Glee: The Music, Volume 1

Glee isn't just about the music. It has hilarity on a regular basis, and some of the best TV drama I've EVER seen. But for the intentions of this album, it's all about the music. So without further ado, here's my review of the song on Glee: The Music, Volume 1. 1). A+ - Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) and Cory Monteith (Finn) with the Glee Cast - Don't Stop Believin' (Pilot Version) - THIS was the song that started it all. I was enthralled and intrigued throughout the first episode anyway, but when I heard this... Well, like the rest of the world, I just fell in love. This is a true modern masterpiece, building off the shoulders of giants (Journey) to make something new and fresh for the new generation. Remains one of the best songs of the entire series. 2). A- - Cory Monteith (Finn) - Can't Fight This Feeling - This was Cory Monteith's very first Glee solo, and he does a solid effort. It was later revealed, by him, that he had never really sung outside of privately, and that he was more of a drummer. In fact, he did drums for part of his audition tape. But he was asked to sing, and viola, a star is born. From this first song, I could tell that when he got more comfortable and less nervous, he was going to really shine. And now he can tear a solo UP. Great classic song, and Monteith does a helluva job. 3). A- - Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Matthew Morrison (Mr. Shue) with the Glee Cast - Gold Digger - This was the first of what were soon to become Matthew Morrison's infamous raps. And Amber Riley KILLS the introduction. Honestly, I can't stand rap music, but Morrison does a REALLY respectable job. I don't see why the fact that he's white should matter. He's clearly got swagger. Not my favorite song, but with his decent job and Amber Riley's powerhouse vocals, it still pulls a solid A-. 4). A+ - Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) - Take A Bow - Lea Michele's first solo on the show is EPIC. I love me some Rihanna, but this is one of those songs that I like the Glee Cast Version better. (Okay, so maybe most songs... LOL) Lea Michele sings with such emotions... It does have that one powerhouse Diva moment, but the rest of this song is just sheer, subtle, masterful genius. 5). A+ - Amber Riley (Mercedes) - Bust Your Windows - This song is amazing to begin with, but add Amber Riley... WHEW! Smokin' hot vocals. And the performance that went with it on the show was incredibly powerful as well. Do yourself a favor and go on YouTube and watch this done live at one of their tour performances. Watching her interacting with that car, and some of the things she does, is just amazing. 5 stars all the way! 6). A+ - Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) - Taking Chances - This is one of my favorite Celine Dion songs, and Lea Michele knocks it right out of the park. She delivers such powerful vocals and emotion to the song, that it just comes to life and soars. Amazing! 7). A+ - Kristin Chenoweth (April Rhodes) and Matthew Morrison (Mr. Shue) - Alone - This song was one of the few that introduced Gleeks to the fan favorite character of April Rhodes, masterfully voiced by The Chenoweth. She makes powerhouse Diva vocals sound effortless, and this song is all the more amazing for it. 8). A - Kristin Chenoweth (April Rhodes) and Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) - Maybe This Time - With this song, Broadway (The Broadway, as April would say. LOL) lovers everywhere passed out with their eyes rolled back in their heads. Not always my favorite song, but these ladies KILL IT! 9). A+ - Lea Michele (Rachel Berry), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Cory Monteith (Finn), Kevin McHale (Artie) and the Glee Cast - Somebody To Love - This song gets an A+ for Amber Riley's STUNNING finish alone. But everyone gives 5 star performances as well. This song is another of the series' best. 10). A - Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Glee Cast - Hate On Me - Again, not one of my favorite songs. But with Amber Riley getting to do it for Glee? NOW it's a song I really love. Her voice is just so darn powerful. A solid A for effort. 11). A - Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) and Cory Monteith (Finn) - No Air - I LOVED this song when it was Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, and I love it even more now. Lea and Cory blow this one out of the water. Such an amazing ballad... 12). A- - Dianna Agron (Quinn) - You Keep Me Hangin' On - This song marks Dianna Agron's first solo on the show. And it's good. Much better than I thought it would be. She doesn't have the most powerful voice, but it is soft and beautiful, and suits her perfectly. She has a VERY Britney Spears look and sound, and I think she can only go further. A solid A-. 13). A+ - Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) and Cory Monteith (Finn) with the Glee Cast - Keep Holding On - This remains one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, and I hated the original. This show is packed with emotions, and it's hard to watch this number on the actual show without tearing up. 14). A - Matthew Morrison (Mr. Shue) - Bust A Move - I HATED this song when I was younger. I thought it was offensive beyond measure. I loved the beat, how could you not? But I hated the song. Turns out all it needs is a little cleaning up from the folks at Glee. LOL Another of Matthew Morrison's infamous rap performances, I think he does GREAT. Probably the ONLY rap song besides I Love The Way You Lie by Emenim that EVER got an A grade from me. 15). A+ - Mark Salling (Puck) - Sweet Caroline - I was surprised beyond words at how much I liked this song. It's another song that I used to hate, that I now love once it got the 'Glee Treatment'. LOL Mark Salling does a remarkable job, and he's got, as it turns out, an entire album of his stuff out now. ( Pipe Dreams ) 16). B+ - Kevin McHale (Artie) - Dancing With Myself - The ONLY song on the entire album to not get an A grade. It has nothing to do with Kevin McHale's vocals, because I think he sounds great. It's just... I can't describe how or what the music is. Maybe more like Jazz? Either way, it's not my cup of tea. Still, he sounds great. B+ grade. 17). A - Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) and Chris Colfer (Kurt) - Defying Gravity - I think this was the song that introduced Chris Colfer as the vocal prodigy that he clearly is. They mention in the show that he is literally doing things no one else can do, and that's about damn true. Very few males in the world can sing in his tone and at such high octaves. AMAZING duet, or, as they call it on the show... Great Diva Off!!! Alright, so that's my two cents folks. Overall, I give this album a solid A+. VERY few albums have songs that are A grade across this board. This one JUST missed the mark, but the majority of them are A's or A+, and that makes this a winning album in my book. In fact, I think it was ROBBED of the Grammy! LOL Thanks for your time folks. Sincerely, R.A. McDowell

