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Writer and editor Home > Blogs > Brain Droppings > Archives > 2007 > February > 16 > Entry
Another American Idol CD…
Pop disc of the day:
Katharine McPhee’s debut disc, “KATHARINE McPHEE”
It may come as a shock to some of you to learn that there are still, even in these “American Idol”-drenched days, those of us who do not keep track of the show and its results. Even worse, we approach any music produced by those results with a certain mixture of disdain, dread and apprehension. Sorry, but it’s true.
But it’s also true that for every Clay there seems to be a Fantasia, or something like that, and so it would be unfair and untrue to argue that one should ignore Katharine McPhee’s self-titled debut album.
Turns out, in fact, that the woman who came in behind Taylor Hicks (who?) has put together a crisp and clever blend of pop and R&B that’s downright listenable and for the most part quite pleasant.
McPhee’s an appealing package, and has been wisely spiffed her image into something both sultry and girl-next-door, with the songs it takes to back it up. She sings a lot about heartbreak, as heartbreakingly good-looking singers all seem to do, but brings the right amount of sob to the tunes to suggest ambivalence; “Over It” works because you get the idea she protesteth too much. Smart girl.
She’s snappiest on the quick-paced numbers, such as the very spunky “Not Ur Girl” and “Open Toes,” a shout-out to the fact that a gal just can’t have too many cute shoes (while obliviously accepting the wildly mistaken premise that guys actually pay attention to what’s on a woman’s feet).
McPhee, as Idol watchers know, has a convincingly broad range, and she maneuvers the hills and curves quite skillfully. Her voice is better than most of the other pop-tart competitors out there, but also restrains herself from the sort of hammy, Whitneyesque hyper-singing that gave us the awfulness of American Idol in the first place.
See? I told you she was smart.
Grade: B
iPod picks: Not Ur Girl, Ove It Dangerous, Love Story
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