NBC's The Sing Off -- Episode 4

On tonight's episode of NBC's The Sing Off we inch one step closer to crowning a winner of the second season of this surprisingly entertaining a cappella music competition.  Don't let the short season mislead you, this is a terrific show with a wide range of talented groups showing how much you can do with just your voice and a well-positioned microphone (not unlike that guy in all those Police Academy movies).

The five remaining teams are remarkably different in style and make-up going from the let's-put-on-a-show excitement of the campy and fun University of Oregon's On the Rocks to the where's-my-walker calm of the Early Bird special eating Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town.  The Backbeats are a mixed marriage of former Bruins and Trojans trying to show the Middle East how peace is achieved: through music and choreography, apparently.  The last two teams are my personal favorites, the Gospel-singing Committed whose sexy vocals have them more in touch with their sinner, rather than saintly, side, and the good ol' Southern boys Street Corner Symphony.

Tonight five teams will compete for the three spots in the final.  After each team sings a medley of songs from an iconic music act, one will be eliminated and the remaining four will then perform the judge's choice song with one more team cut before the public voting begins.  At least, that was what was supposed to happen.  But in the spirit of rules were made to be broken, also known as, how were we supposed to know that the Backbeats would rock their last song, all four teams made it to the finals.  More on that in a bit.  Time for the show.

The five groups joined for an opening so underwhelming that at first I couldn't remember what they sang.  It was one of my least favorite Beatles' songs, With a Little Help from My Friends, and not just because of the Socialist sentiment in the title.  They sounded fine, the granddaddy of the competition Jerry Lawson had a nice moment, but it wasn't their best group performance. 

What was entertaining, though, was the Elton John medley by the group from the University of Oregon, On the Rocks.  They were fun, highlighted three different singers, and handled the transitions from the Bitch is Back to Bennie and the Jets to Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me with aplomb.  The standout performance was by the third singer who has the strongest voice in the group and delivered a heartfelt performance.  I loved the choreography and if you got points for moving that many guys around a relatively small stage without bumping into one another, they would have sailed on to the next round.


The sweet-faced Gospel group Committed went naughty once again, taking on an Usher medley.  I was unfamiliar with the songs, so I couldn't say whether they were accurate reflections of the originals, but I can say that those guys killed it!  I don't know what kind of a church they go to, but sign me up, because there was fire and passion in those performances.  They have some of the purest voices I've ever heard, even when signing in a provocative, smoldering style.  Amen!


Next up were my personal favorites, Street Corner Symphony, taking on my favorite group, the Fab Four.  A can't miss combination?  Not so much.  As smooth and seamless as the transitions between Elton John's three songs were in the preceding performance, that's how clunky the transition from the moody, somber Eleanor Rigby to the bouncy Help! felt.  I was worried for their longevity in the competition at the beginning of Help!, but they pulled it together and the next segment, Hey Jude, reminded me of why I love this group in the first place.  Excellent lead vocals by Jeremy Lister, well supported by the remaining five who took on backing vocals and instruments that blended beautifully to one wall of sound.


The Backbeats, the quickly slapped together supergroup of USC and UCLA alums, surprised me in a good way with their take on Lady Gaga.  They featured three different girls on lead vocals and the blonde who took on Poker Face, was a surprise. This team, that I ripped on for the first few blog posts, has really come into its own.  Maybe they just needed more time together or maybe it was my insightful suggestion that their designated lead tone down her angst and start enunciating.  Whatever it was, they're now in this competition.


Finally, the ringers in the contest, Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town.  You thought I was going to make another hackneyed old person's joke here about how they sing a cappella because when they were younger, instruments hadn't been invented yet or how they think hip hop is the answer to "what has been replaced and what can you no longer do?"  But no.  These guys, ready for their cameo in the upcoming Tyler Perry's Medea Goes to the Senior Center, are pretty inspiring.  They are talented singers and savvy stage performers and, after listening to their fellow WWII baby Paul McCartney weakly warble and croak his way through last week's SNL, I have to give it to them.  They took on one of the best singers ever, Otis Redding, and did a terrific job.  No joke.