GLEE is an exciting new show on tv and the main reason is just that it is a brand new idea. It's not a crime drama or another reality show. It seems that since the Partridge Family in the 70s there has not been a prime show with the main focus being on music. And these guys are realy singing! With The Partridge Family only David Cassidy and Shirley Jones did. Many are wondering how GLEE slipped under the cracks. Who would watch this? The whole show is about high school underdogs. In any high shool the glee club is never considered the IN thing to be doing. Here we have a string of varied underdogs brought together through the glee club and the hand of a very caring teacher. Then the show actually gets the quarterback of the football team and the head of the cheerleading squad to actually want to be in glee. OMG. When would these two high school classes mix? Maybe never. Well here they do and critics and fans are going wild loving it so maybe people don't want cliques as much as they pretend. Music is a huge part of this show. The actors don't break into song but the numbers when performed are part of the storyline and emotionally portray what each character is going through. And then we do have the pure magic when the glee club performs together in rehearsal or performance. The subject matter isn't all light. We have teenage pregnancy, someone pretending pregnancy and other less than light matter. But the music holds it all together. The characters sing current hits as well as some old standards to portray their true feelings and emotions. On the show it is very effective and the cast is verty talented but the test with this cd is seeing how the performances hold up on their own without the visual and dramatic backup. They more than hold up. They take on a life of their own here. This music comes across in no way like karaoke. It is no surprise that Lea Michele is the superstar here. She carries the cd but others are just as telented. Hear her on TAKE A BOW and TAKING CHANCES. Her duets are magical and she has major chemistry with the jock Finn played by Corey Monteith. Their duets on NO AIR and KEEP HOLDING ON are breathtaking. Amber Riley is also impressive with BUST YOUR WINDOWS. Broadway diva Kristen Chenoweth made a memorable guest appearance and did an amazing duet with Lea Michele with MAYBE THIS TIME and Matthew Morrison on ALONE. And if you don't know who Kristen Chenoweth is and watch this show - Congratulations! She is just one of the new magical pleasures that will be introduced to you as you venture into new territory. I love the fact that this music holds its on. This show is proving that deomographics of all types can come together as one. I just want to end by saying the ensemble performances are far superior to the weekly remaining contestants singing together each week on AMERICAN IDOL. It's always a mess. Hearing these guys blow out DON'T STOP BELIEVIN and SOMEBODY TO LOVE will have you gloriously off your feet. Highly recommend this cd. Some great performances from a great cast.

I purchased this soundtrack on a whim, mostly because I love the show. I knew I would love the soundtrack, and I was right. This first soundtrack contains songs within the first 9 episodes. This show has really shown to be a truely great and original show, which really only happens once in a blue moon in Hollywood. These songs are just amazing, and it doesn't hurt that these kids are amazing singers. Some of my favorite songs are "Don't Stop Believin'" "Can't Fight This Feeling" "Alone" "Maybe This Time" "Somebody to Love" and "Bust a Move. Don't Stop was their breakout song they performed on the show, it showed you that this show is really something special. Can't Fight This Feeling is a great feel song, and it's a perfect song to showcase Cory's singing talents. Alone and Maybe This Time showcase Kristin Chenoweth as a guest voice, and I'm sorry but she is just an all around great singer, which is why these are 2 of my favorites. Somebody to Love was an amazing song to see them perform on the show, it was just as good as Don't Stop Believin'. Bust a Move is a really fun song to dance to, and it makes you just stand up and dance to the awesome beat. If you are a Glee lover like myself, you need to own this album.

