Kris Allen – Album Song Clips

I agree with MJ’s assessment. The songs might be pretty good live, but the autotune on most of these clips is so obvious as to be distracting. I guess we’ll just wait and see how they sound full-length.

I’m happy to like so many of these. I was a bit worried after I didn’t really like the single, but I think I’m going to be buying this one. Nice.

Wow, lots of good songs! I will definitely be buying this!

okay… me no likey…

They all sound kind of the same.. there’s no variety.. these clips would not make me buy the album that’s for sure.. good thing for Kris I pre-ordered right after Idol because I totally would pass based on these clips.

Thanks MJ for starting this thread. I said in the other thread my favorite songs were The Truth, Red Guitar and Alright with Me. Kris sounds super sexy on I Need to know. Great album.

On Heartless they should have just had Kris and his guitar…that was a wonderful thing…so simple and so Kris I loved it!

Thanks for the thread, MJ.

Moving this from the other thread:

I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and listen to the snippets again. I don’t think you can really judge a song based on 30 seconds of it, but I’ll do it anyway, LOL.

Before We Come Undone- Still love it, whether it the live or the studio version.

Can’t Stay Away From You- Fun, poppy- maybe it’s in the running as a future single?

The Truth-I’m kind of thrown by this one, since it has the same name as a David Cook song, then ‘Avalanche’  is one of the first words in the sample (the name of another DC song). I think I need to hear more before I have a real opinion.

Written All Over My Face- I like it, and this 30 seconds doesn’t remind me of The Script too much the way LLWD does.

Bring It Back- I like it a lot, but when he sings ‘bring it back’, it has the same rhythm and phrasing as One Republic’s Come Home (or maybe it’s All We Are?). That’s going to take a while to get used to.

Red Guitar- I like it. I’m glad he got at least 1 solo writing credit.

Is It Over- Love this one. More cowrites with Cale would be a good thing. A little hint of a country flavor.

Let It Rain- Love this one too. I’m very frustrated that it stops when it does!

Alright With Me- Sounds like Eric Hutchinson meets The Beatles to me, which is a compliment!

Lifetime- Just meh for me right now.

I Need to Know- a stripped down ballad for the Falling Slowly fans! I need to hear more before I can tell if I like it.

Heartless- eh, I still like the acoustic version best.

All in all, it seems like it’ll be an eclectic album with songs for fans of everything from Falling Slowly to Come Together, and Brand New Shoes- something for everyone. That strategy worked for David Cook, hopefully it’ll work for Kris too. I think I’ll like most, if not all, of the songs. Can’t wait to hear the whole thing!

It’s Amazon Germany.

hwc (aka “blowhard t*rd-in-disguise”)

I’m going to need more than the snippets. So far only Bring It Back intrigues me. And, I guess I’m alone in liking what I’ve heard so far of Heartless? Guess so. I’ll definitely listen when it’s released though. I bet Kris is so excited!

Guess it really is a global community now, since other countries keep getting first tastes of *our* Idols!

*sigh* I only like the sound of one of the clips (Is It Over). The production on the rest give them that generic pop sound that I hate. At least in these clips, I don’t think there’s anything unique enough to break out of the pack. Hopefully, the longer versions and the Walmart extra track will be better.

My top two choices:
Before We Become Undone
Lifetime

I need to hear more of the songs before I can speak to whether I really like the others.

Hmm, well, I’ll have to listen to full songs to make a judgment, but based on clips I can’t distinguish many from one another. It all sounded very one note.

I really thought I’d enjoy this because even while I was a bigger Adam Lambert fan last season, Kris is the type of music I listen to most regularly anyway.

However this just sounds like he’s trying to be multiple artists here. Very copycat.

and I hated the version of Heartless.

Things might sound entirely different when I heard the full songs, but based on the clips, I liked two at most

Awesome links, MJ! Yeah, it really is hard to judge from snippets. Totally with you on the live versions.

Bringing this over from the other thread…

Interesting snippets. Lots of sophomoric lyrics, as usual, but I like the beats so far. Over produced, as usual, but not to the point I want to rip my hair out. Nothing sounds ‘ruined’  by it. I’m glad it seems to be cohesive in concept, and not all over the place in style.

I do wish the Heartless remake was a little less Kanye. If the whole point was that Kris stripped down the song, why add back the auto-tune? I like the Yacht Rock inspired version imore, IMHO. Not that this one is bad. ETA: I guess I’m trying to say, it’s well made, but doesn’t add anything.

Lots of catchy tunes. It appears the talk about the depth of single options is true. Good for Kris!

And to add, now that I can easily listen to the snippets, and identify which is which.

I’m looking forward to the full version of Is it Over. The opening of the clip was meh, but then it got awesome kinda fast. I just want to know which way the whole song goes.

Bring it Back is kinds like that to. It sounds kinda like the The Fray at first, but then it changes up a bit.

Conversely, Alright With Me is not what I expected from a Joe King collaboration.

Let it Rain seems to have “single” written all over it. Nothing new, but crazy catchy an very radio friendly.

I Need to Know could be really powerful. I want the whole song first, though.

The full versions will say a lot more.

I am sorry, but those songs are not that good. I was listening to them thinking, Daughtry or Cook could sing these and add some life to the songs. The songs are missing a spark, they seem bland.

MJ_-
totally unimportant, but just so you know, amazon.de is the german site.

Oh–i see hwc alread mentioned this… well, I confirm it, as a native german speaker.

Thanks for the songs.

A little bit more rock-ish than I expected, but I’ll deal, I think Kris said it would be a little bit more rock than expected (maybe it wasn’t Kris though). It sounds good.

It’s weird that some of the clips kinda do sound the same. No matter, the songs are still individual songs.

I like the retooled Heartless clip, but I expected something somewhat different.

Pretty excited for this!

I love almost all of them besides Lifetime and heartless is so so. My favorites so far are the 3 we all ready heard Let It Rain,All Right with Me, Bring It Back and Red Guitar.Oh and Alright With Me.

In general, I like what I hear. Very catchy. It’s hard to make a full judgement from 30 second clips, though.

Some are bland, but vanilla is GREAT sometimes. & I’m sure Kris would kill these live. (Kill in a good way folks!) Plus it’s only 30sec. Really jealous of Lyndesy Parker, she’s not giving up the goods!!

Plus, really looking forward to November 1y…. sorry Mj. [typo on front page]

My thoughts:

I’m not digging the snippet of “Can’t Stay Away” – although I can’t say I wasn’t expecting something overproduced for it. I’d have to hear the full song to make a final conclusion, but I didn’t really love the studio snippet as much as I enjoyed the live version.

“Written All Over My Face” sounded surprisingly better in the snippet than I had heard of it live.

“Before We Come Undone” still sounds great. Love Kris’s voice on it.

“Red Guitar” has an interesting melody, and sounds like it has the most interesting lyrics of the lot. Not surprising, as Kris wrote it pre-Idol, and probably has more elaborate lyrics that talk about the personal experience he had when writing the song.

“Alright With Me” – love how strummy it is and it has a cool melody, definitely a sway-worthy song. I think this is the most unique-sounding of the lot because it’s a song you can groove to but at the same time not hyper enough for you to not concentrate on the lyrics. Love this song.

“Let It Rain” sounds super radio-friendly and I don’t doubt if this was going to be another single to be released soon.

“I Need to Know” was heart-wrenching. The emotion in Kris’s voice was so powerful despite such a quiet song and I think this is going to be epic.

“Is It Over” – okay, I think this is my favorite of the bunch. It’s reminiscent of Kris pre-Idol with Brand New Shoes. It’s got a bluesy, soul vibe to it which I love. It’s definitely not going to be accused of sounding like a typical Idol song. I LOVE THIS SONG AND I NEED TO OWN THIS, STAT. Thanks.

I was surprised at how underwhelming “Bring It Back” sounded. I will give it a chance still, since it’s just a snippet, but I was expecting so much more from the Eg White collab.

“Lifetime” is my least favorite so far. I expected much more energy and angst from a Jon Foreman collab but this is just a little meh.

“The Truth” seems to have potential, but I’m not exactly won over yet.

I have to say the “Heartless” bonus track was surprising! I didn’t expect that much from it, but I love that it’s more current-sounding than the horrible studio version from AI.

So far, I am extremely excited for all these songs! Thanks, MJ!

Red Guitar sounds cute! And WTF did they do with Heartless??

Not crazy about the remixed Heartless. However, all things considered, I am deeply impressed! I’m loving Red Guitar, and you know what? This doesn’t sound like John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, etc. It sounds like Kris Allen. I’m very happy.

I can’t edit my comment, so I just wanted to add a bit.

Still thinking Kris could do more varied stuff (more stripped down songs, more ballads like I Need to Know, more variety with the band). The thing about bands is that usually, they get a bit stale or start sounding the same. I was a bit nervous about Kris for this reason. I don’t deny that they do sound pretty similar. Luckily this is the kind of stuff I like, but I want Kris to be able to step outside the box. I think his ability to do both acoustic stuff and this type of music is a good indication of that ability.

And once again, these are very short clips so they’re pretty hard to judge.

But I’m really lovin’ this. Kris needs more piano IMO.

Hmmm, not really into the snippets, too many are similar in sound. Gonna have to wait to hear the full songs, though, before making a decision.

I have to agree with those that say these pretty much all sound the same – same tempo, same instrumentation, I don’t know, I guess that’s Kris’s sound but its just monotonous to me. I do want to listen to the full songs, though, maybe they will be different. I do like Heartless, I liked it when he sang it on Idol.

I definitely don’t think all these songs sound alike. Some of them do sound similar, but Is It Over, Can’t Stay Away, Allright with Me, and I Need to Know all sound very different from each other and from the other songs. LLWD has a different sound from the other songs as well. I’m surprised and pleased to hear that the songs are not all the same.

I love the guitar in Alright with Me. But I think my favorite other than Live Like We’re Dying is Is It Over. I really hope he plays some of these in Chicago in December. I don’t know Mikeyb. I sure don’t hear any autotune and the guy is pretty deadon on pitch when he sings live so I dodn’t know why it would be a problem in the studio. I’m not sure at all that that is what MJ was referring to when she said she liked the live versions better because they weren’t so slick. Heartless is an example. I much preferred his live performance of this song on tour. I think sometimes things are over produced, but I thought the clips sounded pretty good overall. I’m glad he has been able to contribute so much to the writing. The whole album has his stamp on it.

I really like what I hear so far and can’t wait until November 17th. This is exactly what I was hoping for. No revolutionary music, just good music you can listen to at anytime. I think it does have a nice variety of slow and fast pace songs.

These clips sounds great! “I Need To Know”, “Let It Rain” and “Bring It Back” are the ones that caught my attention the most on first listen.

I hear what Lyndsey Parker was talking about in her review when she mentioned all the big hooky choruses. Pop radio is going to be harder to break through. But I think Kris definitely has the potential to have some big HAC hits from this album.

On first listen, some of the songs may sound a little alike but not after a few more listens. I ended up liking most of the songs esp. I Need to Know, Alright with Me, Bring it Back plus the 4 songs that he had already sung live at the dolphins game. I want to hear the lyrics of the Let It Rain quite badly.

Looks like I’m one of the few who actually love this version of Heartless even though I also love his accoustic version on the show. This version is so so much better than the one he had recorded during AI8.

Can’t wait for Nov. 17!

In general, I like what I hear. Very catchy. It’s hard to make a full judgement from 30 second clips, though.

Yeah, I just don’t think I can decide based on these short snippets. I never can. So, I guess I’ll just keep waiting LOL.

I don’t hear any auto-tune whatsoever; I do hear typical pop production. I’m sure I’ll also love Kris more live, but I’m really super excited for the album.

Early faves – Is It Over (love the bluesy 3/4 time signature), Bring it Back, Can’t Stay Away. I Need to Know – I agree will be epic.

SNLW: I also love this version of Heartless. As someone else said, I really don’t hear the autotune either, but I guess everyone hear’s things differently. These snippets just make it harder to wait until 11/17!!

I agree with MJ’s assessment. The songs might be pretty good live, but the autotune on most of these clips is so obvious as to be distracting. I guess we’ll just wait and see how they sound full-length.

I didn’t hear any autotune in these, except maybe the Heartless song.

The Truth, -Eh. Not horrible, just kind of like a lot of songs out there, and on this album. Not getting any kind of hook with this one, but hey, might with a full song. 30 seconds do not a song or hook make.

Before We Come Undone –case in point of above. I definitely liked this live a lot more than here.

Written All Over Your Face –liked it here better than live.

I liked “Bring It Back,” but definitely got a Lighthouse kind of feel to me.

Red Guitar, I liked it, think I’ll like the whole thing.

Is It Over, liked the Blues in parts of it, so that’s good, kind of of some eh parts as well, but I think the Blues stuff sets it apart.

Let It Rain –not thrilled, kind of dull, done.

Alright With Me, upbeat, kind of cute.

I Need To Know, yep, like it. Can’t wait for the full song.

Heartless -I like Kris’s version of a remix.

LLWD, nope, still don’t like it.

And this is just 30 seconds, so I’m not judging anything yet, but a lot of these sounded very similiar to each other to me. Just me?

I liked, if didn’t love, most of the songs and am looking forward to hearing the full tracks and I think I might there are a lot of possible radio singles. Still think “Can’t Stay Away,” should be his next one. Oh and not sure if a lot of these have a lot of hooks in them, but it’s like impossible to tell from 30 second clips.

Early faves ‘“ Is It Over (love the bluesy 3/4 time signature), Bring it Back, Can’t Stay Away. I Need to Know ‘“ I agree will be epic.

Me too. I Need to Know is going to break my heart. And I’m liking Before We Come Undone better with every listen.

Snippets is better than nothin’. Lovin’ some snippets.

I’m listening to the songs again and trying to see if I change my mind on any of them.

More in-depth:

1. Before We Come Undone sounds really good. Is it just me, or does the chorus sound like it’s been slowed down compared to the live version?

2. Can’t Stay Away sounds more and more like “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw in this snippet.

3. “The Truth” is very The Fray. Kris sings these songs with great conviction, though. I think that’s what has always set him apart from everyone else on Idol. Sometimes you can ignore the lyrics if the singer is committed to the song as much as Kris is in this one.

4. “Written All Over My Face” is definitely in the same vein musically as “Live Like We’re Dying” and is definitely radio-friendly. I hope they don’t release this too soon because it sounds too much like LLWD to show Kris’s variety in singing styles.

5. “Bring It Back” is totally The Fray-inspired. Kris’s voice sounds lovely on this song – very smooth and buttery vocals. Very brooding song. Could almost picture a scene from One Tree Hill against this background song.

6. “Red Guitar” sounds great and once again, very radio-friendly and could be a theme song to a new TV series or something.

7. “Is It Over” – reminds me of “Wipe It Away” and “Running” from Brand New Shoes. I AM HAPPY. One song that is Brand New Shoes-y is ENOUGH. Thank you, Kris. This is going to be my favorite, I can tell. I think people will be surprised to hear Kris on this song.

8. “Let It Rain” – hmm not quite sure what to make of this if I like it. Kris sounds lovely on it, but I think the piano on it sounds a little bit generic. It sounds like a typical pop ballad.

9. “Alright With Me” – I cannot get over how great this song sounds. It doesn’t sound overproduced at all, in fact it probably sounds more like the Kris we’ve seen on American Idol. It’s so strummy and sway-worthy. I know I said that already, but I keep thinking about it when I listen to it.

10. “Lifetime” I still don’t like this song. The message is a little bit cheesy. I was expecting a little bit less of a ballad.

11. “I Need to Know” is beautiful. It reminds me of “Meaning” by Gavin DeGraw, and even a little bit of Chris Garneau or Damien Rice. This is my second favorite, after “Is It Over”. Or maybe it’s my favorite. GAH I can’t make up my mind!

12. The Heartless track is certainly surprising. Will have to hear the full version to see if it is any good, but it’s definitely better than the garbage that was the AI studio recording.

here are my thoughts before I read everyone’s comments:
For the record, I love LLWD
Heartless sounds so different. I don’t know, I like it with just Kris & his guitar.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Alright With Me. i want more more more
Is It Over- kind of has a "Brand New Shoes" vibe to it.
Bring it Back – gives me a One Republic vibe, particularly All We Are
I like Before We Come Undone, Can’t Stay Away & Lifetime
I need to hear more of the other songs to know how I feel about them.

I haven’t watched the live videos yet, so I don’t how I feel about the production of these clips yet. I’m debating about going to see Kris at the XLO Acoustic concert in Worcestor. I want to go, but it is monday night & Weezer is playing the same night.

BTW, I also love LLWD, and I really like this Heartless. It’s what I expected when the track listing said it was a Salaam Remi production. I love that I will have 3 versions of Kris doing Heartless – the music vid from the show, the (sappy but mostly tolerable) AI studio, and this – a road trip version. All 3 very different – I loved the tour version also; yet another take on it from Kris.

Not sure if I like the Joe King collab or The Truth – but those may improve upon further acquaintance.

Amazon.de is for Germany not Denmark. The de is from the name of the country in German, Bundesrepublik Deutschland, translated into English: “Federal Republic of Germany.”

Very hard to tell with short clips. Right now they all sound the same to me.

Nothing sound the same about these songs. They are very different. There’s something for everyone on this album .
I do agree with Lindsey that they might even find it difficult picking the singles. There are about four piano songs in there, two funky ones , one waltzy and the rest are very guitar driven ,IMO.
I bet, Kris and Jive did a very good job because despite the different feels, you feel Kris when you hear the songs. His voice is not autotuned atall, that is not to say it was not used at all, but you can really hear Kris raw voiceon the songs.
Very happy for him.

Good thing MJ uploaded these cause Amazon Germany took the previews down. Thanks for the standalone post MJ!!!

Overall impressions: definitely pop/rock like Kris said it would be. For an album w/so many different writers/producers there seems to be a pretty cohesive sound, which I probably should credit Kris for since he has so many cowrites. It does have a little more of that slick production than I would like but what can you do, it’s 19, they thought My December was too indie for their audience, lol.

For the songs we heard full versions of this weekend in Miami:
-Before We Come Undone was my favorite of the live set and listening to its studio version, I still think it’s strong. It loses some oomph from the live version but has some interesting guitar work.
-Can’t Stay Away improves for me on the studio. Very Gavin DeGraw along with the Maroon 5.
-Written All Over My Face I really liked live, and I really liked in the studio snippet. The two versions sound similar.

Snippets are hard to judge cause a very small window on the song and I’m kind of weird in that I tend to focus on the bridge…also they’re usually not great audio quality (though headphones help a lot.) But quick impressions anyway:

Standouts:
-Alright With Me, love the fun different sound, upbeat. Is It Over, like the bluesy sound of the verse. I Need To Know, love the stripped down sound and the rawness of the vocals.

“Can’t Stay Away” is very Maroon 5-ish. I like it a lot. I want to hear full versions of all the songs but I’m really looking forward to hearing the rest of Bring It Back, The Truth, and Written All Over My Face. All in all, very much what I expected a Kris Allen cd would be like.

I said I wouldn’t judge based on 30-second snippets, but then I listened to those snippets about a hundred times in a row, so now I’m all Judgey McJudgimus. What I think so far is that I really, really like almost everything and am pretty sure I’m gonna love several. Exceptions: Lifetime and this version of Heartless. Lifetime is too cheesy for me and this Heartless is too fast and boppy. I liked the slow, kinda I’m-wailing-cause-my-heart-is-broken Heartless from live performances. So a miss for me on those two. But everything else is sounding soooooo good.

Yay, Kris!

They sound like one long loop of the same generic song.

I’ve just had my second listen to everything expect LLWD (for obvious reasons-own it-already flove it) and “Heartless” since I’m already disappointed in the snippet but will listen to the entire re-make before making a final analysis.

Anyway, I am not hearing the same thing over and over, but a great variety with some cohesiveness. Hee. Each of these songs are their own song. I am so excited to hear the entire songs, but feeling good about each one already!

Thank you mj for posting each on with title and writers and producers!

Im really liking Cant Stay Away. The rest sound pretty good, maybe a bit similar.

umm im really digging the song clips right now! =)

I said I wouldn’t judge based on 30-second snippets, but then I listened to those snippets about a hundred times in a row, so now I’m all Judgey McJudgimus.

THis cracked me up I’ve listened about a hundred times in a row, too; my reservations are with Lifetime and I’m not certain about Red Guitar. I want to love it because of what it means to Kris, but I think I’ll need more than 30 seconds to come around.

I think I’m going to LOVE Bring it Back and Is It Over. I already love Alright With Me and Written All Over My Face. Need to know is Need to Have NOW.

All I can say is I now have “Before We Come Undone” stuck in my head. and I would pay good money to hear the rest of “I Need to Know”.

I am actually pleasantly surprised from what I heard. The sound Kris seems to be going for is a lot more “rockish” than I thought it would be, and he sounds really good. I am digging what I heard of the Heartless remake and also “is it over”. I feel like buying this CD from kris, I liked what I heard a lot!

I have the same complaint as some of you: I think most of the songs sound alike with the exception of “I Need To Know,” which I already love 30 seconds in. But Kris’s voice sounds great on these and I will be buying the album and hoping they all grow on me.

Here’s my roundup. My favorites: Can’t Stay Away and Alright With Me. Quite a few sounded good but indistinct. Maybe if I heard the entire song(s)? Disappointed with Heartless–too much other stuff; not enough Kris.

1. LLWD–it’s growing on me–I don’t mind it.
2. CSA–One of my favorites.
3. BWCU–I little generic. Sounds okay but indistinct.
4. TT–A little yell-y, like “Light On” is Yell-y.
5.WAOMF–I don’t feel like there was enough in the snippet to make an opinion.
6.BIB–I liked it but I don’t think it will play on Top 40. AC?
7. RG–didn’t grab me at all.
8. IIO–I like it but it sounds like it should be on an R&B album
9. LIR–I liked the hook of the chorus. I hope the verses are energizing (like “Not Ready to Make Nice” from the Dixie Chicks) not depressing/whiny.
10. AWM–I liked this song quite a bit. The clip is from the verse and it had me tapping along. Liked it.
11.L–Doesn’t get me excited but it would be good background music to a montage for AI or a conclusion montage in a romantic comedy movie. That’s just what I thought when I heard it.
12. I Need to Know–I wish the clip was a part of the song with more lyrics. To me, this is the best presentation of Kris’s voice but otherwise, I don’t know without more.
13. Heartless–I don’t like it nearly as much as the original live performance. But it does seem to be better than the studio version with strings.

