To study the album art of Katharine McPhee's epynonymous debut album is to quickly understand her desire to chase away the prom queen that we fell in love with watching her on American Idol and to replace it with a truly marketable star. Indeed, in her first full-length release since seeing her concede the reality show crown to the inferior Taylor Hicks (can you see McPhee absolutely mugging it for the cameras in a Ford commercial?), McPhee has decided to show herself as a mature performer. And while the results on the album are often in step with the image, the choice of songs to represent her show that she still has room to grow.
The album quickly rattles off infectious, R&B-infused pop numbers "Love Story" and "Over It," allowing McPhee to showcase the personality that turned KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" into a national phenomenon. The backing track of "Love Story," in particular, is a hook that's difficult to deny. To her credit, McPhee seems in her element singing this kind of music, showing as much fun in her voice as the public should have listening to the music. At the same time, McPhee does little to differentiate herself from singers like Fergie in songs like "Dangerous," riding club-friendly grooves into an easy, almost mailed-in performance.
The ballad queen McPhee does show up in a few tracks, notably "Home" and "Ordinary World." Her breathy delivery at the beginning of "Ordinary World" builds into full-out belting mode with such comfort and confidence that it's easy to remember how easily she seduced us over the airwaves.
At its heart, the album is the very definition of guilty pleasure pop. "Open Toes," for instance, is an awful, cheesy song by most standards, but you just know it's going to be a monster hit this summer. That cheesiness does have its ugly side, though, as "Do What You Do" throws the album off track to a point that it can't recover. "Neglected" is a clunky pseudo-ballad that, put up against any songs from the front of the album, doesn't even seem like it's worthy of McPhee's time.
Of course, an album full of ballads isn't what anyone wants, and so it seems a waste to ask that McPhee focus on songs like "Ordinary World," easily the best on the album. But, while the pop is certainly fun and gives her an avenue to show off her spunk, it's nothing more than safe, manufactured radio music. In time, her catalog will grow to erase the memory of some of the more egregious missteps this time around; for now, it's best to focus on the promise of a good portion of the tracks and disregard the handful of anomalies.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Kat
You wrote:
...can you see McPhee absolutely mugging it for the cameras in a Ford commercial?
And guess what? If McPhee had won American Idol, she would have been contractually obligated to do that Ford commercial. So yep, I can totally see her doing it.
2 - Jeff Martin
Good point, Kat. I stand somewhat corrected, but maintain that McPhee wouldn't have been that goofy. I actually do like Hicks in all his cheesiness...we kid because we love. I just thought McPhee was better.
3 - dominique
"Inferior Taylor Hicks"? That's your opinion but you gave no reason why you feel that way. Maybe if he wore short skirts and spread his legs open you'd like him more? So you prefer Katherine, who is only too eager to be molded into whatever's popular at the moment, with no musical convictions of her own. It's a free world so you are entitled to your opinions, but it's sad that you need to put Taylor Hicks down in order to build Kat up. Were you just seeking more hits for your blog by using his name? Sad, sad, sad.
4 - Jeff Martin
Dom, read above: I like Hicks, I just think he's cheesy and that Kat is a better vocal performer. Anecdotal evidence: after the penultimate episode of AI last season, I agreed that Hicks had earned the crown, or at least that McPhee hadn't done what she needed to do to earn it.
5 - Jeff Martin
Dom: "Maybe if he wore short skirts and spread his legs open you'd like him more?"
I shudder at the thought.
6 - Michelle
Okay folks.. Competition is over. Taylor Hicks won. Whether you like him or not. Quit whining about it because it's really just immature. I tried listening to Kat's CD. I'm glad she lost. Sorry. Not my type of music. Too generic. I've heard every song before. Not literally, but there's nothing unique or original about her or her music. Yes, she has a very pretty voice and I wish her all the best of luck with it. But quite frankly she bores me to tears. And as much as I like Taylor Hicks, I'm still waiting for him to do a "breakaway" cd because the one he came out with was over produced. The originals he wrote are the best one's on the cd. And if for one second you just get over the fact that Kat didn't win, you may actually like Taylor for the singer/songwriter he is. He HAS talent and what you may call goofy, I call real. Going to see him live is like going to a party.. That goofy guy you saw on TV is actually a powerhouse performer. And if we're talking actual singing talent here.. forget Kat. How she made it to the top 5 still baffles me because Mandissa, Chris, Paris and certainly Elliot all had better singing voices than Kat could ever hope for. So please, stop treating her like she's the second coming. She's a beautiful girl with a very nice voice. I wish her the best of luck and hope she persues her dream of being an actress..
7 - Jeff Martin
I try to look for the best in any music, and since this is a review of Kat's CD, I'll ask everyone to stop focusing on the throwaway Taylor Hicks comment that I made. Michelle, I agree that Kat's CD is generic; I said as much in the review. Her performance on "Ordinary World," though, shows quite a bit of promise, and "Love Story" and "Over It" are nice songs. Not great, but nice. Hence the three stars.