With those five performances the judges had a difficult time, but ultimately bid a fond farewell to the large contingent from Oregon who lived up to their YouTube hype and gave many entertaining performances.  Next it was judge's choice.  And, unlike on American Idol, being the favorite did not bring with it your own spotlight, backing choir, or fairy dust that keeps people from hearing when you are off key.  But I digress.

For Committed the judges chose Let's Stay Together.  It was a great choice, having the Gospel group do a song by the now Reverend Al Green and the guys showed their amazing depth and breadth of talent by having five of the six take a turn on the lead, moving from vocalist to vocalist with impeccable perfection (redundant, but accurate!).  The middle guy in particular has such a pure, crystaline voice in the upper register, he just blows me away.


Street Corner Symphony took on the fathers of Swamp Rock, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Down on the Corner.  Not a favorite CCR song and, as much as I loved John Fogerty, he was not what I would call a talented vocalist.  The fact that a guy from Oakland managed to sound like he'd never spent a minute above the Mason-Dixon line was impressive, but he would not have been asked to join his high school's glee club.  Having said that, the percussion on the song was flawless, the vocals were better than the original, and they did the most with a so-so song.


Now, let's revisit some of my earlier comments about the lead singer of theBackbeats.  I think I suggested that she go to the doctor to have him pulverize the kidney stone that was causing her so much pain as she sang.  Then I think I mentioned she should stop preparing for her upcoming role as Demosthenes and remove the marbles from her mouth.  Well, all's forgotten!  She sang the hell out of Fleetwood Mac's Landslide.  It was a revelation.  Someone should snap her up immediately.  She blew Stevie Nicks out of the water.  And the rest of the group?  Spectacular.   As soon as you can download that, do it. 

Last up was Jerry Lawson and the sexagenarian quintet.  They sang House of the Rising Sun by the Animals and it was great, but I was still catching my breath after having all I believed in crushed in ninety seconds of musical heaven. 


My guess is that the judges were all prepared to say goodbye to the Backbeats and send the other three to next week's final, but they were so blown away by the Backbeats' stellar performances tonight they couldn't cut them.  So instead of three all four teams were passed along to the public's vote.  Yep, it's now your turn.  But, in a move that should be embraced by all shows that don't want their outcome determined by some twelve year old with nimble fingers and no homework, only ten votes per voting method. 

You can call or text (again, up to 10 votes for each method used) from now until Sunday, December 19 at 9 am Eastern. Here are the numbers:


Committed: 1-877-6-Sing-01 or Text "1" to 97979

Street Corner Symphony: 1-877-6-Sing-02 or Text "2" to 97979

The Backbeats: 1-877-6-Sing-03 or Text "3" to 97979

Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town: 1-877-6-Sing-04 or Text "4" to 97979

The winner will be revealed live Monday at 8 pm.  If you're setting your DVR, program it to run an extra half hour.

So who to vote for?  This is a tough one and it comes down to Committed and Street Corner Symphony for me.  Both of these groups have the talent to make a great record.  But since Street Corner Symphony is most likely to record in a genre that I'd actually listen to, I think they're getting all my votes.  But if I were casting for GLEE, I'd grab that girl from the Backbeats fast before someone else gets her.   She's actually pretty good.

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NBC's The Sing Off -- Episode 3

On tonight's episode six teams competed for five remaining slots.  In case you went to school in the U.S., ranked 25th out of 34 participating countries in Math scores, that meant one team would be kicked off the show. But not leaving us tonight is the best judging panel ever: Ben Folds, Nicole Sherzinger and Shawn Stockman. They should be forced to judge every other singing competition show out there. They are knowledgeable, articulate and (with the glaring obsession of their mad love for the "isn't it cute what they can do at their age?" Jerry Lawson group) fair.

The show opened with all the groups singing together and though they chose a powerful, rousing song -- Green Day's 21 Guns -- it came off more anemic than anthemic. Then former boy band hearthrob and ex Mr. Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, introduced the theme for tonight's competition.  Each group would get two songs, one "epic rock" and one a "guilty pleasure." 