Okay, my turn *three listens*:

LLWD: Poor choice for first single. Unremarkable, very hard to sing live. This song isn’t doing that well, is it?

Before We Come Undone: It’s okay. Do not love it.

Can’t Stay Away; Love this song. I totally want to sing alongwith it. Love the chorus. Why didn’t they release this one first? Booo, Jive.

The Truth: Gavin DeGraw vibe. Nice.

Written All Over My Face: Also catchy. Like it a lot. Much like Can’t Stay Away.

Bring it Back: THE FRAY. Totally The Fray. Could be a big hit. Should make this the 2nd single, ASAP, Jive.

Red Guitar: Not feeling it. I know it has meaning for him, but…nope.

Is it Over: Hrm. I don’t know. Does kind of have a Beatles vibe.

Let it Rain: Like it a lot. Nice Kris in it. Nice piano works (is that him?).

Alright with Me: Yep, I like this one a LOT. Another one I could sing along to.

Lifetime: Pretty song, could see that on HAC. Thumbs up.

I Need to Know: Most organic. Very pretty.

Heartless: NOPE. WHY DID THEY DID DO THIS TO MY FAVORITE KRIS SONG??? BOOOO!!!!

So, overall I think this album could do well: Fray, One Republic, and Gavin DeGraw (not so much Jason Mraz) are the ones that come to mind (actually NOT Mat Kearney). I say this b/c that’s whom I hear when I listen to these.

Looking forward to the album.

Bring it Back ‘“ gives me a One Republic vibe, particularly All We Are

totally agree! i was trying to think of what it sounded like and you are so right it does. not a bad thing in my opinion though, i LOVE all we are.

‘Bring It Back’  is totally The Fray-inspired. Kris’s voice sounds lovely on this song ‘“ very smooth and buttery vocals. Very brooding song. Could almost picture a scene from One Tree Hill against this background song.

i was thinking the same thing about this and i need to know, that they could both easily be used on an episode of greys. love both of these songs tho so far. im also really digging red guitar, alright with me, and before we come undone. im really interested in hearing the rest of the lyrics for need to know, red guitar and lifetime (reserving judgement on that one until i hear the whole thing, but so far its my least favorite)

over all im loving the snippets and cant wait to hear the full versions. theres nothing that i really hated. i guess i could see how some people might find it boring, but for me this kind of music is my jam, so im happy. i think this album will fit nicely in my playlist of favorite male artists alongside john mayer, matt nathanson, mat wertz, and jon mclaughlin.

BTW, did anyone think of Kris’s twitter about the guy looking up at the ‘rainy’ sky for “Let it Rain”? LOL!

I liked Can’t stay away, Red Guitar, Is it Over, Alright with me. They all had a def Kris feel to them, that thing about him that made me love songs like She workd hard for the money, and his take on Come together.

I love Kris’s voice & on these snippets that is what sounds great to me!! I don’t think they all sound the same at all – like someone else said “variety with some cohesiveness”!! There are some with piano , some with guitar/drums, some faster , some slower & some in between- a great mix!!
The problem with listening to snippets is that they show the “chorus” part mostly of a song – so it is hard to get a sense of the build up & overall feel for each song.
Having said that the only one I really don’t like the version of is Heartless- but its a bonus song & I understand why they’ve done a different style again as there are already 2 other of Kris’s versions available anyway!
The ones I really like are Before We Come Undone & I Need to Know !!

Suebrody:

LLWD #29 HAC this morning – 8 adds (4th most this week); #48 Top 40 (7 adds this week), Billboard debut #31 Adult Pop, Billboard debut #50 Christian chart.

Not that I’m keeping track or anything.

But, it’s steadily increasing on radio across a few formats, seems to be picking up a lot of steam on HAC. Sales still lagging, so we’ll wait & see on that.

Based on these snippets, these are my 3 favs:

1. Alright With Me
2. Bring It Back
3. Can’t Stay Away

I listened to them in a hurry once — about 10 secs/song, and my first reaction was that they kind of sounded a bit the same with a slightly dated One Republic meets Maroon 5 kinda of vibe. Then I went back and listened to the full 30 seconds, and I liked it a lot better. Yes, its over produced, but that seems to be par for the course for an Idol’s debut album. All and all, it seems like a fun album with some nice, catchy songs in there that I would like to hear full length versions of. So, I will probably end up buying it.

I cannot get over how that 30-second snippet of “I Need to Know” is ruining my life right now. I literally cannot function just listening to it on repeat. It’s so hauntingly beautiful.

thanks mj for the snippets with the credits, very nice!

this is what i got so far:

‘before we come undone’: sounds very good. I like it better than the live i heard

‘can’t stay away’: the BOMB … seems that i love it

‘the truth’: sounds good, but don’t know at this point

‘written all over my face’ the BOMB 2 … he he. love the live as well as this snippet

‘bring it back’: very nice snippet. It’s mellow and the lyrics seem good. I think i’ll love it

‘red guitar’: like it. definitly need to hear more of this one. In other songs from BNS there are interesting changes so this one might have surprises. I might ending loving it

‘is it over’: i’m expecting to love that one a lot. I feel the originality of it

‘let it rain’: i might like the song but not sure at this point

‘alright with me’: Kris sounds so good on it! I feel the nice energy of this song. love it

‘lifetime’: need to hear more, but my less preferred so far. Seems a bit generic melodically and a bit cheesy

‘i need to know’: like it. like the raw vocals
‘
heartless’: as some said before it’s way better than the recorded AI version. It’s a win for me. As much as i like the acoustic version, I think his voice fits very very nicely with the more hip-rap version

Overall, it seems to me that it will be a very good album.

I thought buying the CD would be more of an obligation for me than enjoyment, but listening to the clips gives me hope that it might be a decent CD with some good songs. I Need To Know sounds like a song I would love, and Heartless is an interesting take. Although we can’t really tell without listening to the whole song, Before We Come Undone sounds like the only song that can be a good alternative for LLWD as a single, so perhaps they might release it as the second single.

Thanks, Eileen. I would like to see LLWD do well, but I think there are other tracks that are stronger (as I noted), SO if it doesn’t hit Top 10 range soon, I would release another song (JMHO). RCA has been ridiculous with Cook–two songs in a freaking year? Srsly? WTF? So I hope this doesn’t happen to Kris or to Adam.

Am I the only one not feeling Heartless? I like the version they play on our HAC station better. I don’t think it matters, tho, b/c I can’t see them releasing it AGAIN.

LET IT RAIN is the TPTB song . It’s funny because it’s one ofthe best songs on the record.
In all, Kris has a good songs on the record so if they promote it well they’ll sell lots of records.

Try hearing the clips a few more times if not hundreds time I doubt many of you will think most of the songs sound alike.

I’m just thrill to know that “I Need to Know” is Kris’ favorite on this album as I think it’ll be one of my top favorites as well.

Well, I usually don’t like judging based on the snippets, but here we go. Writing as I listen…

‘Before We Come Undone’ -I found it to be good. I really want to hear more of this one before judging, though, because it kind of started to take an interesting sonic space with me as the chorus ended and it started to transition to the verse.

‘Can’t Stay Away’ -Hey, hey, hey! I thought this was fun; caught my interest right away, and inspired a little bit of hip movement sitting at the desk (don’t laugh at me!). This had a lot of promise. Kind of thought the song inhabited an interesting place, given the lyrics.

“The Truth”-OK, wasn’t overwhelmed by this one at all. It wasn’t bad, and while I like the performance, the song was a touch too sledgehammery in the clip, in any number of ways. Waiting to hear more before judgment.

“Written All Over My Face”-Sound is attractive, and I like this better than LLWD for comparison. But I felt a little more disconnected from this than I would have liked. Feels like if the pace was slowed down and the lyrics given a chance to breathe, it could have really been an interesting, defiant track that it just isn’t. Still liked it, though.

“Bring It Back”-Strange that I can kind of both get the Fray and Lighthouse comparisons, and yet they aren’t exactly bands I would compare without some close thought. I guess it has something to do with the brooding vibe, which does kind of sit between the two. I did like it, though, and Kris does bring something interesting to the performance here.

“Red Guitar”- Ok, this was just a really attractive song, the best yet. I really felt the message here (in a 30 second clip, no less!) in a way that I don’t with a lot of music, strangely, and yet it definitely seemed like it could be on the radio. This was full of win for me.

“Is It Over”-Another really interest-piquing clip. Engaging from the start, and the kind of tone it set makes it one of the more unique numbers thus far.

“Let It Rain”-I agree with whoever said Kris outperformed the song. But it didn’t have anything structurally in that clip to really grab my attention. From start to finish, it was all something that I’d heard before.

“Alright With Me”-Grabbed my attention. I didn’t feel like I really heard enough to judge one way or the other at all, more than usual. It felt like it could potentially be a few different things.

“Lifetime”-A little bit, um, self-indulgent? This was my least favorite track, and I can say that without looking back through the other tracks. It’s, um, better than “The Climb”, which I guess is the mold for this kind self-affirming track. But I’m just not into this kind of song.

“I Need To Know”-Even though I’ve largely enjoyed what I’ve been listening to, I do wish there was more to listen to like this. The vocal, from what I heard, was just great, really engaging stuff. Felt this track a lot.

“Heartless”-I’m feeling this, though I wouldn’t say better than other renditions of his. I think it kind of sacrificed some of the tortured agony of the other performances I’ve heard, but in turn gains more on the angry edge I always thought inhabited the song (and, actually, in Kris’ performance, but the anger was not so upfront). So I like it in that its got a different style than he usually gives it, as a contrast.

On the whole: I’m really enjoying this stuff, which is good, because I was kind of bracing myself for the worst (I enjoyed LLWD, but I definitely didn’t want it to be a highlight. Here, it’s barely a presence). I can see why some people might say it sounds largely the same, but I’m not amongst them, as a lot of the tracks really stood out for me. Even if the songs have frequent similarities (which I don’t really mind; I like albums with coherent sounds, and I was really afraid that wasn’t going to be the case), most ended up standing out to me mentally. Not getting the copycat criticism at all. I do wish there were more songs a long the line of “I Need To Know”. There are a few songs here which definitely stand out as weaker compared to their cousins based on the clips, but on the other hand it’s only a few (every other AmIdol debut for me has a few that stand out as stronger, so this is an improvement without doubt). All in all, pretty damn good!

Still have to wait for the full tracks for any real judgment. But I’m pretty psyched!

I don’t hear any auto-tuning at all. I also don’t think it’s over produced, although the songs are smootehr than they would be when done live, I’m sure.

I also don’t see why people are saying they all sound alike. For instance, I Need to Know sounds absolutely nothing like Alright with Me. Red Guitar sounds nothing like Can’t Stay Away, etc. A couple of them have the same mid-tempo feel to them, but you aren’t going to have 13 songs that all sound totally different from each other.

I’m posting again. From some of the comments here, I’ve noticed that “Lifetime” isn’t getting a lot of love. So far I really life it! The lyrics sound interesting and I want to hear more. I’m pretty sure I heard, “It takes a lifetime in the world’s symphony…”. I like this metaphor, especially for Kris, since he played the viola in the symphony. Parts of it also sound fairly acoustic to me, but of course it will take listening to the entire song to know for sure. I’m not counting it out for myself by any means.

I still need to listen to the rest of the studio’s “Before We Come Undone” to make a final judgment on this one. (I couldn’t make a judgment on it based on the live on either.) Also feeling this way for, “The Truth”. I’m not sure how I feel on either one of these. However, I’m really, really, REALLY liking all of the other songs except “Heartless” so much.

“Can’t Stay Away” does sound better live, but that’s to be expected.

I agree, girlygirl. I do not think the songs sound alike OR over-produced. There are just some I prefer over others, as I noted. But that’s the case with nearly ever album, tho I have to say I love EVERY song on Gavin DeGraw’s latest, Free, which I highly recommend (it’s beautiful). Anyway, I think some of these songs are going to do REALLY well.

I like Bring it Back, Is it Over and maybe I Need to Know. I’ll have to hear the full version of I Need to Know before I can decide for sure. He kind of sounds like he has that morning voice but not in a sexy good way. I don’t like most of the other songs. I’ve come to realize that I only like Kris singing ballads. Anything uptempo from him and I hate it. I don’t know why but I just like him singing slower songs and that’s it. I definitely won’t be buying the album but I’ll possibly be downloading these singles.

I will probably buy Before We Come Undone

Also Can’t Stay Away has potential.

Waiting on the full versions for the rest. The vocal for I Need to Know was raw in a way the others weren’t, but I don’t know how I feel about the tune of that song yet.

Feeling mostly pleased.

“The recordings are a bit too slick for my tastes, at least based on the clips.” –MJ

I disagree. I prefer a bit more “meat” to the songs. His voice was spot-on during the live performances, but I like the studio versions as well. I don’t think they’re over done at all. I wanted more than a man and his guitar. Love acoustic, but these songs are all radio friendly hits.

I’m sure Adam’s CD will be far “slicker” than Kris’s. I’ll have to track down the John Paul Lewis CD to see what a real Indie Artist sounds like. I must be getting tired because this game is getting old.

To each his own.

Starr
10/28/2009 at 10:39 pm
“I cannot get over how that 30-second snippet of ‘I Need to Know’  is ruining my life right now. I literally cannot function just listening to it on repeat. It’s so hauntingly beautiful.”

LOL that’s how I feel too…

BTW, did anyone think of Kris’s twitter about the guy looking up at the ‘rainy’ sky for ‘Let it Rain’ ? LOL!

could be… lol .. that’s funny cookcricket

mj, what do you mean by “slick”? When I hear “slick” I think hip hop music, or electro music, but I don’t think that’s what you mean here. Do you mean overproduced?

Also not getting the “they all sound alike” thing that some are saying here. I’m thinking maybe you didn’t listen to all the tracks? Some are similar; agreed for those mid-tempo poppy tunes – on the other hand, we haven’t heard the verses. Before We Come Undone has slower, softer verses with the big pop chorus, and also Bring It Back sounded like it was transitioning to a slower verse. Damn these 30 second snippets! Need more. Red Guitar had more of an acoustic feel to me, although I wouldn’t describe it as an acoustic track.

Single potential? BWCU, CSA, BIB. Of all the tracks, Lifetime and Alright With Me are my least faves. I LOVE the bluesy Is It Over. Can hardly wait to hear the rest of that one, as well as Red Guitar and of course, I Need To Know.

I’m ready for a snippet of the Daughtry track now (and Jim’s secret Mat Kearney song)!!! Also wouldn’t mind the LLWD music video – which should probably be debuting in the next few days.

they don’t sound the same for sure, .. the coincidence of sounding all the same would be amazing if it was the case with that much composers and producers..lol

I can NEVER judge what a full song is going to sound like from a 30 second clip. Well, unless that is repeated over and over for another 120 seconds.

I am liking what I hear, some more than others. I think ‘Is It Over’ may be my fave from first listen. ‘The Truth’ sounds like it could be an AI goodbye song (need to hear all the lyrics). ‘Lifetime’ is the one I like the least. I’m really interested in ‘Red Guitar’.

I don’t see how anyone can say these all sound the same. Some have a similar vibe … like the two Script songs. And well, they are all Kris Allen singing. I’m not hearing much auto-tune on these.

There is a definite theme running and I like that. Very cohesive.

Brought my comments over from the other thread.

I’ve been listening to these all day off and on. I really love WAOMF and ‘Alright With Me’ . ‘I Need To Know’  has a feel of Sarah McLachlan’s ‘In The Arms Of The Angel’  to me. It may be the tempo or just the piano. Whatever it is, I love it! ‘Is It Over’  has a bit of BNS feel.

I’d be hard pressed to figure out a favorite. Just when I think I have, I listen to a different one and think’ ¦no, that’s the one I like best. LOL

I’m sure Adam’s CD will be far ‘slicker’  than Kris’s. I’ll have to track down the John Paul Lewis CD to see what a real Indie Artist sounds like. I must be getting tired because this game is getting old.

I’m not mj (duh) but I think she meant “slick” for Kris, in that, his raw sound gave his work character and seems a big part of his appeal. These sound like they smoothed out all the character, so to speak. OTOH, Adam’s voice is “slick” (or smooth) to begin with and his presentation tends to be, too, so not really the same thing, ya know? I had the same reaction to Allison’s studio cuts during the show. They ironed away her gravel and in doing so stole her voice (it seemed to me.) Anyway…

I tried to listen to JPL’s songs, and they just don’t do it for me. Actually, they sounded sort of “slick.” LOL But I do love his show! He’s hilarious.

‘The recordings are a bit too slick for my tastes, at least based on the clips.’  ‘“MJ

I disagree. I prefer a bit more ‘meat’  to the songs. His voice was spot-on during the live performances, but I like the studio versions as well. I don’t think they’re over done at all. I wanted more than a man and his guitar. Love acoustic, but these songs are all radio friendly hits.

The only one of the 3 from the weekend that I was slightly disappointed with the recording was Can’t Stay Away. And I think that was mostly because it was a bit slower and a little too smoothed over (is that what you mean by slick, MJ?) I really preferred the studio sound of Before We Come Undone (which has really great lyrics, btw) because of the fullness and the smoother blend. But as MJ says, it’s just a matter of individual taste.

Several of these sound really good. Looking forward to hearing more.

From those snippets the only one I really like is Can’t Stay Away. Idk the rest are too mellow for me. Don’t like the new Heartless remix at all! It’s lost it’s novelty but then it’s only a snippet.

Here’s the Youtube clip that was posted in the other thread…I like listening to these continually while reading comments.

Does anyone remember when Cook’s video was released last year? I’m getting excited at the prospect of a VIDEO!! AAGGHHH!! =]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydXq1qB-2Mk

kind of great that people are so different on the board about which snippets (or the whole songs we heard live in Miami) they like best. Makes me think there will be something for all and it’s all good.
Today, I had “written all over my face” stuck in my mind all day

Suebrody, I’m not sure what the timing will be on a 2nd single for Kris. LLWD only went to adds two weeks ago, and it seems to be doing well picking up adds and spins. I think the AllAccess banner is down now, so to me that would mean they are shifting focus from adds to sales, as now we’re seeing LLWD banners that link to iTunes everywhere (at least I am). The music video should be out later this week; they are likely playing this so LLWD nears its peak around the time of the album drop and all the national appearances. Whatever the strategy, I’m having fun watching this.

I’m anxious to know what the second single will be from among these – but we’ll probably have to wait a while …

I didn’t mention Let It Rain before – I forgot about that one – I like it very much and am especially interested in hearing the lyrics since Kris says he wrote it about his bouts of frustration with the label.

Firstly, Love that it’s not a typical ‘idol’ album. From what I’ve heard so far, the album stands alone as a solid Pop/Rock album and not just an Idol product.

Secondly, Slightly overproduced? some tracks perhaps but not overwhelmingly so.

“Tracks are generic/all sound alike” – Sorry, I totally disagree! esp when you have only 30 sec snippets to match up.

Thirdly, I don’t hear any autotune on any track. And frankly, Kris doesn’t need it.

From the 4 full tracks I’ve heard – CSA & BWCU are my FAV!

Now From 30 snippets
CSA & BWCU – Love them still!!

WAOMF & LLWD – Catchy as hell

Bring it Back & Let it Rain – Loved them instantly. Loved them more on repeated listening! Vocals are beautiful. They took me to that place where only Kris’s ANS can take me.

The Truth & Lifetime – Holding judgement on these two

Is it Over – BNS vibe + CALE = WIN!

Red Guitar – Bitter-Sweet Balad – NGL, will love this no matter what coz of backstory.

Alright with Me – Surprised that it’s upbeat, and that’s a good thing!

Heartless – Will always favour acoustic version but this one is a million times better than the idol studio debacle.

I Need to Know – This one I love with INSANE PASSION! OMG Kris Allen! He sounds so SEXY! All gruff & growly!
*For next album, sing more songs at 3 am and on ur back!GodD***IT!

In Conclusion – WANT ALBUM RN!

Starr
10/28/2009 at 10:39 pm

I cannot get over how that 30-second snippet of ‘I Need to Know’  is ruining my life right now. I literally cannot function just listening to it on repeat. It’s so hauntingly beautiful.

IKR? I mentioned on the Kris/Chris thread that I almost started crying on my first listen. This song had better live up to this snippet!!!

Mtlfan, I agree. It’s very eclectic which I love. I don’t hear any autotune (as in Kanye’s music), don’t hear any overproduction for the most part, don’t hear anything that sounds the same….all in all I’m really pleased and kinda surprised. I knew Kris was a songwriter, but I didn’t expect the record…uh, snippets…to be this good.

Still don’t get I Need to Know, but I have an open mind…I hope I like it! =)

And I had “Can’t Stay Away” in MY head all day!

Have to say from what I am hearing so far one of the better Idol winner debut albums. I love Can’t Stay Away , Bring it Back, and Let it Rain. Kris’s voice is Fantastic’ ¦ Those voice lessons he took really paid off. I have always loved Kris but sometimes his voice sounded strained on songs that where out of his range but he does not have any of that on these snippets. Funny, that the only song I still hear the straining is on LLWD though slightly. His voice is fuller, richer, and his range much better. I was going to buy the album no matter what, but now I know I will not only be buying it, I will be playing it over and over again.

cookcricket
10/28/2009 at 11:37 pm
Starr
10/28/2009 at 10:39 pm

I cannot get over how that 30-second snippet of ‘I Need to Know’  is ruining my life right now. I literally cannot function just listening to it on repeat. It’s so hauntingly beautiful.

IKR? I mentioned on the Kris/Chris thread that I almost started crying on my first listen. This song had better live up to this snippet!!!

I know I’m biased because I’m a Kris fan, but seriously, when I was listening to all of the songs I had a perma-smile on my face, and when I heard “I Need to Know” I just got really depressed all of a sudden. Kris sounds like he’s broken and this is the Kris everyone fell in love with – the guy who could make you feel so incredibly sad in a minute and a half on Idol – and in this case, 30 seconds.