8 - Rotate
Sorry, Jeff. You've just learned the valuable lesson that the Soul Patrol will swarm in like angry bees whenever anyone's opinion about Taylor doesn't match theirs. Oh, and I love how they assume/insist that no one could possibly prefer Kat to Taylor unless they are panting after her looks. So nice of them to read your mind for you and tell you the basis of your opinion, hmm? Not a very tolerant bunch are the Taymates.
Keep your chin up though, Jeff. I, for one, happen to agree with you. Good review, thanks!
9 - onegoal
I like kats new album. Shes a very talented young lady!
Not to mention she is like the best looking girl in the world. Oh Mcphee!
10 - Michelle
Hey, I won't deny that I am a fan of Taylor's.. somewhat.. I also like Elliot, Bucky, Mandissa, Paris and hell even Kellie Pickler (that girl's got a future in Comedy though).. I even like Kat.. I never said Kat wasn't Talented.. Just that she brought nothing new.. or even anything old but missing to the plate.. What I'm saying is.. Throw a quarter in the air on any packed street in LA and you'll find about 10 more like Ms. McPhee.. that's all.. I'm not a Taymate or whatever Soul Patrol thing.. I just am looking for something new to listen to instead of the same old boring drivel that the Music Industry loves to mass produce because, hey, most people like the same old same old.
11 - claena
I'm not a fan of Kat's album, but I didn't expect I'd be. Open Toes is perhaps the most stereotypically horrid pop song of all time. And that cover? The costume department from Pretty Woman called... they want their hooker boots back. Way to push back the women's movement, Kat. Mix this with her comments in a recent interview about how "if this doesn't work out, I'll just get married and a man can take care of me" and I shudder to think that she'll become a role model for our younger generation.
I'm pretty convinced that her publicist faints dead away everytime that girl opens her mouth.
12 - Kat
I stand somewhat corrected, but maintain that McPhee wouldn't have been that goofy. I actually do like Hicks in all his cheesiness...we kid because we love. I just thought McPhee was better.
-------------
Jeff: then we cool. ;-)
13 - JJ
Jeff, the reason you're getting all these Taylor comments here is because the posters are all coming from a land called MJs...where everyone worships Taylor and snarks on Katharine ;)
great review. thanks for staying unbiased. even a Kat fan will admit that this isn't a "great" album...but there is definitely potential.
14 - Jeff Martin
Thanks, one and all, for the comments. Some quick responses:
Rotate, thanks for the encouragement, but people swarming after me on the Internet is precisely why I write on the Internet. Who doesn't love a good flame war? Also, I am lusting after McPhee - the classy one, not the glammed-up girl on the cover - but it has nothing to do with my opinion of her music.
Claena, you're right: "Open Toes" is an abomination, but you absolutely know you won't be able to go into a bar at the beach this summer without hearing it.
Michelle, go through my publishing history here. I have largely written about bands nobody's ever heard of, and prefer my music that way. In a very real way, you're right: KM's music is mass-produced, ordinary stuff. Bravo to you for saying it so succinctly. But I can tell you'll agree with me that it's catchy.
Soulmates, McPheeverites alike: let's all be friends and remember with longing when Elliot, Kat, and Taylor were tearing up the stage. Who else misses Mr. Yamin?
15 - Michelle
I miss Mr. Yamin something awful.. and before I'm given the title of Yaminite.. or Yaminion or whatever that group is.. I'm not.. I'm just being as objective as possible.. so while, yes, I do like Taylor very much (will never use the word "love" I don't know the guy), I concede that Elliot had a better voice than he or any other contestant on the show last season could ever hope to have.
Okay, so you've written about bands that no one's heard of.. out of curiosity (because this is in fact what made me a fan of Taylor's, not his AI goofiness, etc..), have you heard any of Taylor's original stuff? (and I'm not talking the over produced versions either--I'm talking the raw-Pre-Idol stuff).. I don't know if it's your style.. Most of it is James Taylor meets the Eagles and I really like it.. More my speed..
I'll admit Kat's cd has some Catchy stuff on it.. but so do the handlebars on the train I take to work every day.. Only the things you catch on the handlebars are curable.. I fear there's no way to cure the music industry of it's shallow-based marketing/mass producing disease.. Remember when Music was good?? I kind of learned, through many a history book and through my parents album collections, that once upon a time.. It ACTUALLY was worth it to buy a whole album...
16 - Jeff Martin
"Remember when Music was good??"
No, what was that like?
"I'll admit Kat's cd has some Catchy stuff on it.. but so do the handlebars on the train I take to work every day"
That's pure gold. Well done.
There's still some good music out there, but not knowing your taste, I won't recommend anything directly to you. Point me in the direction of TH's pre-Idol stuff (if it's out there) and I'll give it a listen; it sounds interesting. I haven't given his album a listen; maybe I'll find it for free and review it here for all my new Soul Patrol friends.
17 - MM1
Katharine McPhee has looks and a good voice. However she doesn't know who she is yet. Could not take critism and after 4-5 mos on AI is this CD all she could come up with? Listened to it, most songs you don't even know who is singing. It's a real misery of a CD. But this crap is what sells and it does sell her SHORT. Don't know how she came in as Idol runnerup, the other females war far superior to her. Guess the "sex look" route is the best she could come up with. What a waste of a good voice!