The LA-based, self-described supergroup The Backbeats opened with Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name.  Now, I have been complaining repeatedly about the lead singer who acts as if every note is a life-or-death proposition, so I was glad to see someone else step up to take the helm.  That was until I realized that she was going to make the other singer look good by comparison.  The vocals were thin and weak and lacked the intensity of the original.  Then it occurred to me that she was also the lead in 21 Guns.  Rock is not your forte, dear.

My favorite Street Corner Symphony was up next.  There are only six guys, but when they split the $100,000 prize they'll be happy there weren't more guys in the group.  They chose Radiohead's Creep, a daring choice.  Thom Yorke is a little i idol and genius and this is such an iconic song, you can only be compared to the original.  So when Jeremy Lister ended up killing the song (in a very good way) it was even more amazing.  His vocals were insane, sick, ridiculous.  He took a huge chance and it paid off big time.  And he was backed up by an amazing band that you forgot for a while were just a bunch of guys using only their voices.




Other highlights from the rock round were the thorn in my side, Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town.  I don't like that they are competing as amateurs as if they don't already have a bunch of songs out there -- I just put a link to one of their MP3 downloads in the preceding sentence.  They are ringers and Jerry in particular has been doing exactly this kind of music longer than I've been alive -- and that's a really long time, I hate to admit.  Having said all that, I loved their performance of Satisfaction.  It was fun, entertaining, cute and silly.  They went for it and put a smile on all but the most cynical person's faces.

Another fun performance came, unsurprisingly, from the college boys of On the Rocks.  Their take on Pour Some Sugar on Me was far more amusing than it was musically successful, but it sure got the audience going.  Fun choreography. 

Painfully bad was Groove for Thought's butchering of one of my favorite David Bowie songs, Changes.  Do not try and put a jazzy spin on a great rock song.  In fact, here's a newsflash -- jazz is dead.  At least on the charts and on the radio.  But I'm sure in some smoky room filled with beret wearing people who can't seem to straighten out their necks, jazz is still popular.  But not for the rest of us with ears. So please, stop.  Here's the original, to cleanse my ears from the abomination they just witnessed:



My other favorite group, Committed, did not embrace the rock genre and had their weakest performance to date.  The committed a cardinal sin -- taking on the Police.  You don't cover Every Breath You Take and you certainly don't approach the song like it is anything but the insidious, spooky, creepy song it is.  The guy is a stalker, there's nothing bouncy or fun in those lyrics.  They turned it into a cha-cha.  Just...no.  I'd like to just forget that it ever happened and go back to my happy place were these sweet-faced gospel singers can do no wrong. 

The next round of songs lived up to the title guilty pleasures because, with rare exceptions, they were all better, dare I say more pleasurable, performances than the first round.  The Backbeats came out in sherbet colored outfits and nailed the silly fun of the B-52's signature Love Shack.  They were campy and over the top and yet still musically on point.  Complete with "tin roof...rusted" exuberance, it was their best performance by a mile. 



Street Corner Symphony did Come On Eileen originally made famous by Dexy's Midnight Runners -- and no I knew who sang the original without being told because KROQ played that song 450,000 times one summer.  I wish they had gone for the rolled-up overalls to complete the homage, but sartorial choices aside, it was a good performance.  I wasn't as blown away as the judges, but they did show their vocal flexibility and variety.

Groove for Thought sang and turned a song I didn't like -- You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall and Oates -- even more painful to listen to.  But that quickly faded to memory as the Oregon boys  On the Rocks put on their best vocal performance to date with what was supposed to be the silly, guilty pleasure song Kyrie.  Instead, they brought out a new lead singer who elevated this cheesy song and made you forget all about the redundantly named Mr. Mister and the original embarrassingly-bloated version.  This was a standout performance and did what the judges asked them to do -- move them from entertainers to artists.