I find at least 6 that I really like off of 30 seconds and that’s saying something since my laptop speakers are totally made of fail.

I’m in the LLWD camp – I really like it – where the heck is that video though?

My other favs include

Before We Come Undone
Alright with Me – unexpectedly loving this Joe King/Kris song
Written All Over My Face
Can’t Stay Away
Let It Rain

I find it amazing what these kids can put together in a few months, while touring and barely sleeping.

I’m anxious to know what the second single will be from among these ‘“ but we’ll probably have to wait a while ‘ ¦

Hard to know the whole picture just based on the snippets, but I’d have to go with Can’t Stay Away as the strongest second single. I really like the funky hook to it. It is very catchy.

I find it amazing what these kids can put together in a few months, while touring and barely sleeping.

LOL! So true! I felt so sorry for them (especially Kris, Adam, and Allison of course) during the summer. Insane schedule.

Seeker
10/28/2009 at 11:35 pm
Firstly, Love that it’s not a typical ‘idol’ album. From what I’ve heard so far, the album stands alone as a solid Pop/Rock album and not just an Idol product.

Secondly, Slightly overproduced? some tracks perhaps but not overwhelmingly so.

‘Tracks are generic/all sound alike’  ‘“ Sorry, I totally disagree! esp when you have only 30 sec snippets to match up.

Thirdly, I don’t hear any autotune on any track. And frankly, Kris doesn’t need it.

From the 4 full tracks I’ve heard ‘“ CSA & BWCU are my FAV!

Now From 30 snippets
CSA & BWCU ‘“ Love them still!!

WAOMF & LLWD ‘“ Catchy as hell

Bring it Back & Let it Rain ‘“ Loved them instantly. Loved them more on repeated listening! Vocals are beautiful. They took me to that place where only Kris’s ANS can take me.

The Truth & Lifetime ‘“ Holding judgement on these two

Is it Over ‘“ BNS vibe + CALE = WIN!

Red Guitar ‘“ Bitter-Sweet Balad ‘“ NGL, will love this no matter what coz of backstory.

Alright with Me ‘“ Surprised that it’s upbeat, and that’s a good thing!

Heartless ‘“ Will always favour acoustic version but this one is a million times better than the idol studio debacle.

I Need to Know ‘“ This one I love with INSANE PASSION! OMG Kris Allen! He sounds so SEXY! All gruff & growly!
*For next album, sing more songs at 3 am and on ur back!GodD***IT!

In Conclusion ‘“ WANT ALBUM RN!

Could not agree with you more. “I Need to Know” has a lot of emotion dripping from just that one line “I need to know…”, and I think that Idol fans who loved Kris’s rendition of “Falling Slowly” on the show will have this one as a favorite.

I thought that “Alright With Me” is such a bouncy, feelgood tune that you can shout from the mountaintops. Another surprise for Kris, since a lot of people seem to think he doesn’t excel with upbeat songs. I’m really surprised that this turned out to be the Joe King collab, as “Let It Rain” and “The Truth” sound more like The Fray songs.

“Is It Over” – Nope, can’t get over this song. It’s going to be one of my favorites, definitely, just because it’s so reminiscent of BRand New Shoes. I had said before that I wanted Kris to re-record “Wipe It Away” for the new album, but I will take this song because it’s amazing.

So far, still not digging “Let It Rain” and “Lifetime”.

Even though I liked Kris’ voice I have found him a little boring in the past outside of “Heartless”, “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Bright Lights” but from these clips I’m pretty sure I’m going to like this album. Kris has really managed to surprise me. I thought his album was going to be “easy listening” but now I am looking forward to buying it.

Kinda OTT but “I Need To Know” sounds a lot like Josiah Lemming to me. I like Josiah and have bought his music but I never thought Kris sounded like him until that clip. I think it is that emo Josiah “I’m hurting” vibe that’s getting my attention. I like the song, it just doesn’t sound like something I would expect from Kris, though.

I love this album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a Kris fan since the first ANS, I’m really enjoying the ride. Kris didn’t disappoint with this album.

I vote for BWCU as the next single, but really there’s so many great contenders. It will be tough to choose.

I am impressed…..loved that he stayed “Kris”. I am a person that needs to hear(feel) the singer connect with the lyrics and believe what they are singing.

Good job Kris!!

agree with you dmr, it’s not overproduced or autotuned.

As for the next single, I’d vote for “Can’t stay away”

.. although “Written all over my face” is a strong contender in my opinion

I’m ready for a snippet of the Daughtry track now (and Jim’s secret Mat Kearney song)!!! Also wouldn’t mind the LLWD music video ‘“ which should probably be debuting in the next few days.

Was it confirmed that his secret track wasn’t the Daughtry collab? I probably missed that somewhere…;)

cookcricket
10/29/2009 at 12:03 am
I’m ready for a snippet of the Daughtry track now (and Jim’s secret Mat Kearney song)!!! Also wouldn’t mind the LLWD music video ‘“ which should probably be debuting in the next few days.

Was it confirmed that his secret track wasn’t the Daughtry collab? I probably missed that somewhere’ ¦;)

“Send Me All Your Angels” is the bonus track from the Wal-Mart release and is the song that Daughtry wrote with Kris.

Not sure if the MAt Kearney song is going to be released. Maybe as an itunes bonus track?

It’s hard to judge the songs based on 20 second snippets. Because of the poor audio quality and static noise, the songs all sound over-produced.

Among them, I like ‘written all over my face‘, very poppish.

I agree with MJ that I like can’t stay away live better

There are obvious autotune in before we come undone, which is not bad, kinda interesting.

bring it back and red guitar sound like David Cook song.

is it over is interesting but overproduced

I’m no feeling the following:
the truth
let it rain
alright with me
lifetime

dislike i need to know. It’s so slow, it’s killing me.

Dnw any more The Script. So not Written All Over My Face as a single, please. Plus then his two singles would both not be self written, same as what happened to David Cook last year, and I know people weren’t happy about that.

I vote BWCU and CSA for radio potential

why do all things good and kris happen while i’m at work?

was able to listen to all the snippets and so far i loved red guitar, i need to know, bring it back and written all over my face. but this is based only one listen so need to go back and re-analyse the lyrics, the melody, kris’s voice, kris’s feelings in the voice etc etc before i come to a conclusion. and like mj said, it’s difficult to judge a song based on a 15 second snippet.

off to a meeting now and will join you guys later. tata

Also wouldn’t mind the LLWD music video ‘“ which should probably be debuting in the next few days.

cool cricket! you got me excited! do you know when it’ll be released?

ooopps running late for my meeting….gotta run

Starr
“So far, still not digging ‘Let It Rain’ 

Really? It caught me instantly esp keeping in mind what the song is about…
“maybe you’re crazy, Maybe it’s too late.
“But I’m gonna make it. Forget what the skies say.”
“Let it rain”
(I’m so proud of him)

Yeah, with the Joe King collab I was expecting a dark piano driven ballad. Great Surprise !

‘Is It Over’  , just heard it again – CAN”T STOP SMILING!

Oh what can I say about BNS… Yup, Wipe It Away, would have been great on the album

But I’ve undying love for On Our Way also, esp the long bridge in the song, “Oh, I know that you have question…”
and he’s playing the piano on it, incredible!

Pity he couldn’t play instruments on the album. No time!!!

Could not agree with you more. ‘I Need to Know’  has a lot of emotion dripping from just that one line ‘I need to know’ ¦’ , and I think that Idol fans who loved Kris’s rendition of ‘Falling Slowly’  on the show will have this one as a favorite.

Nope. I liked Falling Slowly but Kris’s vocal on I Need To Know sounds like my boyfriend did when he was moaning/whining in pain for a week after a cow stepped on his foot.

Nope. I liked Falling Slowly but Kris’s vocal on I Need To Know sounds like my boyfriend did when he was moaning/whining in pain for a week after a cow stepped on his foot.

You say it better.

I like most of these clips. I have to reserve judgement until I can hear the full songs.

One thing I don’t like about most of the tracks: Too.Much.Band! Why do they need to drown out Kris’ beautiful voice with overly loud instrumentals? It was the same thing with the Idol studio tracks at ITunes.

Nope. I liked Falling Slowly but Kris’s vocal on I Need To Know sounds like my boyfriend did when he was moaning/whining in pain for a week after a cow stepped on his foot.

You either have a great way with words, or your life is much more interesting than mine. Maybe both.

Starr, thanks for the info. Yes, I realized that Daughtry collab is the extra track on the Wal-Mart version. I guess I’m still curious about the song Jim Cantiello was referring to because he mentioned it would probably be released (before we heard about the extra Wal-Mart track) and so I wondered he weighed in on whether the Daughtry was on one he had heard.

I don’t know if this makes sense. lol.

I gotta go to bed.

Good-bye all, and happy Kris Allen snippet day!!!! Woot!

mmmmh… Question for all:
Is “I need to know” only appealing to hardcore Kris Allen fans?

Cookcricket, I think Jim had mentioned somewhere that ‘noone had even talked about that track” so I’m guessing it probably does not involve a famous collab.

I thought that ‘Alright With Me’  is such a bouncy, feelgood tune that you can shout from the mountaintops.

This tune sounds like a potential single to me, also (along with a few others).

Kris’s vocal on I Need To Know sounds like my boyfriend did when he was moaning/whining in pain for a week after a cow stepped on his foot.

I love how songs can bring us back to those special moments in our lives.

Well Kris’s favourite song is I Need To Know & just from the snippet we have it shows the same raw emotion that Falling Slowly did & I’ll trust Kris’s assessment & believe that when we hear the full song that it will blow us away!!
For those that think this song is too slow – you obviously didn’t like Falling Slowly on AI!! This shows Kris’s more vulnerable side to his singing !!

The more I listen to the snippets the more I think that there is something here to appeal to a wide variety of music lovers!!

“I love how songs can bring us back to those special moments in our lives.”

LOL, Ross! Srsly LOL!

Kris’s vocal on I Need To Know sounds like my boyfriend did when he was moaning/whining in pain for a week after a cow stepped on his foot.

I love how songs can bring us back to those special moments in our lives.

ROFLOL!!!

Today, I had ‘written all over my face’  stuck in my mind all day

LOL, Mtlfan, so did I! It’s a catchy song and I was surprised I liked it so much from the live performance. Haven’t listened to these snippets yet–will have to wait for morning (I know, how could I wait knowing there’s some real gems here??!!). I’m happy that the overall impressions have been good so far. It’s such fun to finally get Kris’ album music!

I love how songs can bring us back to those special moments in our lives.

OMG Ross, I’m laughing so hard I’m choking. Great Comment!

cookcricket
10/29/2009 at 12:19 am
Starr, thanks for the info. Yes, I realized that Daughtry collab is the extra track on the Wal-Mart version. I guess I’m still curious about the song Jim Cantiello was referring to because he mentioned it would probably be released (before we heard about the extra Wal-Mart track) and so I wondered he weighed in on whether the Daughtry was on one he had heard.

I don’t know if this makes sense. lol.

I gotta go to bed.

Good-bye all, and happy Kris Allen snippet day!!!! Woot!

I think Cantiello’s favorite track was the remainder of the songs that Parker had not reviewed? So it’s either “I Need to Know”, “Alright With Me”, “Is It Over” or Red Guitar”.

Seeker
10/29/2009 at 12:19 am
mmmmh’ ¦ Question for all:
Is ‘I need to know’  only appealing to hardcore Kris Allen fans?

It’s very possible, Seeker. It seems that the hardcore fans have a consensus with Red Guitar and I Need to Know being favorites, with “Is It Over” being close in the running, because they are pretty reminiscent of Kris’s old work on his pre-Idol album and one of the better-reviewed performances of his on Idol “Falling Slowly”. It seems the fans are the only ones in love with his lower register, so I’m not surprised these songs are getting a lot of love from them.

The radio-friendly ones are the ones casual listeners seem to be liking.

red guitar is 4:27 long, so we heard only like 1/9 of the song. I’m under the impression that i’ll like it more when i’ll listen to the whole song

“It seems the fans are the only ones in love with his lower register, so I’m not surprised these songs are getting a lot of love from them.”

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – That lower register of his is the sexiest thing ever.

“It seems that the hardcore fans have a consensus with Red Guitar and I Need to Know being favorites, with ‘Is It Over’  being close in the running, because they are pretty reminiscent of Kris’s old work on his pre-Idol album”

I’m glad there are tracks that are kinda a shoutout to his fans who’ve stuck with him from the beggining and who will just ‘get them’.

But the really great thing about this album is that it has a little bit for everyone —— so promising!

I actually really, really like them all. I’m holding off on raving about them until I hear the whole things, of course, but going off the snippets, I’m so excited for November 17. On an amusing note, LLWD is probably going to end up as the song I like least on the album – and I actually really like that song, so that’s saying something.

Seeker and Star, I’m with you 1000% regarding his lower register! a good recording of ATTID shows how gorgeous it is in the “i got a soul but i’m not a soldier” part of the song.

Is ‘I need to know’  only appealing to hardcore Kris Allen fans? (Seeker)

I’m a hardcore, Falling Slowly, lower-register-loving Kris fan, but I’m not feeling I Need to Know. As I stated earlier, I want to like this song…maybe when I hear the full song.

Mtlfan
10/29/2009 at 12:36 am
red guitar is 4:27 long, so we heard only like 1/9 of the song. I’m under the impression that i’ll like it more when i’ll listen to the whole song

And to think that the original, pre-Idol version was 6 minutes long! It seems that the instrumental parts may have been cut out, but I hope not too much. Kris is a musician, not just a singer, and I think it’s important to him that he also demonstrates creativity on more than just the vocals of a song.

Seeker
10/29/2009 at 12:37 am
‘It seems the fans are the only ones in love with his lower register, so I’m not surprised these songs are getting a lot of love from them.’ 

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again ‘“ That lower register of his is the sexiest thing ever.

‘It seems that the hardcore fans have a consensus with Red Guitar and I Need to Know being favorites, with ‘Is It Over’  being close in the running, because they are pretty reminiscent of Kris’s old work on his pre-Idol album’ 

I’m glad there are tracks that are kinda a shoutout to his fans who’ve stuck with him from the beggining and who will just ‘get them’.

But the really great thing about this album is that it has a little bit for everyone ‘”’” so promising!

I agree! Frankly I had expected the album to be average pop-rock, because it’s Jive, and they don’t really have a lot of artists who are not built for radio. I was going to buy the album anyway, but I have a feeling I’m going to have this record on repeat because of some of these songs. I agree that it has something for everyone. People will argue that Kris excels in ballads – well, there’s a ton of that; and not just typical ballads, too. They are hooky, sure and very melodic, but there are also the ones that are a bit unconventional for an Idol alum, specifically “Is It Over” and “I Need to Know” – once again, it must be emphasized that the songs that seem to be getting plenty of love are the ones that Kris had a big hand in writing.

And I completely agree about the shoutout to fans who’ve been with him from the start. My big fear going into Kris winning was that the label was going to overproduce him and push him into something he wasn’t comfortable with, and when I heard “Live Like We’re Dying”, I couldn’t help but let out an “oh god no”, but I am so thrilled Kris gave us a handful of songs that are so trademark Kris. “The Truth” might be this record’s “Ain’t No Sunshine” – who knows?

Oh and I just wanted to add that it seems the fans tend to like a song even more when they know the back story. For instance, a lot of the fans like “Red Guitar” because they know it’s about a certain thing (Katy’s red guitar gifted to her by Kris) and “I Need to Know” because it was recorded when Kris was in a weird place mentally and he was lying on his back on the floor with the mic up in his face, guitar in hand. So I think the more people know about how the song came about, the more it influences how they feel and connect to it.

Speaking of that lower register, I love, love, loved Kris when he sang I Will Remember You with Adam!!

I still like LLWD and Heartless the best from the snippets. Can’t wait to check out the whole album!

And can I just say…I almost pissed my pants when I heard the line in “Is It Over” – “Take your time…as you’re headed for the door.” Damn you, Kris’s falsetto + that line. The things you do to me.

ah yes dmr, I love Kris on “I will remember”. I really like that melody also

Cookcricket: Good-bye all, and happy Kris Allen snippet day!!!! Woot!

Ditto!! Good night…it’s been fun!

It seems that the hardcore fans have a consensus with Red Guitar and I Need to Know being favorites, with ‘Is It Over’  being close in the running, because they are pretty reminiscent of Kris’s old work on his pre-Idol album

I don’t know. They actually didn’t remind me of his pre-Idol album. I never made that connection.

As a “hardcore fan” I’m not sure I can say what my favorites are yet, but I learn towards Before We Come Undone, Alright With Me, and Can’t Stay Away, right now. I think I’m going to really like I Need To Know, also. But I can’t tell where the song is going yet.

Some songs on an album grab you right away and some sneak up on you over time. Seems like this album has both kinds of songs.

I think I’m going to like this version of Heartless too. It’s a song that builds in intensity, and it’s dramatic: I don’t think you can tell much from a short clip of that one, either, but so far I like the tempo and the arrangement.

His voice sounds just great in these clips. I like the intensity I hear in a lot of the songs. And I’m really happy with his songwriting ability. From what Mat Kearney said, he deosn’t just show up and let the others do the actual writing, he’s a songwriter. And these sound like really good songs.

Well, done, man.

Dear Kris,

Can I direct your video for “Alright With Me”? Thank you.

I have never listened to his pre-idol album – I just know that I like most of what he did on Idol. I think I like all but a few from his album from listening to the snippets:
Love this version of Heartless, I Need To Know, Before We Come Undone, Can’t Stay Away, The Truth, Bring It Back, Let It Rain, Lifetime. I like Live Like We’re Dying but it’s not my favorite.
Possibly Is It Over, not sure about Red Guitar and Alright With Me – sorta meh on those at this point.

I got through 6 before I was sufficiently bored. I heard a bit of Maroon 5 in there. But guess what. You can’t have Maroon 5 without Adam Levine’s distinct voice. That’s what MAKES the band. And Kris’ voice is far too annoying to listen to just for the musical quality of it, and ignore the lyrics.

But. I have a feeling this could be popular. Melodramatic whiney sounding songs are pretty big right now. Look at The Fray.

It seems that the hardcore fans have a consensus with Red Guitar and I Need to Know being favorites, with ‘Is It Over’  being close in the running, because they are pretty reminiscent of Kris’s old work on his pre-Idol album

I don’t know. They actually didn’t remind me of his pre-Idol album. I never made that connection.

LOL, me either, Ross. I’m not sure I even like Red Guitar (other than the sentiment), Is It Over reminds me more of the Beatles than BNS, and I Need to Know appeals to me more because of the raw simplicity of the vocals than because it reminds me of BNS (I suppose there’s a little Wipe It Away flavor but only in the vocal style, haven’t heard enough to judge any more than that.)

Coming out of hiding to say I am very, very intrigued by I Need to Know.

jms’ comment and ross’ follow up cracked me up. Too funny!

However, I listen to just 30 seconds of I Need to Know and my heart aches – which to me is possible evidence of some powerful artistry. I can’t help wanting *wanting* to hear more, all of this song. Need to hear the whole thing to know if it’s as potentially powerful as I wonder, but this is a *wow* for me.

I’m definitely looking forward to this whole song. And the whole album. This is all good.

Okay, so “Alright With Me” is undoubtedly going to replace Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True” as my wake-up-in-the-morning-it’s-gonna-be-an-awesome-day theme song. I LOVE IT

dmr
10/29/2009 at 12:51 am
Speaking of that lower register, I love, love, loved Kris when he sang I Will Remember You with Adam!!

I missed something…..When did this happen?

Just realized and this is actually a nice surprise, Lindy Robbins didn’t do a bad job with Kris afterall since she co-wrote BWCU, CSA and I Need to Know!

madnessinmotion
10/29/2009 at 1:32 am
dmr
10/29/2009 at 12:51 am
Speaking of that lower register, I love, love, loved Kris when he sang I Will Remember You with Adam!!

I missed something’ ¦..When did this happen?

In the Ford commercial during the final 2.

Here is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s0jamjdjtY

madnessinmotion
10/29/2009 at 1:32 am
dmr
10/29/2009 at 12:51 am
Speaking of that lower register, I love, love, loved Kris when he sang I Will Remember You with Adam!!

I missed something’ ¦..When did this happen?

I believe this was done during the Ford music video for the top 2 on Idol.

snlw
10/29/2009 at 1:33 am
Just realized and this is actually a nice surprise, Lindy Robbins didn’t do a bad job with Kris afterall since she co-wrote BWCU, CSA and I Need to Know!

Why so low expectations of Lindy Robbins? Is she like a boogeyman in the music industry or something?

Starr–I love “Alright With Me,” too; it’s my favorite from the album so far. After AWM, I like “Can’t Stay Away,” “Written All Over My Face,” and “Is It Over” the most. With the rest of the songs, I think I need to hear the complete versions before I can really judge, though I have high hopes for “Bring it Back,” “Red Guitar,” and “I Need to Know.”

Here is another or better link for “I will remember you”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF2cE0680eg

You know Starr – i think you compared “I need to Know” to FS earlier or that they have the same appeal? I think I’d pit “I need to know” to ANS – same kinda angst, meloncholic vibe. FS, though showcased his lower register in the verses, the vibe is more hopeful, joyful even.

“I Need to Know appeals to me more because of the raw simplicity of the vocals than because it reminds me of BNS”

I don’t think anyone compared INTK with BNS, Julieitis. We all agreed that it was the “raw simplicity of the vocals” & the pure emotion behind it that makes it stand out.

Regarding,”Is it over” little that I’ve heard, it does have a BNS ballad vibe; albeit feels like a more mature and developed version.

Also I hate the term “hardcore fan”, even though stupidly I brought it up today — reminds me of a crazy group of ppl…. anyways…

a little disappointed I’m afraid — as I was with David Cook’s debut album. Both are going for a very commercial rock-pop vibe, and I’m attuned more to fewer production values, crisper instrumentation, a more acoustic or old-school soul flavor.

it’s yet another reminder: what people sing on Idol isn’t necessarily what they want to record and run with. There have been some pretty consistent people, like Kelly and Carrie, but it’s hard not to have expectations when you hear someone do something you like week after week.

