Here goes, in chronological order. Songs I downloaded indicated by * Sorry about the crowded text--sometimes my computer gets in a bad moods, and won't let
me fix things.
1* Spotlight- I like this song a lot. Catchy, memorable, gets the CD off to a very good start.
2* If This Isn't Love- Very good song, but damaged by annoying male background vocalists randomly shouting (why?) and the first appearance of a really annoying drum machine on the CD.
3 Pocketbook- Having Ludacris on the CD (for "street cred"?) is a bad idea, but it could have worked if his rapping had STARTED the cut, got interrupted by Boomie's singing, and then had the 2 of them converge until he got his comeuppance. Instead he appears to be added in almost incidentally, and the song has no real conclusion. This was what I was afraid most of the CD would sound like.
4* Giving Myself- Great, great song. Wow.
5 What's Wrong (Go Away)- T Pain is what's wrong, and this should go away. It sucks.
6 My Heart- This isn't that good a song to being with, and is totally ruined by the drum machine/ percussion/whatever which is mixed so far upfront.
7* You Pulled Me Through- Just a standard Diane Warren power ballad, but Boomie's singing (maybe her best on the CD) makes it a powerful number.
8* I'm His Only Woman- People are missing what's great about this duet. If she was dueting with, say, Latoya London or Syesha Mercado, it would be a much better track musically (of course). But then we'd miss the pleasure of hearing Mantasia make a utter fool of herself yet again. On this track it is incredibly obvious what a miscarriage of justice was done on season 3's top 7 night. A great (if still unrefined) singer and one who sounds like Donald Duck. Has Mantasia's incredibly thin, abrasive voice ever sounded as pathetic and weak as it does here? Boomie was much better than Mantasia 4 years ago, and the gap between them is even wider now.
9* Can't Stop The Rain- Not really a great song; it's a little repetitious. But I found myself humming it after just two listens, so it's certainly catchy.
10 We Gon' Fight- I disagree with the previous reviewers about this one. I found it a little too over the top vocally.
11 Invisible- Accurate title. This is the least memorable song on the album.
12* And I Am Telling You, I Am Not Going- I already have this song from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. This version is not quite as good, and the slight changes made to it do nothing to add new insight or perspective to the song. But it's such a great song that I don't give a shit. I'm very glad it's on the CD.
13* Jesus Promised Me A Home Over There- Boomie is a Jehovah's Witness, and like so many black singers she has some roots in gospel. So it's nice to hear her do a streight gospel number to finish up the CD. She could have sung a "gospel" number that was just vaguely gospel-y, but didn't cop out. This song is REALLY traditional gospel too: it could have been recorded 50 or 60 years ago. But it's done very well. [SUMMARY] With just a few changes (deleting track 5, remixing tracks 2 and 6 to eliminate or drastically quiet the male singers and percussion) this would be a great album. As it is it has 2 mediocre cuts (10,11) and 3 truly horrible ones (3,5,6). But even so, it is one of the best albums ever done by an Idol alumni, and I am pleasantly surprised by it after the scary advance press it got.
1* Spotlight- I like this song a lot. Catchy, memorable, gets the CD off to a very good start.
2* If This Isn't Love- Very good song, but damaged by annoying male background vocalists randomly shouting (why?) and the first appearance of a really annoying drum machine on the CD.
3 Pocketbook- Having Ludacris on the CD (for "street cred"?) is a bad idea, but it could have worked if his rapping had STARTED the cut, got interrupted by Boomie's singing, and then had the 2 of them converge until he got his comeuppance. Instead he appears to be added in almost incidentally, and the song has no real conclusion. This was what I was afraid most of the CD would sound like.
4* Giving Myself- Great, great song. Wow.
5 What's Wrong (Go Away)- T Pain is what's wrong, and this should go away. It sucks.
6 My Heart- This isn't that good a song to being with, and is totally ruined by the drum machine/ percussion/whatever which is mixed so far upfront.
7* You Pulled Me Through- Just a standard Diane Warren power ballad, but Boomie's singing (maybe her best on the CD) makes it a powerful number.
8* I'm His Only Woman- People are missing what's great about this duet. If she was dueting with, say, Latoya London or Syesha Mercado, it would be a much better track musically (of course). But then we'd miss the pleasure of hearing Mantasia make a utter fool of herself yet again. On this track it is incredibly obvious what a miscarriage of justice was done on season 3's top 7 night. A great (if still unrefined) singer and one who sounds like Donald Duck. Has Mantasia's incredibly thin, abrasive voice ever sounded as pathetic and weak as it does here? Boomie was much better than Mantasia 4 years ago, and the gap between them is even wider now.
9* Can't Stop The Rain- Not really a great song; it's a little repetitious. But I found myself humming it after just two listens, so it's certainly catchy.
10 We Gon' Fight- I disagree with the previous reviewers about this one. I found it a little too over the top vocally.
11 Invisible- Accurate title. This is the least memorable song on the album.
12* And I Am Telling You, I Am Not Going- I already have this song from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. This version is not quite as good, and the slight changes made to it do nothing to add new insight or perspective to the song. But it's such a great song that I don't give a shit. I'm very glad it's on the CD.
13* Jesus Promised Me A Home Over There- Boomie is a Jehovah's Witness, and like so many black singers she has some roots in gospel. So it's nice to hear her do a streight gospel number to finish up the CD. She could have sung a "gospel" number that was just vaguely gospel-y, but didn't cop out. This song is REALLY traditional gospel too: it could have been recorded 50 or 60 years ago. But it's done very well. [SUMMARY] With just a few changes (deleting track 5, remixing tracks 2 and 6 to eliminate or drastically quiet the male singers and percussion) this would be a great album. As it is it has 2 mediocre cuts (10,11) and 3 truly horrible ones (3,5,6). But even so, it is one of the best albums ever done by an Idol alumni, and I am pleasantly surprised by it after the scary advance press it got.