Also rebounding was Committed.  They took on the Backstreet Boys' I Want it That Way and this time they brought the beautiful harmonies and the rich variety of voices that makes them the group with the most depth.  They were a bit sloppy in places and they need a little direction to keep them from straying too far from the melody, but the have the most pure voices in the competition.

The jazzy group was dismissed, as was only right and proper, and we are left with five strong groups.  I will note, however, that the guy who sang their swan song was the best singer in the bunch and had he been given a lead perhaps I wouldn't have been sticking pins in their voodoo dolls.  No, as long as they went jazzy, I was going to go stabby.

Handicapping the rest, I still put Street Corner Symphony in the lead -- they have the best combination of strong voices, great blending of sounds, and traditional a cappella tools of any of the remaining groups.  The Backbeats are the most vulnerable as they have only shined with a heavy dose of kitsch -- when they sing straight, they're just not strong enough.  And we know that the fix is in forJerry Lawson and the oldsters, although the why is beyond me.  Perhaps the powers that be think the way to combat illegal downloading of music is to only sign artists whose fans lack computers??  But with a fan base that is too old to remember the name of the group by the time they pass by the WalMart greeter on the way to the CD section, I don't think it's a wise business decision.

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NBC's The Sing Off -- Episode 2

If you're not watching The Sing Off you're missing more orgasms than in the entire Linda Lovelace oeuvre.  The only difference is these expressions of intense excitement and are for real.  Some of the talent in this a cappella music contest is so exquisite that the judges, and the audience, just can't help themselves but get caught up in the moment. 

Who knew you could do so much with just your voice?  That is the premise behind the no-instrument, all a cappella talent show, now in its second season.  Down to eight teams, the show opened with a joint production of Kings of Leon's Use Somebody.  There was not a sour note in the bunch and as the camera went from solo to solo it was impossible not to be awed by having so much raw talent on one stage. 

As if reading my mind, the song opened with singers from my two favorite groups, Street Corner Symphony and Committed.  You can stop the competition now and just have these two groups perform for the rest of the series and I'd be fine.  But judge Shawn Stockman would probably need therapy, or have to be put in traction, because Committed does something to him that is very special and should probably be on a cable channel much, much later at night.

The strange thing this show does to my TV is it brings people outside the seemingly requisite 16-25 pop demographic on my screen, making the revolutionary argument that you can have talent regardless of age or relative hotness.  So oldie McOldster Jerry Lawson and the so uncool he's cool teacher from Groove for Thought rocked their solos as did the cute and young singer from the high school group Eleventh Hour.

The theme for the night was to put a new spin on a popular song from the past five years, and this they did.  The University of Oregon goofsters opened withLive Your Life by T.I. and Rhianna and it was cute and they showed that they could rap without completely embarrassing themselves, but I yearned for a Randy Jackson "it was just a-ight for me, dawg" because it left me underwhelmed.  They're funny and entertaining, which is not to be minimized, but they're a little lacking on vocal pipes.  By the way, did you notice how they all seemed sunburned?  Does the sun never shine in Oregon?  NBC, chip in for some SPF 50 for these guys.

Next were Street Corner Symphony and they took on Train's Hey, Soul Sister which has been played and covered to death.  So the fact that I loved this performance is even more unexpected.  But the sweet, crystalline vocals of their lead Jeremy Lister supported by just five other dudes that fill the stage with beautiful harmonies and intricate percussion is a marvel.  Then they broke out another lead singer, energetic bald guy, who really rocked his part. 


The youngest group, Eleventh Hour, performed followed by the oldest, Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town.  Eleventh Hour is really all about the cute blonde lead -- she's a star in the making.  They were sent packing which is for the best because now she won't be saddled with her responsibilities to her classmates and can go do her own thing.  The rest of the group is just there and I'm imagining her using this tape for her college apps when she'll have a chance to drop these losers and head for the big time. 

Jerry Lawson is similarly the star of his group, yet the others have the talent to back him up.  Their take on Duffy's Mercy was solid, but I wasn't as wowed as the judges.  The problem I have with this group is that it doesn't fulfill my concept of a cappella which is making the band sound like more than just voices.  Talk of the Town is a great 50s-era bebop, doowop or some other nonsense syllable sounding group.  But it's not inventive or new or anything anyone really wants to listen to.  It's stunt casting.