Right now, the songs that catch me are “Can’t Stay Away,” the fun “All Right With Me,” and I’m certainly intruiged by the opening bars of “I Need to Know.” But I’ll reserve judgment on them all until I can hear the full song.

Adam will probably be a lot more consistent with what fans expect — since he pretty much did his thing, come hell or high water, on the show and I imagine wants to expand on that….but who the heck knows? The proof is in the listening…

By the way, as I write this here is the disc’s status on the US amazon.com:

Sales Rank: #58 in Music
#33 in Music > Rock
#58 in Music > Pop

Thanks snlw. I remember now. Unfortunately, since I don’t really think they harmonize well together it didn’t stick with me (even though I have seen it several times since I have it recorded )

“Why so low expectations of Lindy Robbins? Is she like a boogeyman in the music industry or something?”

Go to WIKI and read up…. a Taylor Hicks single comes up as credit!

Sales Rank: #58 in Music
#33 in Music > Rock
#58 in Music > Pop

Awesome! Earlier today it was at #63. And i think few days ago was at above #100. So the snippets seem to be helping his album sales so far! That ought to be a good sign!

‘Why so low expectations of Lindy Robbins? Is she like a boogeyman in the music industry or something?’ 

She is a little better than Kara D.

Someone twittered this:
RockinAllenFan NO WAY!?! Our bb Kris’s single LLWD is #5 on New Zealand’s Pop iTunes Chart!! People living there are KICK AWESOME!

So far LLWD since to be doing well oversea! YAY for Kris!

Seems like I Need To Know is the only slow song on the album. I was hoping for more songs like Ain’t No Sunshine and Falling Slowly. I guess I’m just setting too high expectations since major record labels like Jive are only interested in producing radio-friendly pop songs that can sell. Nevertheless, it is a decently good album and probably one of the best Idol albums.

Someone twittered this:
RockinAllenFan NO WAY!?! Our bb Kris’s single LLWD is #5 on New Zealand’s Pop iTunes Chart!! People living there are KICK AWESOME!

So far LLWD since to be doing well oversea! YAY for Kris!

snlw, LLWD has been getting mad love in the Philippines and Singapore, too. It’s currently #1 in the top radio stations of both countries, as far as I know.

aeyelle
“snlw, LLWD has been getting mad love in the Philippines and Singapore, too. It’s currently #1 in the top radio stations of both countries, as far as I know.”

Yes, I know and that makes me very happy because I’m originally from Singapore even though I live in US now.

Someone twittered this:
RockinAllenFan NO WAY!?! Our bb Kris’s single LLWD is #5 on New Zealand’s Pop iTunes Chart!! People living there are KICK AWESOME!

So far LLWD since to be doing well oversea! YAY for Kris!

#5 Top Pop Songs

http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10popsongs.html

#8 Top Songs

http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10songs.html

YAY!!!!!

summersnow
10/29/2009 at 1:58 am

Seems like I Need To Know is the only slow song on the album. I was hoping for more songs like Ain’t No Sunshine and Falling Slowly. I guess I’m just setting too high expectations since major record labels like Jive are only interested in producing radio-friendly pop songs that can sell. Nevertheless, it is a decently good album and probably one of the best Idol albums.

Depends on what you consider “slow”. “I Need to Know” has a snail’s pace of slow; it’s brooding and almost reminds me of a massage. “Red Guitar” is a slow song as well, but the only thing that makes it seem like it has momentum are the drums. “Let It Rain” is a little bit mid-tempo in the chorus, but not in the verse.

I think the album has a good balance. You’ve got the strummy happy songs like “Alright With Me”, “Written All Over My Face” and “Live Like We’re Dying”, the funky groovier “Can’t Stay Away” and rocked out “Heartless”, the slow ballads “Bring It Back” and “I Need to Know”, and then the mid-tempo stuff “Before We Come Undone”, “The Truth”. Overall, I think it’s well-rounded and has a lot for everybody.

Seeker

I think I can definitely see the “Ain’t No Sunshine” factor in “I Need to Know” in that both are moody, brooding songs that give off the atmosphere of a room that has the oxygen being slowly sucked out of it. I’m a big fan of songs that are minimalistic and I think “I Need to Know” has that vibe because of the subdued background and Kris’s lovely lower register.

Still can’t see why Australia doesn’t have LLWD on i-Tunes yet if NZ does!!! Its very frustrating as I am sure it would also do well here!!!

I just hope it doesn’t take too long for the album to be available like DC’s & DA’s were last year!!

Im still really puzzled by anyone that says these songs sound alike? Really? The only common thread I see between every song is that Kris is singing. Think the problem is that you heard 13 songs in a time span that you would usually hear ~2.

Overall, as a Kris fan, I am really really happy with it . From the clips, Id say I really like about 9 of the tracks, but that number could increase after listening to the whole songs. Alright With Me, I Need to Know, and Red Guitar are the ones that I keep going back to, so i guess those would be my favorites.

Overboard
10/29/2009 at 3:43 am

Im still really puzzled by anyone that says these songs sound alike? Really? The only common thread I see between every song is that Kris is singing. Think the problem is that you heard 13 songs in a time span that you would usually hear ~2.

Overall, as a Kris fan, I am really really happy with it . From the clips, Id say I really like about 9 of the tracks, but that number could increase after listening to the whole songs. Alright With Me, I Need to Know, and Red Guitar are the ones that I keep going back to, so i guess those would be my favorites.

Yeah, I think it’s because they listen to all the songs in succession and they are mostly the choruses and people think they sound the same, but it’s a pretty well-varied album. Upbeat ones and moody ones altogether, and although I am not sure that rocked out Heartless at the end does the album any good – it seems rather anticlimactic. They should have just used the Mat Kearney song instead, but I will reserve conclusion until I listen to the whole CD.

I tried to like all of the songs, but I can’t get past “Lifetime” and I just can’t believe this was a Jon Foreman song. Usually his songs are rockier than this, and I had honestly thought I was going to hate the Pat Monahan-penned song “The Truth”, but it’s sounding way better everytime I listen to it than “Lifetime”. I think “Lifetime” is my least favorite, followed by “Bring It Back”. “Bring It Back” was actually a surprising letdown for me, as I had high expectations for an Eg White collab. Ah, but we’ll see. These are all initial reactions.

For BNS lovers : “Is It Over” has a hint of “Be My Lady” in it, no?

i’m gonna wait for the full versions for each song for my final judgement but these clips are beyond bland. they all pretty much sound the same. there don’t seem to be any acoustic songs (which are his strenght imo) either

Can’t tell much from these low quality clips with crappy bass. If I hadn’t already heard 4 of the new songs played in full with good audio quality, none of these clips would seem at all impressive to me.

Starr
I tried to like all of the songs, but I can’t get past ‘Lifetime’  and I just can’t believe this was a Jon Foreman song. Usually his songs are rockier than this, and I had honestly thought I was going to hate the Pat Monahan-penned song ‘The Truth’ , but it’s sounding way better everytime I listen to it than ‘Lifetime’ . I think ‘Lifetime’  is my least favorite, followed by ‘Bring It Back’ . ‘Bring It Back’  was actually a surprising letdown for me, as I had high expectations for an Eg White collab. Ah, but we’ll see. These are all initial reactions.

I initially didn’t love Lifetime and Bring It Back, but after a couple of listens (okay, I lie..a kabajillion listens), I’m quite loving both. Lifetime sounded a bit vanilla to me at first, but when I decided to listen to the melody and lyrics in depth, I got to appreciate it more. It somewhat reminds me of Switchfoot’s “Dare You To Move”–one of my songs from the band. As for “Bring It Back,” I didn’t like it at first either, but after much listening and getting that angsty vibe to it, I’ve come to love it. Seems like the Lifetime song has the least number of fans, but between now and the album’s release, it’s too early to tell to dislike it. After all, we haven’t even heard the full song.

For BNS lovers : ‘Is It Over’  has a hint of ‘Be My Lady’  in it, no?

Yes, I thought so, too. On the other hand, “I Need To Know” is reminicent of “Wipe It Away.”

I just had a thought: “Can’t Stay Away” and “Before We Come Undone” sounded amazing live – not quite sure how I feel about them on these snippets. I think it’s a huge testament to Kris as an artist that he excels on live performances more so than in his studio recordings. I think that it proves he doesn’t need the production and bandzilla. I’ve noticed that the songs I liked instantly were the quieter ones with less backing music and more actual live instruments or little to no live instruments: “Alright With Me” and “I Need to Know” are my current favorites, and the brass in “Alright With Me” is a lovely surprise. I think Kris will garner a lot of fans outside the AI bubble from this song. “I Need to Know” has minimalist background music and it really puts a spotlight on Kris’s voice. It’s so breathy and lovely.

“Written All Over My Face” was my least favorite song live yet this snippet is amazing, and even better-sounding than “Can’t Stay Away” and “Before We Come Undone” IMO.

I hope the next single is “Can’t Stay Away” – since it’s edgier than “Live Like We’re Dying” and would really gives his album momentum because it would garner some interest. And a lot of people seem to think it’s the “bomb.com”.

The snippets are sure increasing the pre-orders on Amazon.com

It’s #55 in music now.
#30 in music pop
#55 in music rock

For Kris I downloaded ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ ‘Falling Slowly’ and ‘Heartless’ and I love those.

Downloaded these snippets so that I could listen to them on repeat and get a feel for them.

Unfortunately, after these repeat listens I find most songs on this CD totally underwhelming and I’m very disappointed. However, Amazon doesn’t always pick the best snippets so hopefully on hearing fuller versions the songs will improve.

“For BNS lovers : ‘Is It Over’  has a hint of ‘Be My Lady’  in it, no?”
Yeah, after the chorus – “take ur time” onwards has Be My Lady and wee bit of Beautiful Moon.

‘Yes, I thought so, too. On the other hand, ‘I Need To Know’  is reminicent of ‘Wipe It Away.’ 
Sorry, disagree with this. Uptil now for me ‘I Need to Know’ stands alone on it’s own melancholic beauty. Only comparison I would make in ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ and that too just the feel of the song.

Starr IA, Lifetime is the only song which I’m forcing myself to like… least fav of the lot. But I will disagree about Bring it back – loved it from the get go. Yes, surprisingly it has a very Fray sound, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. And where are you with ‘Let It Rain’ now?

WAOMF – I’m surprised how that song is growing on me… It soooo catchy and cute! but honestly Jive, post Album and on next Album plz keep The Script away from Kris.

FAV: INTK, BWCU,CSA,BIB,IIO,WAOMF……… …. LT.

Seeker
10/29/2009 at 5:52 am

‘For BNS lovers : ‘Is It Over’  has a hint of ‘Be My Lady’  in it, no?’ 
Yeah, after the chorus ‘“ ‘take ur time’  onwards has Be My Lady and wee bit of Beautiful Moon.

‘Yes, I thought so, too. On the other hand, ‘I Need To Know’  is reminicent of ‘Wipe It Away.’ 
Sorry, disagree with this. Uptil now for me ‘I Need to Know’ stands alone on it’s own melancholic beauty. Only comparison I would make in ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ and that too just the feel of the song.

Starr IA, Lifetime is the only song which I’m forcing myself to like’ ¦ least fav of the lot. But I will disagree about Bring it back ‘“ loved it from the get go. Yes, surprisingly it has a very Fray sound, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. And where are you with ‘Let It Rain’ now?

WAOMF ‘“ I’m surprised how that song is growing on me’ ¦ It soooo catchy and cute! but honestly Jive, post Album and on next Album plz keep The Script away from Kris.

FAV: INTK, BWCU,CSA,BIB,IIO,WAOMF’ ¦’ ¦’ ¦ ‘ ¦. LT.

Eh, I actually am not digging “Let It Rain” at all. That, and “Lifetime”. I feel like “Let It Rain” has a melody that I have heard before. I’m hoping that snippet is some part of the bridge, because I feel like if I had to hear that chorus several times, I’d probably be worn out. I’ve listened to “Lifetime” a little bit more to get more of a sense of it. I can see Jon Foreman in the song now, but I still don’t like it very much, primarily because the lyrics seem contrived – even cheesy. The chorus reminds me of Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This” lyric-wise – “Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this” – ick. But I dunno, like I said, will still give it a chance.

I still can’t figure out whether I like the revamped “Heartless”. Part of me thinks it’s angsty and will get people’s attention, but I feel like from a cohesive standpoint it’s anticlimactic.

None of these songs really offends my sensibilities, which was surprising, because usually in a record you get that one song you’re just absolutely NOT in love with. I’m not in love with “Lifetime” or “Let It Rain”, but I’m not going to skip it if I heard it on the radio. Also, I am banking on Kris being an awesome live performer to change these songs up and make them more exciting, possibly more raw and with less of a polished feel.

Written All Over My Face – I liked it when I heard it first live, but wasn’t loving it, but man the studio version sounds ten times better and it’s slowly creeping up there over “Live Like We’re Dying”.

My favorites continue to be “Alright With Me”, “I Need to Know” and “Is It Over”. With “Is It Over” I have yet to determine if the big percussion and guitar music come as a build-up or if they are there the entire time, because if it’s the entire time, I might not love it so much. “Red Guitar” is so melodic, it’s crazy, but it almost makes me curious what Kris’s original concept of it was before Mike Flynn and co. came in and put their hands on it.

All I can tell from these clips is that they’re enough to get me to listen when I have something to listen to. Although, the Heartless clip has me very intrigued, and that’s one song I thought I’d never want to hear again.

imyourmom
10/29/2009 at 6:19 am

All I can tell from these clips is that they’re enough to get me to listen when I have something to listen to. Although, the Heartless clip has me very intrigued, and that’s one song I thought I’d never want to hear again.

I agree about the “Heartless” comment. I love Kris’s take on it (except the AI studio one), but I felt like we could’ve done with the Mat Kearney song as the bonus track instead. However, it really does sound intriguing and I am especially curious about how the bridge will sound, given that it’s my least favorite part of the song, whether it be Kris’s version or Kanye’s.

Out of all these, my faves are probably Can’t Stay Away and Bring it Back.
And am I the only one who despises Written All Over My Face? I don’t know but I just don’t like the tune. It’s my least favorite so far.

I need to hear the full versions of the rest before I make further judgement.

Thanks MJ for posting these.

Still love Can’t Stay Away and hope that’s the next single though I wouldn’t be disappointed with Alright with Me being next.

I keep coming back to Let It Rain. Maybe it’s not the strongest song on the album, but I can picture myself belting it out while I’m stuck in traffic.

And of course, I can’t wait to hear more of gravely Kris in I Need to Know.

All of the songs sort of sound the same. I just don’t think that he is top 40 material. I know he’s talented and all, but I am not moved.

God, these snippets are such teasers! I think there are several awesome songs in addition to the ones that Kris performed live on Sunday. I keep coming back to “Let it Rain” and “Bring it Back”. I get a BNS feel from some of them, and that, totally excites me.

Hands down , my favorites so far are “Written All Over My Face” and “Can’t Stay Away” but who knows they may be replaced after Nov. 17th.

Good Job Kris!

“None of these songs really offends my sensibilities, which was surprising, because usually in a record you get that one song you’re just absolutely NOT in love with. I’m not in love with ‘Lifetime’  or ‘Let It Rain’ , but I’m not going to skip it if I heard it on the radio. ”

TA! No Skipping on Radio or Ipod.
My problem with Lifetime is from what I’ve heard, the song seems to be set on a pretty high pitch. It’s the only song I felt that Kris’s voice was a little strained.

“Also, I am banking on Kris being an awesome live performer to change these songs up and make them more exciting, possibly more raw and with less of a polished feel.” – Count On IT!!

All his live performances of LLWD have made me love that song more. He thrives on the energy of a live audiences. he loves performing. OMG Live CSA (OMG, him doing the “Head to Toe” followed by the Aaaoooo! *FAINTS) And the gut-wrentching emotion behind BWCU!!

Heartless:
Ok, I should mention Heartless. I’ve heard countless versions of Kris’s cover of this song, many acoustic ones, idol studio version, various amped up versions from the Idol tour, most recent from Bosom ball, which was a more melodic version — Gotta say, I think I’m going to enjoy this new beats driven version.
Is it anticlimactic? No.
Does it showcase another different side of Kris? Yes.

It gives an example of how a song covered by Kris, with Kris on vocals, can be molded into this edgey, ampedup, throbing almost dance number.

Kris Allen, the guy who’s niche is emotional Ballads closes his album out with a dance number. Contradiction personafied! and I love him for it!

I respect Kris and he is a good singer, even though it kinda bugs me how he looks kinda goofy when he sings and his mouth like turns to one side of his face. But anyways, in order to make it in this business, you have to stand out and be unique. Look at most of the performers out there today, they are all unique in their own way. Kris is just straight up boring to me. From his album cover to his music, to his stage presence. Again, I don’t hate him and respect the fact that others like him. In contrast, look at Adam Lambert. His album cover is causing a controversy, his look and sound are pretty unique in that no one is really out there doing what he is doing right now.

I think Kris is a great performer in his own way. He doesn’t have to be like somebody to be called unique. Those who saw him perform on Sunday and earlier in Cincinnati testified to that.
Boring? no. I’m glad he doesn’t have to share the stage with another contestant this time but artistsin the real world where everyoneis respected in their own unique way. Controversy? missed the target because with Kris, you won’t get that.

ETA: David Archuleta’s song for the day : LLWD!

I was way too busy following Cook to pay any attention to Season 8, but gotta say, these snippets sound really good to me. Definitely radio-friendly – my interest is piqued, Kris Allen. Good for you!

Sorry guys, the only reason why I will Remember you is good is because Adam is singing it too.

ilovenpt123
10/29/2009 at 8:05 am
Sorry guys, the only reason why I will Remember you is good is because Adam is singing it too.

D’Awwww. So cute and so appropriate for the post.

I like Kris Allen, and I hope the album is a lot better than these generic, sound-alike clips.”Alright with Me” is the only song that sort of jumped out at me as intriguing. “I Need to Know” sounds like he’s croaking through a dirge.

After hearing these clips, I think LLWD is the best song on this album. Can’t Stay Away seems promising. The other songs seem pretty boring and Kris’ voice is just annoying.

Well some people might not like the snippets but alot of people must love them. His album is now 53 at amazon,and 29 in rock and 53 in pop. And the arrow is still green.

look at Adam Lambert. His album cover is causing a controversy,

His album cover is causing mocking. This is like saying winning a Razzie is a good thing. Sure, it’s free press, but it’s likely to be left off of your resume. Whatever. I’m sure he’ll put out some kick-ass music and that’s what counts.

Topic: Kris’s songs

I always find it hard to judge from clips, but I’ve heard enough to be interested in hearing the full songs. Except the new Heartless. I don’t understand why that was necessary at all. I like “Alright With Me” best so far. I also like the vibe of ‘Bring It Back’ .

When I listen to the new season’s tracks, I always wonder “could this be the new boot song”? “Bad Day” was a mega-phenomena back in the day (dominating the Hot 100 for weeks and becoming the first song to reach 2 million downloads) and since then, 19E has tried to catch lightning in the bottle. First, they used Daughtry’s “Home” which didn’t get as much traction on the show as “Bad Day”, but with airplay eventually became a huge hit. Then, they had Ruben cover “Celebrate Me Home” which was a huge flop. Next up was Carrie with some other cover song that mentioned “Home” which did move some units.

So, it’s probably Cookie’s turn to record something for the boot that has the word “home” in the title (probably “Home on the Range” since they must be running out of “home” songs by now). Got to cycle through those 19M customers. If not, I imagine they are examining Adam’s CD with an eye to a boot song. If they give up on all those ideas, Kris’s “Let it Rain” sounds like it might work (“I’m going to make it work, Don’t care what these guys say”).

I like Alright with Me, Red Guitar and Heartless. Maybe I Need to Know.

the two most interesting and compelling songs seem to be the ones written by The Script…I’m not sure that’s a good thing for Kris.

I think most of the snippets sound kind of bland, especially “Let It Rain” and “Red Guitar”. Snippets can be misleading though.

I Need To Know is my favorite so far. It has more of the sort of vibe I expected from Kris’ album. It sounds less processed.

Ok, I’ve listened to these clips way too many times, but the instrumentation at the very end of Before We Come Undone is a nod to Beatles psychedelia (check out “I’m Only Sleeping” from Revolver– same bendy notes. “Bendy notes.” That’s a technical term. Not.) I’m also hearing a Beatles influence in the guitar work in Is It Over but I can’t figure out which song. Gah! Maybe Don’t Let Me Down? It’s driving me crazy.

Also, I don’t hear that his vocals have been altered much. I can still hear the texture and nuance in most of these tracks.

I love that I Need to Know is his favorite. It’s so stripped down and raw, as others have mentioned. Definitely not single material. There’s an indie sensibility about that that I like.

I’m geeking out, big time. Clearly.

Ugh, these are kind of disappointing to me and it’s making me nervous about Adam’s songs, lol. “Red Guitar” is the only one I really like. But of course, I realize these are only short clips, and I’ll definitely give the full songs a chance.

Ugh, these are kind of disappointing to me and it’s making me nervous about Adam’s songs, lol.

why would you be nervous about Adam’s songs? with very few exceptions they worked with competely different writers and producers so I doubt their albums will sound anything alike.

I love these clips, I can’t stop playing “Can’t Stay Away” and “Aright With Me.” ” I Need To Know” sounds like it’s going to be a very emotional song, and I can’t wait to see Kris perform it live, this is the type of song that he sold so well on AI, he really knows how to make the lyrics and the emotion seem real. I also like this funky version of “Heartless,” Kris has performed so many incredible versions of this song, and his acoustic versions that he’s been doing on the radio are amazing, but this version seems like it will be a lot of fun. I’m also really looking forward to hearing the rest of “Is It Over” this song reminds me of some of the tracks that Kris did on his Brand New Shoes album.

“Before We Come Undone” sounds very good live, but the short clip that we have is bordering on being over produced. I hope that’s not the case with the rest of the song, but Kris showed on Sunday that he and his band know how to deliver the song, so I’m not worried.

I really want to hear the rest of “Let it Rain,” since the clip seemed to cut off at a very important part. This song sounds interesting, but I’m holding my opinion.

“Lifetime” sounds like AI has their bye-bye song.

I love that the album is piano and guitar driven, and I love the inclusion of the other instruments. “Alright With Me” is just so fun, I’m so torn over whether this or “Can’t Stay Away” should be the second single.

