the jolly red giant. Happy and inspiring. Bland.

14. The Story of Buddy the Elf - 2/5 - This feels like it should be one of the first tracks, as it tells the story of, you guessed it, Edgar Allen Poe. I'm joking of course. But seriously, the song is wildly misplaced.

15. Nobody Cares About Santa (Reprise) - 3/5 - Kind of reminds me of "Oogie Boogie's Song" from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Anyway, the song is basically the exact same thing as the above track.

16. A Christmas Song (Reprise) - 3/5 - Elf's substitute for a love ballad. It's a slow reprise of the above song. Feels a bit too slow after listening to all this upbeat music.

17. Finale - 4/5 - Well, at least they end on a high note (not literally). It's a reprise of "Sparklejollytwinklejingley", just not labeled as such. Just like the finale in Les Miz is just a reprise of "Do You Hear The People Sing?" Not bad.

Conclusion: This musical is so saccharine, sticky sweet it makes my teeth hurt. There are some good songs in it. It will definitely cheer you up when you're feeling down.

3.2/5

Download Album: https://rs991dt.rapidshare.com/#!download|991dt|3187014450|VA-Elf-TheBroadwayMusical-320kps-320kps.rar|118791|R~AB81344EF5F26489C4E8867614606AF9|0|0