Lest this seem like a musical love fest, I cannot believe the judges put through The Backbeats, the so called supergroup made up of former rival Trojans and Bruins.  Now I have to sit through another week of their lead singer's uber serious, constipated, mush mouthed singing.  If she could just find a consonant and spit it out the way it is indicated in her local dictionary, I'd be eternally grateful.  If she could do it without looking as if she were passing a kidney stone, that would be even better.  Please, get off my TV.

Back to unicorns, puppies and ice cream.  Committed was up next and watching them is the closest I've ever come to wanting to convert.  They have so much talent, it almost hurts to listen to them. They sang Apologize by OneRepublic and it was transcendent.  I didn't want it to end.  It was so powerful and emotional and meaningful, it was a great way to help you locate your heart.  Why something grabs musically you and doesn't let go is a mystery, but you know it when you feel it.  And when they sing, I feel it.


It was unfair for any group to have to follow them, but the teachers of Groove for Thought did a great job -- sadly in a musical genre I'm not a huge fan of.  They sang Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner and were all jazzy cool and the lead singer has a smooth, silky voice.  But it just wasn't for me.

Last up were Yale's The Whiffenpoofs and it's a good thing their have their trust funds and Ivy League education to fall back on because they were woefully out of touch about what this show is about.  They took a boring song, Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Buble, and sang it well but without any flair or elan (with their 800 Verbal SAT scores, I figured they'd know that word).  One of their leads actually sounded like a budding Pavarotti -- not exactly current.  They were schooled by the state school Ducks who showed that, unfortunately, entertaining is more important than singing (maybe the show's name should be changed?).  So the talented, but less dynamic, Elis were shown the door.

With one of my favorites gone (as I predicted in my first post) I still have two in the running -- Street Corner Symphony and Committed.  Come back next week and we'll see how they did.

John Lennon (10-9-40 - 12-8-80)

I'm basically a rational person. I have no trouble with reality and try to avoid using euphemisms for things or pretend things are as I want them not as they are or any of the other defensive devices our psyches may come up with to deal with unpleasant truths. Except in this one case. I still cannot face that John Lennon is dead. Even writing that causes my heart to speed up and the urge to hit the backspace button is overwhelming.

I'm in denial.

I find it unfathomable that a nobody, a boil on the backside of humanity, could snuff out the life of one of the most vibrant people to have walked the planet. One of just a few people to have literally changed the world, and one of an even smaller percentage who changed it for the better, should not be dead at the hands of someone so insignificant that he literally blended into the background even as he was plotting his deadly act.

I can't face it.

I can't watch the many video celebrations of John Lennon's life. I can't listen to his interviews, especially those that came upon the release of the album Double Fantasy that was supposed to mark Lennon's return to public life but instead signified the beginning of the end. Knowing that had he not released this album the insane impostor who wanted to be him would not have have the desire or opportunity to carry out his deadly plan, is too painful to contemplate.

Yet I know that Lennon would want his music shared -- especially the songs from this album of which he was so proud. He would want his words heard and his message conveyed. He was as open and honest a songwriter as there ever has been -- he never shied away from pain or harsh truths (just listen to Mother if you think he was capable of sugarcoating). So to honor him today I will try and face the truth. He lived, he shared his incalculably enormous talent with us, and he died.

Today we celebrate the music John Lennon made and gave to us just before he had to leave us.









Rolling Stone has released the never-before-heard final interview John Lennon gave.  Full coverage is availavble on their website here.  I can't listen to it yet.  Still in denial.

NBC's The Sing Off -- Season 2 Premiere Recap

I know this places me firmly in the demographic group along with cat owners and crocheters, but I enjoyed The Sing Off, NBC's mini summer series last year.  Ten a cappella groups of various regions, ages, genres and backgrounds, competing to see who was the most entertaining and least in need of accompaniment.  While I disagreed with America's choice (not unlike Seasons 8 and 9 of American Idol and the 2008 US Presidential election), I enjoyed the path we took to get there.