I love the clips, but I really need this album. There are so many songs on this album that will work well on the radio. Kris should be so proud of what he’s accomplished.

Based on the small snippets:
I sorta like them all the same, like they all get 6.s or 7′s.

Is it me or do most of them (excluding I Need To Know) kinda sound like the same song, just different parts?

I Need To Know has a different beat, slow enough to sound different, but I would only give it a 5, meh.

I think this is typical out there, typical sound, typical album. I hope one of the songs catches on and becomes a real hit for Kris.
These is definitely ‘radio’ friendly (I won’t change the dial and may even turn up the volume) but I don’t think I will download them…

After sleeping on it and listening again this morning (with a clear head this time since my head cold is better) I still like CSA best. My other favs, from the little clips, include BIB, BWCU, IIO, and AWM. I’m still not feeling “I Need to Know” but I still think it’s not a good clip to make a judgement on. I need a few more lyrics . I’m looking forward to the cd.

ETA: Yay, edit’s back!

I will save my judgment until I have heard the entire album. That’s what I did with Live Like We’re Dying and I ended up loving it. So there. Hahaha.

I’m not one to judge based on clips either. I tend to like what I’ve heard but the jury is still out until I hear the entire album. There’s only two bands I buy music from sight unseen, and they haven’t burned me yet.

Sorry guys, the only reason why I will Remember you is good is because Adam is singing it too.

Strange ’cause I felt the same way too except reversed. Must be my obvious Kris Allen bias.

I do like the sound of I Need to Know. According to his interview with Lindsay Parker he sang that one lying on the ground playing his guitar. It was the middle of the night and he was exhausted, but explains the sound. It reminds me of Damien Rice’s vocals..

Kris’s voice is as smooth on the live performances as it is on the studio versions. I was surprised how comparable the songs were live vs. studio. The only thing lacking for me on the live version was instrumentation and backup vocals.

Lifetime is probably the least favorite of the songs, but I have to say how amazed I am that I like every one of them. BWCU has been replaying in my head since I’ve heard it. Alright With Me is fun, makes me smile. I really like them all. I’m a big fan of David Cook’s, but to be honest, I had to really listen to each song before I said, yeah that one’s good, or that’s my favorite. It had to grow on me. With Kris’s snippets, it was one listen and instant like/love of so many.

Musical tastes differ. I know what I like and I like this CD. I Need To Know might very well be a favorite of mine. I read a comment on a blog from a male perspective and I was like, yes that’s it exactly. To paraphrase him, he said, “this guy sounds like he believes what he’s singing and that’s important to me. I like it.”

I think Kris sings with such genuine emotion and has such a connection with the music, it flows out to the listener. As Adam said, “Kris’s voice is beautiful,” and it comes across 100% for me even in these small clips. I’m impressed and very, very happy.

My opinion: a critical success. My wish: a critical and financial success. Kris should be very proud of this CD. Quailty work done in so such a period of time. Bravo!

I’ve only listened once, but they all sound the same to me? That said, I like it/them. And I like Kris’s voice. And of course, a small snippet really isn’t much to go by. IOW, the jury’s still out.

Alright with Me, Let It Rain and Written All Over My Face were pretty good, Especially Alright With Me. Nice, uptempo, fun song. I’m not digging the ballad, whatever it was. re-tooled Heartless was OK, but I still think the live, stripped down version on the show was his most brilliant moment. He should’ve just recorded it like he did it on the show, but I doubt he had much control over that decision.

I hope he does well. There’s plenty of folks who like his style, and others out there who like this particular style of music even if they have no idea who the hell Kris Allen is. Radio play should help. I hope he gets that going on with a couple of these uptempo songs.

Yesterday when I listened to the clips I thought to myself that the sound/music all sounded sorta alike, but I didn’t want to pass judgement on Kris because I can see that Adam is getting all the SHINE right now.

As someone said – snippets don’t always give you the true picture. I remember listening to the snippets of John Legend’s “Evolver” CD and it made me not want it, but once I got it, I was totally glad that I did – so again, going off of snippets don’t really cut the muster!!!

I will probably try and get Kris’ CD, but I can’t be to sure with my shrinking budget and the holidays fast approaching.

So, it’s probably Cookie’s turn to record something for the boot that has the word ‘home’  in the title (probably ‘Home on the Range’  since they must be running out of ‘home’  songs by now). Got to cycle through those 19M customers. If not, I imagine they are examining Adam’s CD with an eye to a boot song. If they give up on all those ideas, Kris’s ‘Let it Rain’  sounds like it might work (‘ I’m going to make it work, Don’t care what these guys say’ ).

Based on the snippet, I think “Lifetime” would make a good boot song.

How would anyone know if they’re a fan of his music if all they’ve heard is Idol covers, the Script song and No Boundaries? I would hope there’s more to him than that. Isn’t the whole idea to get new fans post-Idol?

I think it’s natural for a fan of Idol to want to hear the winners’ music even if they never voted for the winner. I even tried to listen to Jordin’s CD when it came out. Kris seems to be a great guy and musician and decent songwriter, I just don’t enjoy his vocal tone much of the time – he often sounds strained or affected to me, but occasionally sounds lovely. Still, I liked a couple of the snippets and I’ll check out the full songs and probably plunk down $1.29 a couple of times. It certainly sounds like a lot of stuff on the radio and it should do well.

I’ve really enjoyed listening to the snippets and I like everything except the new Heartless. It’s intriguing me that the “Red Guitar” lyrics cut off at “it’s been through hell”, I am dying to hear the rest of the lyrics to this song.

I wish I had more time to write a detailed review, but since I don’t I will say these snippets have done what they should – make me really excited for Kris’ album.

If there’s one criticism I do not understand, it is those who say these songs sound alike. (?????????) Alright With Me, Heartless, I Need to Know, and Can’t Stay Away – just for examples – all sound very different. That really popped out at me hearing these yesterday. There are a variety of tempos and influences on the album.

I think I’m most excited about Bring it Back, Alright With Me, Is it Over and I Need to Know. I knew from this weekend I loved Can’t Stay Away, Before We Come Undone, and WAOMF. They sound a little more produced on the album, but I don’t think they’ve been overproduced. They’re still really good songs.

I will also speak up as a fan of this version of Heartless. I like every Kris version of Heartless except for the AI studio recording.

Seeker
10/29/2009 at 7:34 am

Heartless:
Ok, I should mention Heartless. I’ve heard countless versions of Kris’s cover of this song, many acoustic ones, idol studio version, various amped up versions from the Idol tour, most recent from Bosom ball, which was a more melodic version ‘” Gotta say, I think I’m going to enjoy this new beats driven version.
Is it anticlimactic? No.
Does it showcase another different side of Kris? Yes.

It gives an example of how a song covered by Kris, with Kris on vocals, can be molded into this edgey, ampedup, throbing almost dance number.

I have no problem with “Heartless”, except for that it doesn’t seem to with the rest of the songs on the album. The whole album is guitar-driven, but not in such a dark, hardcore way as “Heartless” seems to be. The reason why I say it’s anticlimactic is that I listened to the snippets in order and while I wasn’t a fan of all of the songs instantly, I felt like the mood instantly changed when “Heartless” came on. It doesn’t seem to connect with the rest of the songs on the record.

jinxx315
10/29/2009 at 7:41 am

I respect Kris and he is a good singer, even though it kinda bugs me how he looks kinda goofy when he sings and his mouth like turns to one side of his face. But anyways, in order to make it in this business, you have to stand out and be unique. Look at most of the performers out there today, they are all unique in their own way. Kris is just straight up boring to me. From his album cover to his music, to his stage presence. Again, I don’t hate him and respect the fact that others like him. In contrast, look at Adam Lambert. His album cover is causing a controversy, his look and sound are pretty unique in that no one is really out there doing what he is doing right now.

Hahaha it’s strange. I love Kris for all the reasons you outlined right there. I’ve always liked my performers to be real people with real flaws. What turned me off from Adam was that everything about him seemed to be rehearsed and thought-out, espcially his live performances. Like, nothing felt spontaneous to me and it seemed as if he perfectly timed when to raise his arm and when to belt out, and what perfect answer to give during an interview. Adam’s voice has no nuance – it’s all in-your-face. Yes, he can tone it down, but even his toned down performances always seem to require belting out (see: “Crazy” duet with Kris during the Ford Day event in Detroit).

I love that Kris has that distinctive whine in his voice. I love that his face gets all scrunched up when he tries to hit a high note. I love that he doesn’t pretend that LLWD is a fast song and he intentionally skips over some words in the chorus because he runs out of breath. I love that whenever I listen to a song he sings, I always discover little nuances – a hum here or a little R&B soul in there. I love the conviction in Kris’s voice when he sings and how he connects to the song, whether it’s an upbeat song or a moody ballad. I love Kris’s wit and quiet confidence and that he doesn’t always give perfect answers, but answers you can totally relate to.

I love that Kris’s album cover is simple, yet elegant. It hearkens back to the 50s, in a James Dean-esque kind of way. The bad boy in the leather jacket with good looks. I love that Kris doesn’t feel the need to shock people anytime all of the time. This is not a criticism of Adam, but I think more of your preference as a listener. I for one don’t care for artists who spend a great deal on their image and presentation. Kris could have come out with a blank album cover and I would be happy with it. I like that he’s so low-key and that he doesn’t want to be talked about, he just wants to put out good music. I feel like Adam is just one of those performers who not only wants to shock with his music, but he wants to be the subject of people’s discussions anytime, all of the time, whether good or bad. I don’t know why it matters to him so much to be talked about, but he likes the attention.

I also think that people are giving Adam too much credit about the uniqueness of his music and his style. I think he dresses in a cliche way, but that is just me. His music sounds old-fashioned 90s classic rock to me (Meat Loaf, Aerosmith) and his album cover was deliberately made to look campy to reflect the past, instead of updated to look like he was bringing a new kind of sound to an old genre. I think Adam has incredible stage presence, amazing vocal range and definitely enough balls to pull all the stuff he has done so far, but he’s just not my cup of tea.

So yeah, we disagree hahaha

I went to bed singing “Can’t Stay Away” and woke up singing “Written All Over My Face.” It’s very strange, because I didn’t think I’d heard enough of them to get them stuck on Repeat in my brain, but apparently I did!

I think it’s the “uh ohs” in CSA that keep pulling me in (I am in love with those Uh Ohs!) and the “shut my mouth” part of WAOMF.

And I’m with those who think “Let It Ran” sounds like a good one for the Buh-Bye song on Idol. Although Cook may be first in line for that one. Still think “Life on the Moon” would’ve been a better choice than the rehashed metal thing Carrie did for last season. Or maybe it’s J-Hud’s turn.

Kirsten
10/29/2009 at 8:37 am

look at Adam Lambert. His album cover is causing a controversy,

His album cover is causing mocking. This is like saying winning a Razzie is a good thing. Sure, it’s free press, but it’s likely to be left off of your resume. Whatever. I’m sure he’ll put out some kick-ass music and that’s what counts.

I agree. I think some people are confused – they think that because Adam is generating a lot of press and buzz over his album cover that it’s a good sign and people are interested. Yes, people are sure interested and they are buzzing, but not in a good way. My friend who is not an Idol watcher emailed Adam’s album cover to me with photoshopped Lisa Frank horses on it as a joke. Adam’s album cover was made to be deliberately campy as an homage, but people aren’t laughing with him, they are laughing at him. Now, Adam seems to like any publicity – he said in one of his tweets that he was glad to have caught people’s attention, whether they didn’t like the album cover or not. So I guess any publicity is good publicity. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ADAM.

carmine2008
10/29/2009 at 9:42 am

Sorry guys, the only reason why I will Remember you is good is because Adam is singing it too.

Strange ’cause I felt the same way too except reversed. Must be my obvious Kris Allen bias.

Hahahaha thanks for making me LOL today

Starr,everything you say about Kris is how I feel. He just pulls me into his music when his singing. When he sings I just have to stop whatever am doing and just listen to what his saying. And when he sings the slow songs I get goosebumps and feel like am going to cry because it sounds like there’s a story with each one. I know red guitar was made for Katy because shes what makes his heart beat. And the ones that are faster make me just want to get up and dance. His album is at 50 on amazon right know.Last time I check it was 53.

If there’s one criticism I do not understand, it is those who say these songs sound alike. [snipped stuff out] There are a variety of tempos and influences on the album.

Because tempo and influences aside, they do all sound alike. Think of a band you love that’s been together forever. They come out with a new album. They’re trying new stuff out, changing things up. But if you heard the new music, you’d automatically know it was them. Like Muse. Or Rush. Just a couple of bars and I know who I’m listening too. It’s like a signature.

The problem for me isn’t that these songs all sound alike, the problem is that the sound they have doesn’t feel new, fresh and distinctive. It doesn’t excite me. My guess is that others that are saying they all sound alike as a negative feel similarly about the sound.

That said, these are only 30 second clips and the full songs might change my mind. I do think I might like “Is It Over” a lot. But I’ll never like the boyfriend/cow/foot song.

evanjane
10/29/2009 at 9:52 am

Musical tastes differ. I know what I like and I like this CD. I Need To Know might very well be a favorite of mine. I read a comment on a blog from a male perspective and I was like, yes that’s it exactly. To paraphrase him, he said, ‘this guy sounds like he believes what he’s singing and that’s important to me. I like it.’ 

I think Kris sings with such genuine emotion and has such a connection with the music, it flows out to the listener. As Adam said, ‘Kris’s voice is beautiful,’  and it comes across 100% for me even in these small clips. I’m impressed and very, very happy.

My opinion: a critical success. My wish: a critical and financial success. Kris should be very proud of this CD. Quailty work done in so such a period of time. Bravo!

Couldn’t agree more. I think Kris sings with conviction, whatever the song he gets. If you’re a casual listener, you won’t really care how he looks like when he sings it, because he commits to every song and you believe he means every word he says.

I don’t really mind if Kris makes financial success. Sure, a platinum record would be cool, and if he went straight to #1 on iTunes, I’m not going to protest. But I actually like that he’s understated and that he’s not necessarily the crowd favorite, and that he will make songs (like “Is It Over” that are not necessarily radio friendly but really meaty and solid lyrically and musically). But I do wish him great success. I’m just not really focused on him dominating on the charts, because I think it’s not that important to him either, he just wants to put out good music.

Kris Allen’s lower register is pure sex.

Kris Allen chooses and writes music/songs that tell a story.

I can’t form any opinion on ‘I Need To Know’ since all we get here is the same 4 words repeated. This is certainly the ‘teaser to end all teasers’ on this album. This is the one Kris said was his favorite? I am intrigued. I want to know the story and hear the whole song.

Songs/Music that grab me usually have an element of the past in them that haunt me in some personal way. This element may be a feeling, a sound, a word, a type of instrumentation. They can take me somewhere in my mind and heart.

‘Allright With Me’ is one of those songs. Immediately I thought of of ‘End of the Line’ by the Traveling Wilburys. If you don’t know ‘who’ they are, wiki it. That is a very happy place to be taken to musically.

‘Red Guitar’ is something I want to hear the full version of and I really want the lyrics to. I want the lyrics to a lot of these.

When I heard him say he wrote ‘Red Guitar’ when he first got his Mac and played with Garage Band (a Mac app automatically included) I felt a little cringe. Everybody I know (musicians and non alike) goes completely overboard composing something using every bell and whistle at their disposal. And there are a LOT of bells and whistles. I want to hear how it was slimmed down and I’m really hoping it’s great.

I am still undecided about Kris’ cd because the snippets weren’t long enough for me. That being said, Kris is a great guy and I want to find some of his songs to my liking so I will take a listen again when full versions are out there. I am glad that Kris has pleased his fans with his work, congrats. Now I hope my guy will do the same. Enjoy the moment Kris fans.

carmine2008
10/29/2009 at 9:42 am

Sorry guys, the only reason why I will Remember you is good is because Adam is singing it too.

Obviously there are a lot of things Adam does better with his vocal acrobatics, but not on this song. Kris sounds AMAZING on the first few lines where he takes the lead. Adam, on this song, is just meh. But this isn’t about Adam, is it?! =)

KayGee
10/29/2009 at 10:15 am

As someone said ‘“ snippets don’t always give you the true picture. I remember listening to the snippets of John Legend’s ‘Evolver’  CD and it made me not want it, but once I got it, I was totally glad that I did ‘“ so again, going off of snippets don’t really cut the muster!!!

I will probably try and get Kris’ CD, but I can’t be to sure with my shrinking budget and the holidays fast approaching.

I had written off John Legend’s debut album too based on snippets, but a friend had given it to me for a birthday and it’s one of my favorite albums to listen to, ever, and I think “Everybody Knows” is a really awesome song that everyone should listen to.

gulfluv
10/29/2009 at 10:27 am

I’ve really enjoyed listening to the snippets and I like everything except the new Heartless. It’s intriguing me that the ‘Red Guitar’  lyrics cut off at ‘it’s been through hell’ , I am dying to hear the rest of the lyrics to this song.

I totally had the same thought. I love love love Kris’s lower register when he goes back to the verse “it’s been through hell”. Makes me really want to hear the whole song.

The problem for me isn’t that these songs all sound alike, the problem is that the sound they have doesn’t feel new, fresh and distinctive.

JMS, you and I are going to have to disagree on this (even though – oddly enough – I get confused when I see your username because those are my intials).

The point I was making in my comments is that these songs do sound fresh and distintive to me. Even with 30 second clips, a number of these songs grabbed me by the lapel and made me sit up. For example, the rawness of I Need to Know really gets to me in a good way and I find Alright With Me ridiculously infectious. That is hard to do. Some of my favorite albums would probably sound terrible broekn up into 30 second clips.

ilovekrisallen39
10/29/2009 at 10:53 am

Starr,everything you say about Kris is how I feel. He just pulls me into his music when his singing. When he sings I just have to stop whatever am doing and just listen to what his saying. And when he sings the slow songs I get goosebumps and feel like am going to cry because it sounds like there’s a story with each one. I know red guitar was made for Katy because shes what makes his heart beat. And the ones that are faster make me just want to get up and dance. His album is at 50 on amazon right know.Last time I check it was 53.

The first time I really thought Kris would standout as an independent artist post-Idol was when I heard him singing “Be My Lady” off of Brand New Shoes. It was a rainy day and I was in a foul mood, and I was sitting by my bedroom window with a cup of hot coca and the song came on, and the song just sucked the air out of the room. I feel like it got really quiet and all I could hear was Kris saying “Darlin’, I’m sorry. But I know you’re getting tired of that phrase. But it’s the end of this phase…” I was immediately hooked. The guy can write, and he has soul. It definitely pushed me to vote for him on Idol, because all the qualities I mentioned from his BNS songs he wasn’t able to showcase or didn’t really highlight them on Idol.

I am disappointed. All the songs sound the same. He uses his full voice in every song. It sounds over-produced and he has to really sing so he won’t get overpowered by the music. I wish he could pull back and do at least a couple of accoustic numbers. He needs to learn Something from Jason mraz and Taylor swift.

TwigLA
10/29/2009 at 10:58 am

Kris Allen’s lower register is pure sex.

Kris Allen chooses and writes music/songs that tell a story.

I can’t form any opinion on ‘I Need To Know’ since all we get here is the same 4 words repeated. This is certainly the ‘teaser to end all teasers’ on this album. This is the one Kris said was his favorite? I am intrigued. I want to know the story and hear the whole song.

Songs/Music that grab me usually have an element of the past in them that haunt me in some personal way. This element may be a feeling, a sound, a word, a type of instrumentation. They can take me somewhere in my mind and heart.

‘Allright With Me’ is one of those songs. Immediately I thought of of ‘End of the Line’ by the Traveling Wilburys. If you don’t know ‘who’ they are, wiki it. That is a very happy place to be taken to musically.

‘Red Guitar’ is something I want to hear the full version of and I really want the lyrics to. I want the lyrics to a lot of these.

When I heard him say he wrote ‘Red Guitar’ when he first got his Mac and played with Garage Band (a Mac app automatically included) I felt a little cringe. Everybody I know (musicians and non alike) goes completely overboard composing something using every bell and whistle at their disposal. And there are a LOT of bells and whistles. I want to hear how it was slimmed down and I’m really hoping it’s great.

Great post! Re: “I Need to Know” – love the story behind the song. Apparently Kris had recorded it in NY at like, 2 in the morning or some ungodly hour, and it came about in 30 minutes. He recorded it while lying on the floor, on his back, guitar in hand and the microphone all up in his face. He said that he was in a weird place mentally (and emotionally) and that the song reflected that. I feel like if in a 30-second snippet you can feel how broken he feels, that’s a sign of a great artist.

I, too, feel the same way about Red Guitar, although I think that Mike Flynn’s changes may have been for the better, and not the worst. While I think the instrumental parts that Kris had said made the song really long when he recorded it back in the day are important and I hope they make it on the finished product, I think that there is definitely a tendency for overindulgence when you’re writing your own songs and recording them with no feedback from someone who knows how songs are supposed to sound like. I think Mike Flynn will let Kris shine on this song, but I have a feeling he also directed him a little bit so the song does not come off as overindulgent.

Im still really puzzled by anyone that says these songs sound alike? Really? The only common thread I see between every song is that Kris is singing.

I’m one of the people that felt that way on the first listen. Less so on the second or third ones. But I’ve seen others have the same reaction, I know mine wasn’t because I was looking not to like Kris’s songs. I think it’s a combination of things, things like that it’s just clips and it’s just the choruses, so not as if all the rest of the build ups and instrumentation that will be in the full songs. Yes, we get an idea of different instruments on some songs, but not fully.

But my early morning thought on why they sounded alike were the kind of similiar kind of sound, I think that this is what mj was talking about by overprocessing. Lots of band and a lot of it sounding the same. Also all of these songs seem to be pop/rock. Even the ones that have a Blues influence or ballad, it still has some pop/rock elements to it. So that maybe why with these very short parts of the songs, they can sound alike.

Also I have to ask, are these songs really “organic”? because as I understand the concept from here, I’m not feeling that.

All of those caveats aside, I do still like “Can’t Stay Away,” in the more studio snippet, yes Maroon5ish, but they have some songs I like (though even they have more of a faux edge than I suspect Kris will have). I think I’m going to like “Written All Over My Face,” more than I did live and “Before We Come Undone,” of the other full live songs I’ve heard versus these album snippets.