18 - JustLookin
I'm surprised you didn't at least mention the Babyface track "Everywhere I Go". IMHO it's the hidden gem of this album and should be a big hit if they release it at the right time (after Open Toes perhaps).
Good luck with the SP crazies.
19 - Michelle
There's a site called graycharles.com.. or greycharles.com.. anyway, it's a good site. No fangirlies there.. okay there are a few.. but not as bad as most other sites as this one is run by a guy who's really all about music..
My tastes pretty much vary.. The Beatles are my favorite band ever.. even if I was born about a couple of years after they broke up.. I'll tell you right now I have a weakness for guitar strumming singer/songwriters and if they play a harmonica.. even better.. So I tend like Springsteen and Petty.. I LOVE Elliot Morris and Ray LaMontagne.. that's just a micro-look at what I listen to. I have a CD Collection that boasts 1000 or more cds.. and yeah I have the new Taylor Hicks CD and I wasn't too thrilled with it because it's waaaayy over produced. Too clean. Too perfect.. Not enough grit in his voice and certainly not enough of his own take on the songs no matter how much he claims there is. But, the songs are all very catchy.. very.. catchy.. The best ones honestly, are the three he wrote pre-idol The Deal, Soul Thing, and Hell of a Day (I got the Wal-Mart bonus copy.. has one extra song on it). Of the non self-penned, I'd say "Just to Feel That Way" (which will be the single, let me know if you hear it on the radio though.. I havn't yet and probably won't), "the Right Place" (originally written for Ray Charles), "Give Me tonight" (fun to dance to) and "Gonna Move," written by Paul Pena, (although I enjoy the live version much more) are the better songs on the CD. The other songs I skip through.. but hey 8 out of 13 ain't bad.. right??
Seriously, if you get on the greycharles site, when you get a chance, listen to the original version of "the Deal" off of Under the Radar and "Somehow" and "The Fall" off of "In Your Time"..
20 - Jeff Martin
Michelle, you like strumming guitar male singer-songwriters? Try David Mead. I'll pimp for the guy until the day I die. I especially recommend his most recent album, "Tangerine."
21 - mary
Re: "I try to look for the best in any music, and since this is a review of Kat's CD, I'll ask everyone to stop focusing on the throwaway Taylor Hicks comment that I made."
Sorry, but we google Taylor. So if you don't want Tay's fans all over you, Never use his name in someone else's Review. You asked for it and you got it.
By the way I did like Kat's cd. But I loved Taylor's.
22 - stevie ray
an article about Kat, but Taylor fans dominate the subject.
Most are jealous that she does have a voice, a bod, a personaliy.....she has it all!!
How sad it is usually the women who bash her
23 - Jeannie
Kat's voice is one at this stage in her career that if I heard her CD playing in Borders, I would not know who is singing.
Now Taylor Hicks, the American Idol from Season 5 I would recognize his voice anywhere. I love his music, which is a gendre I never cared for until I heard Taylor.
Kat is a very beautiful girl and I would love to see her in broadway musicals or movies. I wish her luck even though I heard her album is not selling. Keep at it Kat....some singers take longer than others to get to the very top which I don't even know if that is what she wants.
Taylor's album went Plantinum and he is now on his tour. First stop was Jacksonville, second will be Tampa.
I like Taylor Hicks...I love to watch him perform..he has charisma, engergy and just sets your toes to tapping...plus he has a wonderful whiskey tenor voice. He is a joy to watch. I love his album.
24 - claena
I adore David Mead. I found him on myspace of all places.
The early TH stuff can be found: It actually is worth listening too. I agree it's better than this first CD. But the first CD of every Idol winner has been "eh". So I didn't have high expectations. There are a couple of winners on the album, though, and it's worth a listen.
My newest finds are James Morrison, Jason Mraz, and Jamie Cullum... Josh Ritter's pretty amazing live, but his CD didn't thrill me.
Oh... I suppose I should throw in an obligatory Kat reference just to stay on topic. Blah. ahhaahha
25 - Gina Raymond
If Taylor truly is so great, why are his fans here seeming so threatened by Katharine? Taking pot-shots that she got there because she's sexy... trying to reduce her to just her good looks. It's all so juvenile and predictable, not to mention archaic. And ultimately, it undermines their very arguments because it just comes across so desperate.
At the end of the day, Katharine can sing. I remember watching the very first show when they all first performed live. I hadn't noticed Katharine before that point. I'd already taken to some others actually. But then I heard her sing, and I was impressed. I started paying attention to her at that point and within pretty short time she easily became my favorite. For me, her performance of "Over the Rainbow" was in a league well above anything else I've ever seen on Idol.
So to the point of this whole thing, I agree with your review, Jeff. I myself enjoy my pop music right alongside my more "real"/serious music. Pop music can be a welcome break from my all too "real"/serious life. And in that vein, I honestly enjoyed Katharine's CD and look forward to what's next for her.
In closing I have one CD recommendation for anyone who likes fun, addicting music: "Alright, Still" by Lily Allen. Look her up at lilyallenmusic.com. Her CD is completely amazing. Do yourself the favor of checking it out.