This year there are ten new teams against demonstrating that the only unifying feature is the fact that none of them had to learn an instrument.  The teams range in age from the high schoolers Eleventh Hour from Columbus, Ohio, to the members of Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town from Oakland, CA, who stopped off on their way to the early bird special at IHOP.  The progeny of the world's first collegiate a cappella team was there in the starched shirts and white gloves of uber-exclusive Yale's Whiffenpoofs.  Competing against them were viral video sensations On the Rocks, from the "lower-SAT scores are welcome" University of Oregon.  There were two teams carrying the redemption story, with both the afore-mentioned Lawson and Jeremy Lister of Street Corner Symphony seeking to reclaim past musical glory.

Back behind the judges' table were Ben Folds, Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman -- all three of whom have more musical knowledge and are better able to articulate their opinions than the last group of judges on American Idol.  They split the ten competing teams into groups of five and eliminated one team from each group -- the public need not weigh in at this phase.

The first group had On the Rocks, Eleventh Hour, Groove for Thought, Pitch Slapped and Jerry Lawson et al.  I thought On the Rocks had the best overall performance with a repeat of their YouTube sensation -- Lady Gaga's Bad Romance.  It was cute, it was kitschy, it was fun.  The judges did not love it and they even channeled Randy Jackson by referencing certain pitch problems which I think are besides the point when you have over a dozen dudes pretending to be Monsters. 

I also liked the group from the Berklee College of Music (which they called the Ivy League of music schools, causing the Whiffenpoofs to sue for trademark infringement).  First, they had the punniest name with Pitch Slapped and they were all ridiculously multi-talented, singing a song my daughter would have loved, Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship.  C'mon, points for introducing them to a new audience. Second, they rocked it.  Their vocals were spot on, they had energy, they incorporated a lot of variety, and they entertained.  Loved them.  So, of course, they were the first group eliminated.

Instead, the judges became nearly apoplectic lavishing praise on the oldsters for singing exactly like they would have fifty years ago.  They didn't stretch out of their comfort zone or do anything new, but they were really old and made the judges feel better for ignoring granny and putting her in that smelly home.  They also inexplicably liked Groove for Thought, comprised of music teachers and one of their daughters (and for the first time the phrase "father-daughter" made me squirm) doing a passable job on an old Stevie Wonder classic.  Perhaps they thought they were voting for the song and not the performance?

The second group opened with the nattily attired Whiffenpoofs, a supergroup of seniors culled from the other Yale a cappella groups.  They looked stiff and silly, then they broke out with Grace Kelly.  Seriously.  They were over the top and weird and wonderful.  They apparently have perfect pitch, or they're cyborgs, because they sounded amazing, but they were also funny (something I thought Yale beat out of you if you stayed all four years) and entertaining.  Huzzah, boys.

If I hadn't already loved the scraggly, relaxed sextet from Nashville, Street Corner Symphony, from their pre-performance video, I would have fallen hard once I heard they were doing Tears for Fears.  One of the most underrated bands of the 80s, I'm thrilled any time I have a chance to hear anyone sing their songs (rememberAdam Lambert's version of Mad World?  Mesmerizing!).  The lead singer of the group had been through the music industry ringer, record and album and watch it die, and this was his last chance at fame.  I don't know if this is the show that will give it to him, but he and his group really moved me with their performance of Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

The last group to perform was Committed and with their introduction as a gospel group that is relatively unfamiliar with music out of the god-genre, I was concerned.  But they not only chose an unexpectedly ungospel song, This Love by Maroon 5, but they sang the hell out of it (if I can say that without being sent there as punishment).   I was far less impressed with the so-called supergroup from Cali, The Backbeats, whose lead singer sounded like an East German speed skater with a mouth full of marbles for much of Beyonce's If I Were A Boy.  But they were spared and it was Men of Note, a New Jersey based all men's group, who sped through the Billy Joel song For the Longest Time perhaps realizing how not good it was. 