I think I’m going to really like “I Need To Know,” as closest to ballad and “organic” Kris as I’m going to get on this album, and besides, it sounds like it’s going to be pretty and emotional. And less organic, but I’ll be surprised if it don’t like Bring It Back, despite it being pretty Lighthouse to me.

Still I do overall like what I’ve heard versus last years AI winner/runner-up albums, so that’s good.

Yeah Starr Be My Lady is one of my favorites from BNS. KsFmpeoria is interviewing Kris later today and taking question’s from tweeters. Alot of people are asking questions about his album and when The LLWD video is coming out. There also asking them to ask Kris about his band members. I don’t know what time the interview is thou.

“Alright With Me” is soooo fun. It reminds me of a troubadour, and I think that this is the song that stands out the most texture-wise because of the horns and the clapping in a non-cheesy way. Gaaah I need the full song right now…

October, I’m really happy for you, and I’mma letchu finish, but November 17 needs to get here NOW

Also:

Still don’t know why I’m not digging “Let It Rain” or “Bring It Back” as much as everyone else, but that’s OK To each their own, right?

“The Truth” has some pretty cool lyrics: “Honesty is honestly the hardest thing for me right now” – kudos to Pat Monahan of Train for penning them. I kinda feel like it sounds too much melodically like a OneRepublic song, and I don’t like that band so meh. I think it’s ridiculously radio-friendly though and many people will like it, so.

Here’s a YT link with an mp3 download…I’ve been playing mine in Itunes on repeat all morning…and loving it!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FQlEupjIbg

Kradison fan here. This song set is growing on me. A solidly radio-friendly set to help launch his career. Strong work!

My personal preference is for an indie Kris, and I look fwd to when he can put out an edgier, indie, quieter, more “interesting” album which showcases his vocal intensity w/o trying to make him too “rangy”. I Need To Know fits that bill.

Several of them sound like crossover-country hits, like they could do well on pop or country radio.
- Is It Over : love the falsetto note, twangy guitar, synco drums – may be the most interesting song from an instrumental/musical standpoint of the album
- Let It Rain : rascal flatts, anyone?
- Alright With Me: nice homage to John Cougar Mellenkampf (I Fight Authority)
- Can’t Stay Away : sounds like something Carrie Underwood would sing.

Red Guitar is very current. That’s saying a lot about Kris’s natural musical instincts, that he’s more “current” than all the mentors he’s worked with here. Utilizes his vocal sweet spots (lower register), and nice U2 guitar influences.

Bring It Back totally belongs on Grey’s Anatomy! Seems that a lot of groups got their first hits off that show. Kris’s peeps should do that with this one – it will be his ticket to mainstream success & radio play.

I like the new Heartless. It will work better on radio than his AI version. But the AI version is the one he should perform live.

Lifetime == boot song for AI & SYTYCD. It’s a natural.

Before We Come Undone and The Truth seem to keep Kris in his upper register too much. That’s not his sweet spot – he sounds too strained. Good songs otherwise, especially The Truth, with its Coldplay-like arrangement.

Written All Over My Face == the most pop-py of all the tunes. One of those pleasant songs on the radio where you hum along but you never knew who sang it and you never really learn the words.

My 2 cents…

@dmr: Thanks for the link! Just listened to all the songs in succession… not getting that they all sound alike in the least. His voice is so yummy.

I feel like this will end up like Daughtry’s and Cook’s albums to me. I love all of them on AI, but their albums all sound so stale and generic. It’s the type of music seems faceless. Even if I might enjoy the sound, I don’t associate that with the singer. Because there is no unique voice or phrasing or unique style.

‘Allright With Me’ is one of those songs. Immediately I thought of of ‘End of the Line’ by the Traveling Wilburys. If you don’t know ‘who’ they are, wiki it. That is a very happy place to be taken to musically.

TwigLA, that is a very happy place to be taken indeed! Haven’t thought of them for a long time…(am looking–where is that cd????). Sigh, two legends gone already. Anyway, that song is so fun and Alright With Me channels that breezy, sing-along strummy sound. It’s shaping up to be a favorite.

So far, liking/loving everything with hold outs on The Truth, Red Guitar, Let it Rain, and Lifetime. I hope Kris does the “oooowoooo” on the cd the way he did it live on Can’t Stay Away–very unexpected and loved that touch. I think there will be lots of little surprises like that. Makes me very excited for this album!

Sorry, I love Kris, but I agree that all these songs (with the exception of a few) sound the same . All overproduced and drowning out Kris. Sounds like every other pop song out there today. Not really unique. I am hoping that I wrong, after all these are only 30 second snippets, and I will hold out my final verdict until I hear the entire songs. I wish Kris the best.

Reminder:

Eh. It’s really NOT COOL to chastise naysayers on my blog. Keep that up, and you’ll be PUT IN MODERATION.

I’m not running a fansite. Please remember that.

Deleting and editing posts now…

Also, I’m not quite sure why peeps are talking about Adam in this thread. He’s not the topic.

I don’t think (based on the really short snippets) that Kris’ songs all sound alike. I’d say that they are cohesive. Like they belong on the same album. And for me that’s a good thing.

I agree with carmine2008. The album shows a cohesive sound but the songs are far from sounding alike.

mj, agree with you, I’m tired of people bringing Adam in Kris’s threads

Brief article from MTV News (not Jim C.) on the snippets being leaked so soon. Not really a review, but positive in tone.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1625075/20091029/allen_kris_american_idol_.jhtml

Thanks for that link girlygirl (which in turn links to this thread – circle of life and all). You’re right, it’s not a full review but it does sound very positive.

I will reserve my opinion on this album and the songs until I head the entire songs. But based on the clips, I have an opinion on the production — sure sounds like every expense was spared. There is even synth instruments where I would expect to hear real ones. Not loving the production at all. So far, I like the live performances from Miami much better. JMO YMMV.

Also, has Kris or anyone at 19/Jive explained what his cover is about? It seems like it means something — it certainly isn’t the typical Idol headshot album. And I thought it might tie into one of the album tracks. But after hearing the clips, I don’t see a connection.

Kris has that distinctive whine in his voice

I agree.

I finally had a chance to listen to the clips and my impressions are as follows.

Favorites:

The Truth – I know this was Lyndsey Parker’s least favorite, but based on what I heard it’s just the opposite for me. I think this could be a radio hit. Really, really like it.

Bring it Back – very Fray-like to me; I like it

Before We Come Undone – love the chorus, Lyndsey refers to a stuttering guitar intro and the song slows done abruptly at the end of the clip so I’d need to hear the whole song

Can’t Stay Away – definite earworm potential

Let It Rain – love the piano parts, need to hear the whole song

The rest are just varying degrees of “alright dawg” for me, except for LLWD which I still think is a strong single. Not really keen on his reinterpretation of Heartless. Overall, though, great job, Kris!

KayGee
10/29/2009 at 10:15 am
“Yesterday when I listened to the clips I thought to myself that the sound/music all sounded sorta alike, but I didn’t want to pass judgement on Kris because I can see that Adam is getting all the SHINE right now.

As someone said ‘“ snippets don’t always give you the true picture. I remember listening to the snippets of John Legend’s ‘Evolver’  CD and it made me not want it, but once I got it, I was totally glad that I did ‘“ so again, going off of snippets don’t really cut the muster!!!

I will probably try and get Kris’ CD, but I can’t be to sure with my shrinking budget and the holidays fast approaching.”

KayGee, I’ve ordered extra Kris CDs and I would be more than happy to send you one if you like. As long as you promise you won’t re-gift it away.

snlw, that is pretty sweet of you! I wish I had not ordered my pass already!

Overall, I’m just glad that you could hear Kris’ natural and raw voice.
Haha! The songs,

THE BOY’S GOT A KILLER ALBUM!

Better than any AI winner debut. I’m very proud of him for staying true to himself and giving everyone something on his album.

Reflections On Life “…Good songs otherwise, especially The Truth, with its Coldplay-like arrangement.”

Excellent point! I knew I like The Truth but now I know why… Thanks!

lol dmr

Cate
10/29/2009 at 1:04 pm

Kris has that distinctive whine in his voice

I agree.

i’ve said this before, but this is pretty much what stops me from getting into kris fully. i love his lower register, but that whine he does when transitions just bugs me. if he could only fix it….but i know that more of his ardent fans love the little cry, so c’est la vie.

alright with me is fantastic.

But I actually like that he’s understated and that he’s not necessarily the crowd favorite

Didn’t he win AI? I think that puts him the category of “favorite”. He’s not the underdog anymore – he’s the big winner.

It’s hard to judge from the short snippets, but I think that Can’t Stay Away might have been a better single, (seems like it could be catchy), or even the other Script song, Written All Over My Face, might have been better than LLWD. Oh, well, I’m sure that they were short on time, and had to get that single out there, and did the best that they could at the time.

I hope that this album is a success for Kris. It would be nice if he could get to record a second album, with more time to choose the songs and the sound, and for that to happen, this one needs to be a success.

I feel like this will end up like Daughtry’s and Cook’s albums to me. I love all of them on AI, but their albums all sound so stale and generic. It’s the type of music seems faceless. Even if I might enjoy the sound, I don’t associate that with the singer. Because there is no unique voice or phrasing or unique style.

This is my problem with most albums, AI or otherwise, that come out – so many songs sound EXACTLY the same to me, which is why I very rarely buy albums, just the singles I like. Also, I think it’s very fair to say that the 30 sec clips are not enough to really get the full feel of the song. Just like with TFM – no way that snippet could give you the full sense of that song (like the climax, etc.)

but that whine he does when transitions just bugs me. if he could only fix it’ ¦.but i know that more of his ardent fans love the little cry, so c’est la vie.

Yes, I agree that from a technical standpoint, Kris has difficulty hitting the high notes, which was evident in some of his live performances. More vocally training will definitely help him support the sound more and transition better, and for the touring he’ll be doing, he should definitely get that training just to keep his voice from straining dangerously.

Otherwise, though, I’ll say that his voice is fine compared to many many big name singers out there today, most of whom are pretty mediocre singers.

Yes, I agree that from a technical standpoint, Kris has difficulty hitting the high notes, which was evident in some of his live performances. More vocally training will definitely help him support the sound more and transition better, and for the touring he’ll be doing, he should definitely get that training just to keep his voice from straining dangerously.

He is now working with a vocal coach which is great. I do not want to see Kris screw up his voice like Daughtry did. And touring is gruelling even if you have great technique.

Nothing excited me; really slick, generic production. Sometimes, though, little snippets can leave out the best, most interesting parts of a song so I will wait and listen to the full songs. I do think this might be another one of those times when the live performances will prove to be much better. It all just runs together for me.

While it is great to have all the co-writes, and I know that is something important to Kris, maybe it would have been better to have a few more things written by established people to give the record some more variety (or a different sound in parts). The writing experience couldn’t have been very easy or natural for Kris working under such tight time constraints and with, I am guessing, people he hadonly just met. Just a thought, and I realize it may not be fair to say at this point. It just all sounds the same to me.

Can’t Stay Away was much better live. For a studio version, I like Before We Come Undo pretty good. Not liking the others much.

While it is great to have all the co-writes, and I know that is something important to Kris, maybe it would have been better to have a few more things written by established people to give the record some more variety (or a different sound in parts).

I guess I just don’t see the lack of variety that some do. And as there are many different producers and co-writers, I think it’s wonderful that there is a sense of cohesiveness to the set I will say that I think we are more attuned to differences in something we are familiar with – I struggle to hear differences in intonation in foreign languages, but have no trouble hearing similar levels of change in my own. It’s probably the same with music – Kris fans will be much more attuned to the subtleties than someone that wasn’t really into him. I think the differences will be more apparent with full length songs, too.

The more I listen to the snippets, the more I love this whole album! I love so many of them that I can’t even pick a favorite. I’m so happy that I feel like crying… lol esp. after I Want To Know. I wish wish wish I had the album 2 weeks earlier… I would be able to give a copy to all my good friends back in Singapore who I’ll be seeing early next month. I know they would enjoy it a lot!

Kris had more variety on idol. Now I feel like he is trying to prove that he is a rock artist. He is trying to sound like daughtry and cook but I wish he could sound like Jason mraz once in a while. Well it’s too late now and I wish him the best with this album.

Kris has that distinctive whine in his voice

Yes, on higher notes and he pushes them as a style choice, it’s the current, ‘alt’ style, but it’s not pleasant to my ears. It’s a shame because I like his lower register.
I won’t comment on the songs because it’s difficult to judge from snippets.

Know Kris’s album is # 43 at amazon. I think leaking those little snippets his helping his selling. The arrow is still green. What ever that means.And Kris’s mom was teasing us on tweeter just now with lyric’s from one of Kris’s song. I guess she’s who taught Kris how to be such a tease.

julieitis, well said.

Jason Mraz? NOOOOOOOOOOO. The only thing Kris and Jason Mraz ever had in common when he was on idolwas the fact that they are white guys who play guitar. Apart from that, I don’t see any similarities in style.
Infact, he even debunked it before. Personally, I think Kris is kind of Pop/Soft Rock and alittle bit of R&B thrown in there sometimes. Randy Jackson made that reference a lot on the show.
He is definately laid back and understated but not Jason Mraz, at least his set on the summer AI Tour gave me that impression. ATTTID, BRIGHT LIGHTS, HEARTLESS, ANS.
These are the styles I get in this album.

Know Kris’s album is # 43 at amazon. I think leaking those little snippets his helping his selling. The arrow is still green. What ever that means.And Kris’s mom was teasing us on tweeter just now with lyric’s from one of Kris’s song. I guess she’s who taught Kris how to be such a tease.

The snippets and the price reduction from $13.99 to $9.99 are moving some units. YAY! #38 now.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The snippets and the price reduction from $13.99 to $9.99 are moving some units. YAY! #38 now.

good for him.
It should make good sales

“But based on the clips, I have an opinion on the production ‘” sure sounds like every expense was spared. There is even synth instruments where I would expect to hear real ones.” –Q3

Most people won’t even realize this, if in fact, it is true. Do you really think high school girls, for example from Seton Hall, care whether or not synth instruments were used? I think Kris is a purist when it comes to the quality of his music. I really couldn’t tell and I would never have thought the quality was cheap. I like the music, the voice. I will have to hear all of Lifetime and The Truth because Kris’s higher range doesn’t always work for me. I do love the entire CD and that is so very rare for me.

snlw
10/29/2009 at 1:11 pm
KayGee
10/29/2009 at 10:15 am

I will probably try and get Kris’ CD, but I can’t be to sure with my shrinking budget and the holidays fast approaching.’ 

KayGee, I’ve ordered extra Kris CDs and I would be more than happy to send you one if you like. As long as you promise you won’t re-gift it away.

__________________________

If you really want to, I would take it, and I would listen to it, I like Kris, I thought he was a definite underdog on AI. My votes went for Adam, Kris and Allison anytime I voted.

Someone on twitter was saying Let It Rain should be the next single so we could see a Video of him in the rain with a wet teashirt. Allright With Me is going to be one of my favorites. I really love WAOYF alot but then again I love LLWD to. I have that song on my brain all the time. And I love Red Guitar and I need To Know alot too. The one am not really loving that much from the snippet is Lifetime. Am really excited because of are moving that i’ll get this on my i-pod before we leave so I can listen to this on are long drive.

I have an opinion on the production ‘” sure sounds like every expense was spared. There is even synth instruments where I would expect to hear real ones. Not loving the production at all.

Huh?

I’ve been around studio recording when synth instruments are used, and these sound nothing like it. The AI covers, yeah, but this? No. Very much live instruments.

These aren’t great sound quality – that tinnyness you hear? The lack of depth? That’s low bit rate. Another reason I find the “auto-tune” talk so funny. The bit rate is really too low to distinguish unless they’re going for that “sound” like in Heartless…but anyway, just no.

ilovekrisallen39
10/29/2009 at 5:50 pm
Someone on twitter was saying Let It Rain should be the next single so we could see a Video of him in the rain with a wet teashirt.

Uh, as much as I am all for Kris Allen the hottie in a wet T-shirt, I do not want a Backstreet Boys-Quit-Playing-Games-With-My-Heart video. I think Jive and co. made an excellent choice choosing a relative unknown director like Marco Puig to do the “Live Like We’re Dying” video and I am confident that Kris won’t force himself to star in a cheesy music video just for the sake of pleasing his female fanbase

On the note about the overproduction, honestly I was expecting much more from an Idol alum AND Jive. I didn’t even expect songs like “Is It Over” and “I Need to Know” to make it on the album (and I did hear that Kris had to fight to get those songs on it, so this tells you that Kris really did want his point of view to be reflected on the album, despite all the tweaks that production may have done on the other tracks). So I will take what little overproduction is present in some of the songs; it sounds like the least overproduced compared to other Idol winners’ albums.

I also think the overproduction will be soon forgotten as soon as Kris hits the tour. He is amazing live and I think that from what we have seen of him at the Dolphins tailgate, he really knows how to bring that extra oomph when he performs the song live. I like BWCU and CSA better live – but I will reserve final thoughts on the full singles. I think it’s great that he changes it up for live performances – it makes you want to see him on tour because you know it won’t be a carbon copy performance of what you hear on the CD.

I also think it’s funny that some people think that the quirks in Kris’s voice need to be ironed out, while at the same time shaking their heads at the overproduction. IMO, the overproduction is fine when Kris’s voice is allowed to just shine with all its quirks. Damien Rice has a distinctive whine in his voice as well, and that’s what makes him Damien Rice. Heck, I swear to God on one of the songs he has on the album O he actually runs out of air when he sings a high note. Does that make him a diminished artist? Absolutely not. I get confused when people try to change the way an artist’s voice sounds naturally. Why would you want to do that? That’s their medium.

Good point, erinnthered, about the low bit rate. I was wondering if that was what folks were thinking that’s auto-tune. I truly don’t think any of his album is auto-tune at all. So, the audio quality of these little snippets can most certainly affect the sound.

BTW, I love the “whine” of Kris’ voice.

I love everything that I have heard so far and am can’t wait to finally be able to hear the whole CD on November 17. It is really a great feeling to know that your favorite artist is putting out a good quality CD that they are proud of. That is all a fan can ask for (at least this one). I personally do not think the songs sound all the same and I don’t think “OMG he copied this or that artist” when I am listening to his music. I hear a 100% Kris and enjoy the many facets of his music. But I guess everyone has different like/dislikes and that is what makes MJs such a fun place to hang out.

Good point, erinnthered, about the low bit rate. I was wondering if that was what folks were thinking that’s auto-tune. I truly don’t think any of his album is auto-tune at all. So, the audio quality of these little snippets can most certainly affect the sound.

Oh, I’m certain auto-tune was used. They use it on everyone. Even Carrie Underwood, and she has a very strong voice. I’m just saying that all the talk of how the auto-tune is bugging is a bit strange since the bit rate is too low to really distinguish that from the poor audio quality.

And yes, that means Adam will be auto-tuned too. And Allison. That’s the way it goes now.

That little whine or cry or whatever it is called is what makes Kris’s voice distinctive. There are characteristics of voices that are recognizable and all are different and I guess beauty is in the ear of the beholder. IMHO, that little sound is more commonly heard in country music than pop. Count me as one who is very impressed at the growth in Kris’s vocal abilities from the first snippet in the AI auditions till now. Cannot wait to hear the whole album.

I think its funny that some have said how alike this sounds when there have been comments about how different tracks sound like The Fray, Coldplay , & even Travelling Wilbury’s etc [ I was trying to think what Alright With Me reminded me of- so thanks !!]
Yes thanks erinnthered for your comment!! I remember the 80′s synth music well & this sounds nothing like it!! Snippets are there to give you a taste of the song not to be the best quality!! I think its great that there have been so many positive comments about the songs , seeing that the quality isn’t great!!
I also join the chorus to say that I love Kris’s low register but I also love his high register as well!! You are either into his voice or you are not- & that’s fine!! I think it is wise though that he is having lessons to help the sustainabilty of his voice preparing for when he goes on tour!!

Yeah, you know I think it’s natural for people to say the songs sound the same. They are 30-second snippets, all played most likely in succession, so it’s not surprising that people would feel like they are part of the same song or what. I would be amazed if someone were to write this album off completely based on 30-second snippets of each song, but it seems that for the most part people are keeping an open mind and are reserving their final thoughts on the finished product.

What are the chances that these are the final, final songs? For Idol enthusiasts, “I Need to Know” (haha pun intended, I couldn’t help it) what it has been like for past Idol winners – have their songs been leaked a few weeks prior to the actual album release, and did the track listing stay pretty much as announced and the snippets stayed true to what the album ended up having, or is it possible for some of these to still change?

ilovekrisallen39
10/29/2009 at 5:50 pm
Someone on twitter was saying Let It Rain should be the next single so we could see a Video of him in the rain with a wet teashirt.

This made me LOL…thanks guys. I really am enjoying this discussion. Hearing everybody’s take on the songs…snippets…helps me process everything. I still love Bring it Back and think Can’t Stay Away is a very fun, radio-friendly song…and would probably make a good video storyline. But Let it Rain would be good too. *ahem*

judes
10/29/2009 at 6:54 pm

I think its funny that some have said how alike this sounds when there have been comments about how different tracks sound like The Fray, Coldplay , & even Travelling Wilbury’s etc [ I was trying to think what Alright With Me reminded me of- so thanks !!]

all sound the same/one long song = cohesive
all over the place/no musical identity = eclectic

just want you want to get from it.

yinyang
10/29/2009 at 1:32 pm
But I actually like that he’s understated and that he’s not necessarily the crowd favorite

Didn’t he win AI? I think that puts him the category of ‘favorite’ . He’s not the underdog anymore ‘“ he’s the big winner.

Yes, he won, but what I mean when I say that he’s understated and not the crowd favorite is that people aren’t as curious about him as they are about say, Adam or maybe Allison, maybe because the two have bigger personalities and are more in the spotlight than he is post-Idol. I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve come across that keep saying “What’s the name of the guy who won American Idol, again?” I think that people know him and what his name is (it’s kind of impossible to forget that winning moment for him when Ryan Seacrest announces KRIS ALLEN as the winner) but they are trying to prove a point – that Kris isn’t as exciting as maybe the other Idol contestants in his season or in previous seasons. And personally, I like that he isn’t in the spotlight so much and that he is really just focused on his music.