I bought this CD for 2 fabulous songs -- "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Defying Gravity." On the CD, the songs seem to showcase Lea's (Rachel's) voice, and I get the feeling the producers consider her their money voice. In "Don't Stop Believin'," Cory Monteith (Finn) ends up providing more backup harmonies than anything else. With Defying Gravity, I loved how it was performed on the show because it fit with the storyline of Chris Colfer's character, Kurt. He started off the song and sang it in equal parts with Lea. On the CD version, Lea starts it off and dominates a lot of the song, with Chris providing backup harmonies. I was a little disappointed by that. There's no question that Lea has the great voice and I do enjoy it the most, since I'm a Broadway musical fan, but I still feel a little sad about Chris not getting his big moment to shine. After listening to the second track, "Can't Fight This Feeling," I kind of understood why they focused on Lea. I thought I was listening to Cher's "Believe" song. Cory's voice seemed to have been put through that same machine to make it sound better and more interesting. Broadway stars such as Lea, Matthew Morrison (Will) and guest star -- my favorite singer -- Kristin Chenoweth, don't need that. They've got the singing chops and can convey emotion with great ease. Listen to Kristin on the "Wicked" CD and you'll know what I mean. The other song I enjoyed was the remake of Rihanna's "Take a Bow," which is another let's-give-it-to-Lea song. As for "Maybe this Time," a duet by who-else-but-Lea and my favorite singer, Kristin Chenoweth, I thought they were singing "Mr. Cellophane" from the musical "Chicago." It had the same sound. On this song, Kristin received equal time -- who would deny someone of her caliber that? Overall, I like the CD and would buy it again. I've played "Don't Stop Believin'" over and over again in my car as I head off to work. It's so happily head-bobbing. Peps me up to face the day.

First, I'm 60 years old. However, I've always been a kid at heart. I still listen to today's hits on the radio. Channel flipping one night I came upon the new FOX Network program, GLEE, about half way through the middle of its first 13 episodes. I had not heard of it before. It was one of the most refreshing programs I'd ever witnessed on network television. It was utterly fantastic! In fact, it was so good, I ordered the first 13 episodes so I could fully understand the current episodes before the second half of the season starts April 13th (I think that's the date.) Part musical, part drama, part comedy - The program is about a high school teacher who has such a love for music that he starts a Glee Club on campus. Unfortunately, money is tight in the school and his budget comes partially from the already budgeted cheerleader squad. The program revolved around kid's real problems, a cheeleader coach who is intent on doing the Glee Club in, hijinx and music. The show takes music standards and re-produces them for a high school glee club, and folks...These kids CAN SING!! My opinion is: YOU WILL LOVE THese 4 DVD's! And just so you'll know, the music is so good, I consequently, bought both music CD's from the first 13 episode's songs.

First I should preface this review with the fact that I am 41 years old and my taste in music ranges from Broadway/Show tunes to Beatles to Country to Alternative. I've never been a huge fan of TV Soundtracks however this one squeaked on through. Now for my review: I absolutely love this CD. It's truly a feel good CD. Although you don't have to watch the show to enjoy the music it helps to visualize the characters actually performing the numbers. This CD is one of the few CD's I can listen to over and over again utilizing the Repeat button finally (I own over 1000 CD's - so that's a major complement!). All songs are covers and some of the songs I have by the original artists however it definitely adds some variety to my iPod having the Glee versions (i.e. Dancing With Myself originally by Billy Idol, I Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon and Defying Gravity by Kristen Chenoweth and Indina Menzel). Speaking of Kristen she appears on two songs on this CD: Alone and Maybe This Time. Her voice is as dazzling as always. You'll find group numbers that make you want to get up and dance as well as duets that make you want to grab the hairbrush and pretend you're singing (come on! You know you do it!!) This is a must have CD, trust me you won't regret it!!!

Out of all the cds for glee this is the best one. Lots of great hits.

I'm in love with this show and this CD. It's just plain fun and the music is always top notch. My daughter and I ordered the CD and have loved listening to the songs and singing along. It's some of the favorites from the show like "Don't Believing" and "Gold Digger", "Can't Fight this Feeling" and others. I'm looking forward to Vol. 2 which will hopefully include "Single Ladies" one of my top 5 from the show. If you're a Glee fan, the CD is a must. As every song plays, you're replaying the corresponding show scene in your head. If you aren't a Gleek, it's not going to be as much fun for you. Don't get me wrong, the music is still great but without the show references I don't think it would be the same.