We saw and heard snippets of next week's songs and it looks like the groups will all be stretching themselves more creatively and that should make for a good show.  I'm looking most forward to the Street Corner Symphony, the Whiffenpoofs, and Committed which means, with my track record on backing talent show contestants, you should not expect to see any of them in the finals.

Review of Farmer's Daughter by Crystal Bowersox

Crystal Bowersox' post-American Idol debut "Farmer's Daughter" is available to listen in full here at the AOL listening party.  Expectations were high because Crystal was such a force to be reckoned with on the TV talent show and anyone with ears realized she was immensely talented.  Could her first record live up to the promise?  It could and it did.

The album opens with the rousing country-pop, Ridin’ with the Radio. I was surprised because I never thought of Crystal as a country singer, but she does a great job. It’s bouncy, it’s fun, and, in appropriate Crystal fashion, it basically challenges you. Keep an open mind, she says, give this a fair listen. Okay, point taken.

For What it’s Worth was an unnecessary cover. It doesn’t improve on the original and it fails to use Crystal’s ample gifts well. Her vocals do nothing to elevate the song and it lost the urgency it had when it first was released. The music overpowers the song and demonstrates the "less is more" adage.  But it is the one and only dark spot on this otherwise illuminating record.

Farmer’s Daughter is the title song. It’s her signature song, it’s her life story, it’s her connection to the audience. She’s in her element when she’s allowed to sing from her heart and not forced into a particular musical genre. This is a Crystal song, not folk, rock, country or anything else.  She wears her heart on her sleeve and can be both tough and vulnerable at the same time. 

Holy Toledo is the highlight of the record.  Passionate, heartfelt and beautiful, it's hard to imagine that this song wasn't enough to get her a record contract and that she had to jump through the American Idol hoops to get noticed.  Her voice goes from angelic to fervent, she shows range both vocally and emotionally that separates her from the pop chanteuse du jour.  This is real and raw and if it were on an old LP, it would be worn down smooth in no time.

Lonely Won't Come Around is catchy, but a little too pop for me, somewhat aural cotton candy.  But her vocals are strong and assured.   I could have done without On the Run and Kiss Ya.  There's nothing wrong with these songs, her voice is great, but the songs just are flimsy, unsubstantial and perhaps I expect more from Crystal.  It may not be fair, but when you can write Holy Toledo, songs that could be on Sugarland's next CD pale by comparison. 

About the time you hear Hold On you decide that democracy was a good idea.  One man, one vote.  Not one prepubescent teen, a gazillion votes. There is no reason that Crystal lost to Lee DeWyze if the criteria was talent.  Her voice is strong, clear, vibrant, mutable.  All of the accolades and attention that came her way early in the contest were actually well deserved.  This song, and FWIW, were the only songs not penned by Crystal, but it fits neatly with the other songs and shows that Kara DioGuardi (the co-writer) can knock out a catchy ditty and that Crystal can take a pop song and transform it.

Speak Now is a great bluesy number where Crystal gets full use of her smoky vocals.  It's also refreshing to hear a song go old school -- was that a real guitar solo?  So retro.  A song that takes it's time and creates atmosphere.  In Mine All Mine Crystal goes into a falsetto that is really pretty and tender and helps make this a really beautiful love song.

Crystal's husband Brian Walker co-wrote the song Mason, named after her son.  Their duet is sweet and a nice throwback to the singer-songwriters of the 1970s.  Brian's vocals are not as solid as his better half, but if your heart is still pumping, you can't resist the lyrics and their meaning.

The ballad Arlene closes out the record.  It's more the Crystal we expected, stripped down instrumentation, her voice conveying every range of emotion.  I don't know if this or any of the other slower songs is what radio programmers will jump at, but anyone who appreciates good, honest, heartfelt music should revel in her efforts to bring back the folk troubadour as an important part of mainstream music.

Crystal Bowersox has put together a great debut showing range and talent that belie her second place finish.  This is a winner of an album with at least three songs that should be remembered long after the TV show that launched her fades from memory.