Also an afterthought: It’s funny, I think he’s almost converting more people to be fans based on his Twitter posts alone. I think a lot of people got to know Kris a little better from those hilarious tweets of his.

It’s hard to judge from the short snippets, but I think that Can’t Stay Away might have been a better single, (seems like it could be catchy), or even the other Script song, Written All Over My Face, might have been better than LLWD. Oh, well, I’m sure that they were short on time, and had to get that single out there, and did the best that they could at the time.

I actually don’t mind that “Live Like We’re Dying” was chosen as the first single. And let me tell you, I was majorly disappointed in the choice initially. I can’t even reiterate just how bummed I was that the first release was a cover. Now, having heard all the songs, I can totally see why they chose it. It’s radio-friendly, upbeat and it has a very infectious hook, and it’s also a little bit different from what Kris had done on Idol, while still reminding people of his acoustic sensibilities. So I think LLWD was like a bridge single to connect Idol fans and non-Idol fans to the album and the artist. “Can’t Stay Away” is catchy and surely infectious, but I think that for a first single, it would probably make some Idol fans wonder what happened to the Kris Allen on Idol – because you gotta admit, Kris has never showcased a funky, angsty side on Idol (maybe a little bit on the “Come Together” performance, but not a lot) and it’s possible they chose LLWD not only because it was one of the first songs they recorded but because it would be relatable to Idol fans and non-fans alike.

KayGee, where should I send it to? I don’t know what’s the best private way for me to get your address/email. lol

Just delurking in for the first time to join the excitement of Kris’s snippets. Loving all the 30s melodies and lyrics, esp the clever & beautiful lyrics.

‘Avalance looms above our head… Honesty is honestly the hardest thing for me right now…’ very pretty!

‘ It takes a lifetime getting it right … to find my place in the world symphony’ sigh!

The snippets are already in my IPOD. Listening to them on the way home from work today when the city is already buzzing with Xmas decorations in retail shops, ahhh so serene a backdrop, I’m just simply happy with ‘Kris Allen’.

Absolutely love the voice – low or high, whine or sexy – it’s Kris for sure. The voice & emotion I heard in the snippets is just perfect for each song. Angst in ‘Can’t Stay Away’ (when he sang.. “I’m ready to confess”) and sadness in ‘I Need to Know’, ‘the Truth’, regrets in ‘Bring It Back’.

Live shows is much anticipated. Completely adore his body quirks, animated squished face, side mouth whatever nots – distinctively Kris Allen.

But most of all, the fact that I love ALL the snippets surpised me a bit as I expected with only short time frame between the end of tour to album deadline, there would be more filler songs and maybe 3 at most the hit potentials. Yet I can see where Lyndsay Parker was saying when Jive would be spoilt for choice for the next single.

Well, I suppose they just have to promote the album as a whole rather than singles, the album can really sell to the mass market.

I’m exhilirated & 17th Nov is too long a time to wait.

judes
10/29/2009 at 6:54 pm

I think its funny that some have said how alike this sounds when there have been comments about how different tracks sound like The Fray, Coldplay , & even Travelling Wilbury’s etc [ I was trying to think what Alright With Me reminded me of- so thanks !!]

judes, lol, that’s exactly what I was thinking.

I’m here sitting thinking that what made me sit up and take notice of Kris at the beginning of AI, was his enthused and excited response to be making it into the top 13. I could tell then that this guy is all about music and the love of it. I kept thinking I just want him in the top 2 so that I could buy an album by him and possibly really like a few of the songs. Even when he wasn’t at his best (rarely imo), I always loved his voice on the studio tracts in spite of the production, etc., etc.

NOW, I’m more thrilled than ever about this entire album. I know we can’t tell much from snippets, but if these snippets are any indication at all I’m just so impressed. Even with my disappointment at the production of “Heartless”, I know I will listen over and over to the entire album! The gems that stand out to me are, Is it Over, Alright with Me and I Need to Know. There are many others that I’m loving too.

I’m really intrigued about Red Guitar. Also, after (I think) four listens last night, I was singing (in my head) that hook from Can’t Stay Away over and over today before even realizing what it was from. Oh that hook!!! I think I’m done gushing now. Maybe…

TAKE MY LOVE
BRING IT BACK
BRING IT BACK
I FORGOT WHAT LOVE IS
BRING IT BACK
TELL ME THAT YOU BELIEVE
WHAT FAITH’S (Fate’s) BEEN TELLING ME
(GAWD! Stuck in my head!!!!) (YAY!!!!)

It’s just going round and round….. which takes me to –

My pride is out the door
in time that we can
make it before (make it before)
The sun breaks another day
I’ll wait till you say
I’m the one you want (I’m the one you want)
Before we come
Before we come undone

Dear Kris Allen’s Songs, Be More Catchy & Radio Friendly. Go ahead. I dare you! KThanks, Seeker.

Yes thanks erinnthered for your comment!! I remember the 80′s synth music well & this sounds nothing like it!!

judes, I’m not talking about 80′s synth, and neither was the person criticizing. I think there’s a misunderstanding here.

Synthesizers, drum machines, and other electronic instruments are definitely in use here, but they are used just like any song uses them. As accompaniment to instrumentation.

I personally don’t think the use of synthesizers means a song is overproduced, but YMMV. Given that, these are definitely overproduced, and it’s not the synthesizers’ fault.

The criticism that person was laying was that Kris wasn’t using real instruments, but synthesized versions of real instruments. Like, not using a real guitar or drums. I was saying that that is not the case here. I’ve been around demo recording, where synth instruments are common, and this doesn’t sound like them. These are real guitar players, real drummers, bassists, etc.

Wonderful post serene! ITA with everything you said!

cookcricket
10/29/2009 at 7:39 pm
judes
10/29/2009 at 6:54 pm

I’m really intrigued about Red Guitar. Also, after (I think) four listens last night, I was singing (in my head) that hook from Can’t Stay Away over and over today before even realizing what it was from. Oh that hook!!! I think I’m done gushing now. Maybe’ ¦

Oh, man, earlier as I was reading my book for class, I kept humming “Can’t Stay Away” and my friend was like, “Who sings that?” and it took me a minute before I went “OMG Kris Allen’s new song.” It’s emblazoned in my brain!

Seeker:

I am in love with “Before We Come Undone”. I wish the background echo vocals on “Make it before…” where a little more pronounced, but maybe it’s just the bit rate or whatever that is, as someone else had mentioned on here. I also think it’s a pretty well-written song.

My pride is out the door
in time that we can
make it before (make it before)
The sun breaks another day
I’ll wait till you say
I’m the one you want (I’m the one you want)
Before we come
Before we come undone

Really cool. And I also like the part where he sings “Can we put our weapons down?” or something to that effect.

Babe I’ve got the whole song…… Should I post it ???

Also about wat we were discussing earlier:
I see what you mean that the new Heartless disrupts the cohesive flow of the album. But for all intent and purpose, the actual album ends at ‘I Need To Know’. Heartless is a Bonus track.
And if you wanna include heartless as a part of the actual album, then it’s like a full circle moment. The new darker amped up song (For me) is good song to lead you back to LLWD. (Did I make any sense?)

Oh, discussions on vocal technique is a way to get me distracted. I think part of the “whine” is that Kris is in transition from former bad technique of controlling way too much with his throat muscles to much better technique of pushing out higher (not stopping in throat) through his “head” and supporting with his diaphram. Proper technique takes time to develop and takes practice, even when one knows what one is doing. (I know I am not explaining it very well, but the proper terms are escaping me at the moment.)

Also, I believe the “strain” on the higher notes is usually not because Kris is trying to push out of his range. I think it is because he has been supporting and controlling notes with his throat muscles. Singing too much with his throat has ironically been cutting off Kris’s range on both the high and low ends. Relaxing his throat muscle combined with other technique, ironically Kris could easily sing a lot higher of notes than what he seemed “strained” or utilize his lower range better.

I don’t think that Kris has been doing anything majorly wrong, but just a bunch of little stuff that has taken away from showcasing his vocal potential. Despite that, Kris still always sounds wonderful to me with his smooth “butta” type voice.

I believe that Kris is just getting started on bringing out a gold mind of natural raw vocal talent. I just want enough technique to help Kris bring out his natural talent even more and help Kris sustain himself professionally. I think these songs, based on the little snippets, are going to help Kris showcase his range even more.

Thanks for the clarification erinnthered.
I guess I was basically meaning the same thing – I would much rather have the real musical instruments than the use of synthesizers instead of these instruments!!
I realise that sometimes it is necessary to enhance the sound but not to take over the real instrumentation!! I also don’t think that’s the case here, however it should become more obvious when we can hear the tracks as a whole with the better sound quality!!

I believe that Kris is just getting started on bringing out a gold mind of natural raw vocal talent. I just want enough technique to help Kris bring out his natural talent even more and help Kris sustain himself professionally. I think these songs, based on the little snippets, are going to help Kris showcase his range even more.
(HUGS!!)

Soapbox0916, That little falsetto in ‘Is it over’ = ‘Take ur time’ SLAYS ME every time I hear it. Another one was in his live redition of CSA, after the bridge….”More more more…” Aaaaoooo!’ Breathe, Just Breathe.

Seeker: But for all intent and purpose, the actual album ends at ‘I Need To Know’. Heartless is a Bonus track.
And if you wanna include heartless as a part of the actual album, then it’s like a full circle moment. The new darker amped up song (For me) is good song to lead you back to LLWD. (Did I make any sense?)

I agree…it makes perfect sense, and I actually like the new Heartless! IMO it’s better than the studio version.

Seeker
10/29/2009 at 7:55 pm
Babe I’ve got the whole song’ ¦’ ¦ Should I post it ???

OMG you have the whole song *dies* I downloaded the performances from Youtube onto my iPod and they’ve been on repeat ever since. Haaaaa Kris!

And yes, would you post it?

Also about wat we were discussing earlier:
I see what you mean that the new Heartless disrupts the cohesive flow of the album. But for all intent and purpose, the actual album ends at ‘I Need To Know’. Heartless is a Bonus track.
And if you wanna include heartless as a part of the actual album, then it’s like a full circle moment. The new darker amped up song (For me) is good song to lead you back to LLWD. (Did I make any sense?)

Yeah, I see what you’re saying, but I’m still not really crazy about it. But, as we’ve all mentioned before, will definitely give it a chance before making a final conclusion.

Soapbox0916

But I like the whine! He should keep it.

“But I like the whine! He should keep it”
LOL! Starr could we try and look for a better word other than ‘whine’, this one holds a little negative connotaion .

Also, I meant BWCU lyrics - though I have ripped the Live BWCU performance and I’m currently playing it on loop on my Ipod (alas no clue how to upload music online.)
But if u want the lyrics….

mzbet
Wonderful post serene! ITA with everything you said!

Thks for the welcome ( I think ?) mzbet.

I might add that I’m enjoying the technical analysis of Kris’s album here, which I’m sure if taken into account will only give us a better Kris.

But for the time being, my enjoyment of the snippets and Miami Dolphins videos plus the HQ Ford vids, make me really looking forward towards Xmas season. I’m already imagining by then I would already be with the full songs on my IPOD, on my year end leave from work, enjoying Kris’ voice while I go shopping on high streets. By next year, hearing Kris voice again, will leave me with only happy memories of 2009 Xmas time.

Ahhh, festive mood already!

“I actually like the new Heartless! IMO it’s better than the studio version.”

IA, dmr. And as I have pretty much heard every version of Kris’s acoustic & idol tour ‘Heartless’, this dark, beats driven Heartless is a good bonus.

I know this would be a long shot – but I hope the beggining of the recorded version like he did on tour – acapella! (Here’s hoping) But i think, on Tour, He’ll probably bring back his trademark acoustic version.

I want the LLWD music video. Please? Come on, Jive.

Starr
I want the LLWD music video. Please? Come on, Jive

Ahh, word. Imagining watching Kris god given beauty in my IPOD with all the Xmas festive lights and buzz around the city… yes, please Jive, release it already.

Oh Starr if you want mp3 of BWCU Live. I remember someone had posted it on the Miami Dolphins Live Performance Post.

“I want the LLWD music video. Please? Come on, Jive.”
LIKE RN!!!!

Seeker: I know this would be a long shot ‘“ but I hope the beggining of the recorded version like he did on tour ‘“ acapella!

Oh man, I hadn’t thought of that…it would be the perfect beginning to an amazing song! *crosses fingers*

American Idol Winner Kris Allen singing on South Florida Today

http://www.nbcmiami.com/around-town/events/American_Idol_Finalist_Kris_Allen_Miami.html

Acoustic version of “Live Like We’re”.

Oh, discussions on vocal technique is a way to get me distracted. I think part of the ‘whine’  is that Kris is in transition from former bad technique of controlling way too much with his throat muscles to much better technique of pushing out higher (not stopping in throat) through his ‘head’  and supporting with his diaphram.

I don’t agree with this at all. There is not just one correct way to sing, although singers who use specific techniques often like to think that their technique is the only “right” one. But in truth, different vocal styles are appropriate to different types of music.

Kris uses a particular vocal style to express emotion. He adds a little strain to his voice (people who don’t like it can call it a whine). It’s a stylistic decision, and for me it’s very effective. I like the way it sounds. For me, it enhances the expressiveness of his performance, makes it more exciting and emotional.

Some people don’t like this technique. That’s okay, but it doesn’t make it “wrong” and it doesn’t mean that he needs to get voice lessons to eliminate it.

I’m absolutely in love with “Alright With Me” and “Is It Over” just from the snippets. “Written All Over My Face” and “Red Guitar” are the only ones that really just aren’t catching for me.

But seriously….I cannot WAIT to get this album.

MusicAlltheTime
10/29/2009 at 10:05 pm
Oh, discussions on vocal technique is a way to get me distracted. I think part of the ‘whine’  is that Kris is in transition from former bad technique of controlling way too much with his throat muscles to much better technique of pushing out higher (not stopping in throat) through his ‘head’  and supporting with his diaphram.

I don’t agree with this at all. There is not just one correct way to sing, although singers who use specific techniques often like to think that their technique is the only ‘right’  one. But in truth, different vocal styles are appropriate to different types of music.

Kris uses a particular vocal style to express emotion. He adds a little strain to his voice (people who don’t like it can call it a whine). It’s a stylistic decision, and for me it’s very effective. I like the way it sounds. For me, it enhances the expressiveness of his performance, makes it more exciting and emotional.

Some people don’t like this technique. That’s okay, but it doesn’t make it ‘wrong’  and it doesn’t mean that he needs to get voice lessons to eliminate it.

I agree with this post, but just wanted to clarify: I started the whole “Kris has a distinctive whine to his voice” thing but I am one of the few who adores it. I probably chose the wrong word to describe it but it’s the first word that popped into my head as I was trying to describe it. To those who don’t know what I am talking about: listen to the very end of his live performance of “Heartless” during top 3 night and you will hear it. It doesn’t sound like it’s something you need to remedy, but something quirky and adds a lot to the song.

ooh #8 “Is It Over”. Love the tone of the verse . . . very nice.

Kris uses a particular vocal style to express emotion. He adds a little strain to his voice (people who don’t like it can call it a whine). It’s a stylistic decision, and for me it’s very effective. I like the way it sounds. For me, it enhances the expressiveness of his performance, makes it more exciting and emotional.

Some people don’t like this technique. That’s okay, but it doesn’t make it ‘wrong’  and it doesn’t mean that he needs to get voice lessons to eliminate it.

Thanks, well said.

Okay, so “Let It Rain” and “Bring It Back” are growing on me. Now for “Lifetime”…it might take a little more, because I still can’t get over the lyrics.

“Kris uses a particular vocal style to express emotion. He adds a little strain to his voice (people who don’t like it can call it a whine).” – MusicAlltheTime

Yes, much better term, thanks!

Listen to the very end of his live performance of ‘Heartless’  during top 3 night and you will hear it. – Starr

He did this with the ‘Crazy’ duet too –
“And all I remember
Is thinking, I want to be like them”

It’s almost like he holds the note – bends it – then slowly pulls it up high.

Starr, did you get BWCU’s mp3?

Okay, so ‘Let It Rain’  and ‘Bring It Back’  are growing on me.

Finally!

I really hope the actual cd has liner notes with all the lyrics. I learn much faster with visual as well as audio input and I want to sing along with all these tracks!

You break me down every time you make a move
Without a sound, girl you make me come unglued
And I don’t know what you did to me
And I don’t care what you got to say
It don’t matter what you do
I can’t stay away from you
oh whoa-oh, oh whoa-oh
I can’t stay away from you
oh whoa-oh, oh whoa-oh

My love for this song keeps growing & growing!

It doesn’t sound like it’s something you need to remedy, but something quirky and adds a lot to the song.

I also adore it. Please never remedy this Kris. It’s part of the character of his voice.

Seeker
10/29/2009 at 10:56 pm
‘Kris uses a particular vocal style to express emotion. He adds a little strain to his voice (people who don’t like it can call it a whine).’  ‘“ MusicAlltheTime

Yes, much better term, thanks!

Listen to the very end of his live performance of ‘Heartless’  during top 3 night and you will hear it. ‘“ Starr

He did this with the ‘Crazy’ duet too ‘“
‘And all I remember
Is thinking, I want to be like them’ 

It’s almost like he holds the note ‘“ bends it ‘“ then slowly pulls it up high.

Starr, did you get BWCU’s mp3?

I will have to download it after I get home. i’m at work right now, so. Doesn’t stop me from ogling at more Kris clips though. I really enjoyed Kris on that “Crazy” song. His voice was so crystal clear and strong and I love the contrast between his verse and Adam’s.

About the second single, I think that “Can’t Stay Away” is probably a shoo-in for it already, since it is the song that has gotten the most raves, and it will really give Kris’s album momentum, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided on one of these ballads. They all have so much potential.

OK “The Truth” could be the freakin’ theme song to a TV show couple’s story. I can already see it being used as background music to Cappie and Casey of Greek (the TV show). WIN.

I’m trying to imagine Pat Monahan’s voice on this song and I gotta say, I doubt it would have the same intensity. No offense, Pat. I still love Train.

Oh, and try listening to that snippet of “I Need to Know” in a dark room, all by yourself. I don’t care if you’re the happiest person on the planet, I dare you not to weep openly during this song. It’s INSANE the effect that song has on you.

I really enjoyed Kris on that ‘Crazy’  song. His voice was so crystal clear and strong and I love the contrast between his verse and Adam’s.

IA completely.

“My heroes had the heart
To live out on a limb”
- I love the slight gruff quality he’d added to this line in the song.

During his live performances, I love it when Kris pulls back the band for a brief moment and it’s just him and his vocals – then the music gradually builds back up. I just love that.

Hey Seeker, just curious: What was your favorite performance of his on Idol? (and don’t say “Heartless”! I think that’s everyone’s favorite, so let’s skip that one )

I adore heartless (LOL), Starr.
But my 1st favourite was Falling Slowly… it’s just broke/melted my heart. Also because it made me go back and view all of his performance in a new light.

But now — I think what he did with Ain’t No Sunshine, his cover of that song is one of the best covers of any song ever made! It’s just sooo special & beautiful. I love the Top 09 version which has all these beautiful violins and chelo in the backgroud. Then the Top 2 version – that just blew my mind! Loved how he puuls back the band – brought back it….. Amazing

Also have to acknowledge – SWHFTM – SHOCKED the hell out me!!!!
& TMYFML – Butter, Melting Butter…. Sigh! Oooh ooh and CT – SO! underrated!

So there – what about you?

My favorite is “What’s Going On” – even more so than “Heartless”. “What’s Going On” has been done to death by several other artists, but Kris was the first one to really do it justice, and make it really contemporary. His version (live, not the studio version) could be on the radio and people who aren’t familiar with Marvin Gaye would think it was a totally new song, while Marvin Gaye fans would appreciate it for it being a stripped down homage. I think this song and surprisingly “The Way You Look Tonight” – Kris showcased his R&B stylings and that he’s got some soul (but he’s not a soldier – sorry couldn’t help it )

But “Ain’t No Sunshine” got me hooked on him and made me start voting for him. I had never voted for an American Idol contestant before, and I was such a moron, I thought I could only vote once by calling the number LOL I didn’t realize until I went on fan sites that I was supposed to chip in more than one vote hahaha

“She Works Hard for the Money” was genius. Absolutely genius. He stole the entire freakin’ show in a simple white T-shirt and a three-piece band. GENIUS.

TMYFML dammit it gets me everytime. I mentioned how much I love the nuance in Kris’s voice? Man, oh, man when he says “Hmmm” before he closes the song…just delicious!

God — The “Tonight” falsetto at the end of The Way You look Tonight” Chills!

“I didn’t realize until I went on fan sites that I was supposed to chip in more than one vote hahaha”
Lol! No worries– you got the job done anyway!

I love “What’s going on” And the arrangement was so cool and crisp and heartfelt. “Too small of the Big room” I can’t even begin to tell u how mad that made me. (Studio version had this Stupid 80s vibe!)

You know, I always feel that Kris’s Heartless had and has great shockvalue – Soul Soft Crooner doing a Rap Autotuned song… But songs like ANS, WGO, TMYFML, SWHFTM – these are songs I know I’ll still be listening to say 5 – 10 years down the line.

Also I’d enjoyed MITM esp the Group B result night performance. But I’m completely in love with his acoustic version of this song. I think he performed 1st at the Ford Event then at at Boston pool side event or whatever it was.

It’s just so beautiful… i love it… Listen to it On Loop!!!

Seeker
10/30/2009 at 12:00 am
God ‘” The ‘Tonight’  falsetto at the end of The Way You look Tonight’  Chills!

‘I didn’t realize until I went on fan sites that I was supposed to chip in more than one vote hahaha’ 
Lol! No worries’“ you got the job done anyway!

I love ‘What’s going on’  And the arrangement was so cool and crisp and heartfelt. ‘Too small of the Big room’  I can’t even begin to tell u how mad that made me. (Studio version had this Stupid 80s vibe!)

