Artist: Glee Cast
Album: Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
Label: Columbia
Release Date: April 19
Grade: A
For Gleeks, life could not get any better than this. Having to YouTube favorite Glee performances just to hear the Warblers sing, or searching past episodes on the DVR to listen to a Blaine and Kurt duet is no longer necessary.
The Dalton Academy Warblers, a male a cappella group featured on Fox's Glee, now has it's own album. Soloists Blaine (Darren Criss) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) cover 13 well-known songs with the help of the rest of the Warblers creating the background music. All the songs were featured on episodes from the second season of Glee.
First on the album is Criss' strong, smooth voice performing Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." It could have been a strange concept having a male lead on this upbeat love hit, but the change is surprisingly enjoyable.
Each song found on the album has been a chart topper. Along with "Teenage Dream," the Warblers also sing "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train, "Animal" by Neon Trees, and "Raise Your Glass" by Pink, among others.
The most unusual track that appears on this album is "Bills, Bills, Bills" by Destiny's Child. As one of the female group's most well-known songs, it's about a girl who is fed up with her boyfriend taking advantage of her bank account. Sung by the all male a cappella group, the meaning becomes a bit jumbled.
The most amazing part of this album is that it allows the listener to get caught up in the music. Even the slower songs like "Somewhere Only We Know" and "Candles" have immense energy. Most of this comes from the background music; listeners can easily forget that this is an a cappella group due to how real and strong they make the beats sound.
Unfortunately, Colfer does not get his solo on the album until track eight. This hinders the album because after listening to Criss for seven songs, Colfer does not sound nearly as strong. It throws the album off until Criss returns to the lead for "Raise Your Glass," two songs later.
Even though the album could have a more thought out track order, the Warblers present a cappella at its best on the album. There's no way Sue Sylvester can throw a slushy at this Glee masterpiece.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