You know, I always feel that Kris’s Heartless had and has great shockvalue ‘“ Soul Soft Crooner doing a Rap Autotuned song’ ¦ But songs like ANS, WGO, TMYFML, SWHFTM ‘“ these are songs I know I’ll still be listening to say 5 ‘“ 10 years down the line.

Okay, Simon made me really mad on Rat Pack night when he criticized Kris’s performance. IMO, he was amazing that night! He looked especially confident, he was even mooning the camera on occasion (which is a Kris Allen first, as he rarely ever does that) and that FALSETTO at the end- seriously, I died.

I also got pissed off during finale night when they said “What’s Going On” was too small for the big room. Uh, had the judges even heard of the original? The original was groovy but really chill. What was Kris supposed to do? Insert a ton of horns in the arrangement and have a choir of back-up singers (although this would actually be pretty neat)?

Another night where I got so pissed was Rock Week. IMO Kris was the most original of all four of them. He was the only one who changed the arrangement and phrasing of the song he chose, and yet he was told he was trying too hard? I was almost like, “b**ch, please.” Hahahaha “Come Together” is one of my favorite studio recordings, probably after “Falling Slowly”.

I have purchased over the years many albums, cassette tapes and now CDs. I’ve recently purchased Relient K, Rob Thomas, Daughtry, Kings of Leon, Mutemath, Parachute, Safetysuit — of all those CDs, I probably like a handful of songs. That’s how it usually runs for me, although sometimes a song I dislike initially can become a favorite, meaning I don’t always give new music a chance.

I have listened to the snippets of Kris’s CD quite a lot now and I am still amazed by the fact that I really, really like each one. I am not by any stretch a fangirl, though I am a fan of Kris’s music. I love his voice and how he interprets a song. I was genuinely moved while I listened to many of the snippets. I don’t get easily moved.

This CD far exceeds my expectations. I’m happy for Kris’s fans and I’m happy for Kris.

Another night where I got so pissed was Rock Week. IMO Kris was the most original of all four of them. He was the only one who changed the arrangement and phrasing of the song he chose, and yet he was told he was trying too hard? I was almost like, ‘b**ch, please.’  Hahahaha

Seriously. It was Mission:Get Rid Of Kris Tonight!

Ok have u heard the acoustic version of CT? I think He’d performed it during his Home Coming interview with Fox AR.
IT”S AMAZING!!!!

LOL – The SIDE-EYE to DANNY LMAO!!! Still gets me!!
“Danny was better”!!??? He was just SHOUTING FHS! I’m mean I wanted to punch Simon (et Danny) after the duet!

Studio Versions:FAVS -> FS, ANS, CT, TMYFML

This CD far exceeds my expectations. I’m happy for Kris’s fans and I’m happy for Kris.

YAY! Thankyou evanjane !

evanjane
10/30/2009 at 12:16 am
I have purchased over the years many albums, cassette tapes and now CDs. I’ve recently purchased Relient K, Rob Thomas, Daughtry, Kings of Leon, Mutemath, Parachute, Safetysuit ‘” of all those CDs, I probably like a handful of songs. That’s how it usually runs for me, although sometimes a song I dislike initially can become a favorite, meaning I don’t always give new music a chance.

I have listened to the snippets of Kris’s CD quite a lot now and I am still amazed by the fact that I really, really like each one. I am not by any stretch a fangirl, though I am a fan of Kris’s music. I love his voice and how he interprets a song. I was genuinely moved while I listened to many of the snippets. I don’t get easily moved.

This CD far exceeds my expectations. I’m happy for Kris’s fans and I’m happy for Kris.

You’ve echoed my sentiments! I’ve never pre-ordered a CD ever in my life (although I am a CD collector), and Kris’s will be the first. Maybe it’s because I voted for him, and I feel really invested in him as an artist. I think Michael Slezak had it right when he said during Kris’s interview on Realite that it seems like America “signed” Kris and we feel responsible for him.

I usually go gaga over different bands during different times. Used to be Incubus, Dashboard Confessional, The Shins, Snow Patrol, Spoon – now it’s Kris, and I genuinely think had I not heard him on Idol that I would be interested in his CD nonetheless. I also like that I can share him with some of my friends. Usually the bands I listen to some people really love and some people don’t really care for, but with Kris I feel like it’s just easy because anyone, regardless of what genre of music you like, can love this CD. There’s something for everyone.

Ok I’ve gotta disappear for a while but leaving behind a little something

Before We Come Undone

(Few lines are unclear)
What’s become of you and me
Are we still inside this life
or am I going crazy

I’m just trying to understand
who I was and who I am
Coz you are changing just the same
But can you tell me whom to blame
Could we put our weapons down (<- <3)
Just to figure this out now

Chorus:
My pride is out the door
in time that we can
make it before (make it before)
make it before
The sun breaks another day
I'll wait till you say
I'm the one you want (I'm the one you want)
Before we come
Before we come undone

We could say that it's too late
but those are words my heart can't take
And this night has hours to kill
(not clear)
Could we both forgive somehow
coz I'm not letting you down now

Chorus

Bridge:
Watch out here we go
There's no turning back you know
We can't keep going round and round
and round and round. So now

Chorus:(x2)
My pride is out the door
in time that we can
make it before (make it before)
make it before
The sun breaks another day
I'll wait till you say
I'm the one you want (I'm the one you want)
Before we come
Before we come undone (x2)

Starr or Seeker said:

‘Bring It Back’  was actually a surprising letdown for me, as I had high expectations for an Eg White collab. Ah, but we’ll see. These are all initial reactions.

I have a theory. I’m pretty sure he did two songs with Eg White. (I’d love to hear the other one.) This album does not have a lot of ballads and so they put this choice on from the collab so they could have another ballad. *end of theory*.

Having said that, I’m sure the entire song is beautiful so I’m waiting for the entire song. But yeah, I agree, not what I expected from a collab with Eg White.

ETA: Hee, notice I’m still reading back several pages.

ETAA: Sorry Seeker! Like I said, I’m sure it’s beautiful and need to hear the entire song. From what I hear, I know I won’t hate it for sure.

GASPs! cookcricket it wasn’t me!!! I’ve loved Bring It Back from the get go!!! Though I too was surprised with the end result of Eg White Collab – but it love BIB!

Ok I’ve gotta go away for a bit but leaving a behind little something

Before We Come Undone

(Few lines are unclear)
What’s become of you and me
Are we still inside this life
or am I going crazy

I’m just trying to understand
who I was and who I am
Coz you are changing just the same
But can you tell me whom to blame
Could we put our weapons down (<- ! <3)
Just to figure this out now

Chorus:
My pride is out the door
in time that we can
make it before (make it before)
make it before
The sun breaks another day
I'll wait till you say
I'm the one you want (I'm the one you want)
Before we come
Before we come undone

We could say that it's too late
but those are words my heart can't take
And this night has hours to kill
(not clear)
Could we both forgive somehow
coz I'm not letting you down now

Chorus

Bridge:
Watch out here we go
There's no turning back you know
We can't keep going round and round
and round and round. So now

Chorus:(x2)
My pride is out the door
in time that we can
make it before (make it before)
make it before
The sun breaks another day
I'll wait till you say
I'm the one you want (I'm the one you want)
Before we come
Before we come undone (x2)

GASPs! cookcricket it wasn’t me!!! I’ve loved Bring It Back from the get go!!! Though I too was surprised with the end result of Eg White Collab – but I love BIB!

I can’t post lyrics to BWCU — POst won’t let me …WHY! -> too long?

now i hope we’ll get the LLWD very soon.. like tomorrow

now i hope we’ll get the LLWD very soon.. like tomorrow

..sent it too fast…. i meant the LLWD video

LLWD #3 Itunes New Zealand Pop Chart and #6 in Overall Chart. WOW!!!

wow! that’s good news Happygolucky!

btw on YT, Kris’s channel has posted all the snippets in a single stream!!

They sound better there

here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1yGTvLqNj0&feature=sdig&et=1256857782.6

Ok trying to post BWCU Lyrics verse by verse. Hope it works – HWG

Before We Come Undone

(Few lines are unclear)
What’s become of you and me
Are we still inside this life
or am I going crazy

I’m just trying to understand
who I was and who I am
Coz you are changing just the same
But can you tell me whom to blame
Could we put our weapons down (<- ! <3)
Just to figure this out now

Chorus:
My pride is out the door
in time that we can
make it before (make it before)
make it before
The sun breaks another day
I’ll wait till you say
I’m the one you want (I’m the one you want)
Before we come
Before we come undone

We could say that it’s too late
but those are words my heart can’t take
And this night has hours to kill
(not clear)
Could we both forgive somehow
coz I’m not letting you down now
Chorus

Bridge:
Watch out here we go
There’s no turning back you know
We can’t keep going round and round
and round and round. So now
Chorus

Sorry, I just have to do this:

Oh Kris, how can you be so Heartless? We’re Living Like We’re Dying while we wait for more! The Truth is, we Can’t Stay Away from these snippets. But it’s Alright With Me if it is just the music video because think about it, Is It Over? No!! I/we would wait a Lifetime for Kris songs from the Red Guitar. Besides, it’s Written All Over My Face that I floved your first single-so please Bring It Back as a MV, because I Need to Know that I/we will hear/see more from you soon, Before We Come Undone!!!!!

A little awkward, but kinda fun.

Seeker:
I can’t post lyrics to BWCU ‘” POst won’t let me ‘ ¦WHY! -> too long?

You could paste the lyrics on facebook…that is, if you want an army of new friends. haha You could create a blog… *thinking* =)

cookcricket

Sorry, I just have to do this:

Oh Kris, how can you be so Heartless? We’re Living Like We’re Dying while we wait for more! The Truth is, we Can’t Stay Away from these snippets. But it’s Alright With Me if it is just the music video because think about it, Is It Over? No!! I/we would wait a Lifetime for Kris songs from the Red Guitar. Besides, it’s Written All Over My Face that I floved your first single-so please Bring It Back as a MV, because I Need to Know that I/we will hear/see more from you soon, Before We Come Undone!!!!!

I love it! I did that last year with Cook’s songs…on my FB status.

cookcricket
10/30/2009 at 1:46 am
Sorry, I just have to do this:

Oh Kris, how can you be so Heartless? We’re Living Like We’re Dying while we wait for more! The Truth is, we Can’t Stay Away from these snippets. But it’s Alright With Me if it is just the music video because think about it, Is It Over? No!! I/we would wait a Lifetime for Kris songs from the Red Guitar. Besides, it’s Written All Over My Face that I floved your first single-so please Bring It Back as a MV, because I Need to Know that I/we will hear/see more from you soon, Before We Come Undone!!!!!

A little awkward, but kinda fun.

Hahaha that was cute. But if the music video gets leaked sometime this week, I don’t think I will be able to make it to November 17. Too much epic! Hahaha

cookcricket
10/30/2009 at 1:46 am
“Sorry, I just have to do this:

Oh Kris, how can you be so Heartless? We’re Living Like We’re Dying while we wait for more! The Truth is, we Can’t Stay Away from these snippets. But it’s Alright With Me if it is just the music video because think about it, Is It Over? No!! I/we would wait a Lifetime for Kris songs from the Red Guitar. Besides, it’s Written All Over My Face that I floved your first single-so please Bring It Back as a MV, because I Need to Know that I/we will hear/see more from you soon, Before We Come Undone!!!!!

A little awkward, but kinda fun. ”

Oh cookcricket.. That’s so awesome! Great job!!!

happygolucky
10/30/2009 at 1:13 am
“LLWD #3 Itunes New Zealand Pop Chart and #6 in Overall Chart. WOW!!!”

WOW WOW WOW!!! May be now I can feel less worry about Kris’ sales.

Soapbox0916
10/29/2009 at 7:56 pm
“Oh, discussions on vocal technique is a way to get me distracted. I think part of the ‘whine’  is that Kris is in transition from former bad technique of controlling way too much with his throat muscles to much better technique of pushing out higher (not stopping in throat) through his ‘head’  and supporting with his diaphram. Proper technique takes time to develop and takes practice, even when one knows what one is doing. (I know I am not explaining it very well, but the proper terms are escaping me at the moment.)

Also, I believe the ‘strain’  on the higher notes is usually not because Kris is trying to push out of his range. I think it is because he has been supporting and controlling notes with his throat muscles. Singing too much with his throat has ironically been cutting off Kris’s range on both the high and low ends. Relaxing his throat muscle combined with other technique, ironically Kris could easily sing a lot higher of notes than what he seemed ‘strained’  or utilize his lower range better.

I don’t think that Kris has been doing anything majorly wrong, but just a bunch of little stuff that has taken away from showcasing his vocal potential. Despite that, Kris still always sounds wonderful to me with his smooth ‘butta’  type voice.

I believe that Kris is just getting started on bringing out a gold mind of natural raw vocal talent. I just want enough technique to help Kris bring out his natural talent even more and help Kris sustain himself professionally. I think these songs, based on the little snippets, are going to help Kris showcase his range even more.”

Thank you Soapbox1906 for those explainations!

Oh Kris, how can you be so Heartless? We’re Living Like We’re Dying while we wait for more! The Truth is, we Can’t Stay Away from these snippets. But it’s Alright With Me if it is just the music video because think about it, Is It Over? No!! I/we would wait a Lifetime for Kris songs from the Red Guitar. Besides, it’s Written All Over My Face that I floved your first single-so please Bring It Back as a MV, because I Need to Know that I/we will hear/see more from you soon, Before We Come Undone!!!!!

Wow, the sentence flows so well. Brilliant! Eagerly waiting for his album release! His album will be SICK!

cookcricket
10/30/2009 at 1:46 am
Sorry, I just have to do this:

Oh Kris, how can you be so Heartless? We’re Living Like We’re Dying while we wait for more! The Truth is, we Can’t Stay Away from these snippets. But it’s Alright With Me if it is just the music video because think about it, Is It Over? No!! I/we would wait a Lifetime for Kris songs from the Red Guitar. Besides, it’s Written All Over My Face that I floved your first single-so please Bring It Back as a MV, because I Need to Know that I/we will hear/see more from you soon, Before We Come Undone!!!!!

A little awkward, but kinda fun.

Awwww. All kinds of cute!!! WANT Kris in Desert Music Video RN!

You could create a blog’ ¦ *thinking* =)
DNW own blog. I like it here at MJ’s… dmr, plz don’t shun me! for blabbing to much!

Oooh Starr, Cookcricket & dmr – what do u think of the BWCU lyrics… I think it’s pretty well writen. Captured angst pretty well, while keeping it light & contemporary. Excellent for Singing out loud!

LOL, Seeker…we don’t want you to leave MJ’s!!! Just trying to think of a place you could post all those lyrics…which, BTW, are really cool. Thanks for posting them. Now I’ve gotta go read them again.

Thanks guys, er, gals! I agree, waiting until Nov. 17th, is a looong wait! (< than a month though, so yay!)

Wow, discussion of the show brings back so many memories. LOL. I forget whether it was Rat Pack week or Rock week when I actually threw the clicker at the TV when Simon commented on Kris.

We watched as a family and my husband (sings and plays guitar/mandolin), usually lives and dies by what Simon says. He finally admitted that he didn't know what was wrong with Simon this year.

evenjane, I'm a huge DC fan, and I saw your post several pages back about the immediate good feeling with Kris's album vs. Cook's. IA! I still flove DC though, as I know you do. However, I am really feeling this album from what I've heard so far.

True confession, I'm not a big Pop fan, but geez the way some of the songs have grabbed me… I just can't explain. I agree that some have the more indie feel to them (which I love), so I'm really looking forward to hearing everything!

Seeker, IA on the BWCU lyrics. Lovin’ the angst!

ETA: Seeker, you’re not leaving mj’s are you?
Gotta go to bed now. Good night all!

cookcricket & dmr , Nope, staying put! I like it here!
Good night, Cookcricket!

I’m not sure what others people said, but I’m fighting with my eye lids to stay awake. If based on this 30 secs, this is totally a boring CD. No wonder they come out the single – Live Like We were dying.

Let It Rain may be is a better song. And may be Can’t Stay Away but this song sound like one of Westlife’s song

Can I say this may be another Taylor’s Hicks in the making.

One last thing then I’m out. it’s been bugging me:
In BWCU lyrics it’s
“I’m the only one (I’m the only one)”
and not “I’m the one you want”
(My bad!)

Phew! that said… I’m off

I actually like Westlife, but i can’t see the connection between Can’t Stay Away & Westlife!! It is interesting how people hear such different sounds with all these songs & sometimes the complete opposite to what I hear!!
btw thanks Seeker for the BWCU lyrics & cookcricket for your amusing usage of all the lyrics – a great read!!

Starr
Oh, and try listening to that snippet of ‘I Need to Know’  in a dark room, all by yourself. I don’t care if you’re the happiest person on the planet, I dare you not to weep openly during this song. It’s INSANE the effect that song has on you.

Oh yeah, I had already imagined myself listening to it on the plane going back FROM the holidays, after all the lights are switched off. Possibly having met a great guy during the holidays … only Kris serenading me I Need to Know….

Cookcricket Oh Kris, how can you be so Heartless? We’re Living Like We’re Dying while we wait for more! The Truth is, we Can’t Stay Away from these snippets. But it’s Alright With Me if it is just the music video because think about it, Is It Over? No!! I/we would wait a Lifetime for Kris songs from the Red Guitar. Besides, it’s Written All Over My Face that I floved your first single-so please Bring It Back as a MV, because I Need to Know that I/we will hear/see more from you soon, Before We Come Undone!!!!!

That’s clever of you – do send that to Kris, he’d love it much.

helloooo! anyone out here?

finally getting the time to read the thread….love your comments, starr, seeker and coolcricket

thanks starr for the before we come undone and cant stay away lyrics

here the lyrics of the rest of the song snippets, just a few lines or two:

the truth:

its an avalanche(??) that lives above our heads
we dont believe it
trying to be perfect
trying not to let you down (yayy)
honesty is honestly the hardest thing for me right now (yaayy)

written all over my face:

just cos you say it so
doesnt make it so
seeing i dont show what i’m feeling for you
i’d rather shut my mouth
than to spell it out
there’s no doubt when its written all over my face

what you want me to say that i dont say
what you want when its written all over my face
if you want we can talk about it all day
what we’r saying…..

bring it back

take your love, bring it back, bring it back
think before you leave
i forgot what love is, bring it back
tell me that you believe
what fate’s been telling me

(sniff sniff)

red guitar

…it fades away no matter where she has it placed
and my life would change when i saw the face
of..of the red guitar

we spin through hell(??)

is it over

please do me right
i slowly denied
would you care or are you…..(??)
so take your time
as you’re heading for the door (yay)
cos i mind flying(??)

let it rain (my favourite)

maybe i’m crazy
maybe its too late
but i’m gonna make it
forget what the sky says
so ohhh let it rain let it rain

i know that this is not the way

alright with me (my other favourite)

its alright, alright with me, its alright..alright with me…
and i know you better than you know
you can fight but its not over
i say to stop but you start to go
i guess that means…(??)
i say to look but you turn away
i say we put our best foot forward
will you believe….

lifetime

it takes a lifetime getting it right
its takes a lifetime of love i gotta say
to find my place in the world symphony
to become a melody
the man i know i could be
it takes a lifetime…

oooh easily my favourite lyrics cos its so typically jon foremannish…world symphony! wow

i need to know

can you hear what i’m saying
i need to know
i need to know
i need to know
i need to know…

arrrggghhhhh this is toooo short

and with that can i officially close this thread? hehe

Sarah: Credit goes to Seeker for the BWCU lyrics. I love it, really angsty and awesome.

In “The Truth”, I think it goes

It’s an avalanche that looms above our heads
And we don’t believe it
Trying to be perfect
Trying not to let you down
Honesty is honestly the hardest thing for me right now

LOVE IT.

starr, didnt i say i officially close the thread? lol

my favourite lyrics is still lifetime….i’m dying to hear the rest of the song cos its totally got a switchfoot feel to it and i love love love switchfoot

SarahP
10/30/2009 at 11:42 am

starr, didnt i say i officially close the thread? lol

my favourite lyrics is still lifetime’ ¦.i’m dying to hear the rest of the song cos its totally got a switchfoot feel to it and i love love love switchfoot

Love Switchfoot too, but still not digging “Lifetime”. Oh well, November 17 get here now so I can make some decisions!

yep! ok me off to watch my friday night movie…

let’s hope for more kris news tomorrow..night

HOME!!!! (Sheesh!)

Dear Kris’s MV,
Plz stop being so shy. Show up in an hour or so,ok. We won’t bite. Kthanks.
Love,
Seeker

Hi SarahP, you don’t know me, but I always have to have the last word. LOL, j/k.

Thanks for the lyrics of the other songs! As I listened to the snippets, again, I heard a couple additions or suggestions for Is It Over and Alright With Me.

Is It Over:
Would you care or are you (already gone??)

Last line: Cos I might find…the right words

Alright With Me:
I guess that meanns…(L O V E???)

Oh and the last line before fading on Red Guitar:
Well it’s been through hell…

I’m also looking forward to hearing the rest of Lifetime! However, the first wds out of my husband’s mouth was, “a little cheesy…”

That’s okay though, I want to hear the entire song because hopefully it will get better. In general, I don’t think Kris does cheesy.

Enjoy your movie!

ETA: Hi Seeker!

HIS ALBUM IS GOING TO BE SICK! I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT AN ALBUM IN MY ENTIRE LIFE…I USUALLY JUST DOWNLOAD SONGS ILLEGALLY, BUT I’M DEFINITELY BUYING HIS! CHYEA!

Hi Cookcricket,

Is It Over:
Would you care or are you (already gone??)

Last line: Cos I might find’ ¦the right words

Alright With Me:
I guess that meanns’ ¦(L O V E???)

Right on both accounts.

I’m in slight agreement with ur hubby there. Lifetime is cheesy . It’s a PERFECT Idol Result Night Send off Song.

But u know, inspite of myself, Lifetime is growing on me… love the little guitar ditty before Kris’s vocals come in.

OMG OMG Got this from Adam’s Debut thread ——

girlygirl
10/30/2009 at 12:06 pm

Since there’s no headline thread, I’ll put this here for the moment ‘” evidently Kris said in some radio interview this morning that the music video for LLWD will premiere on November 6.

Nov 6th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD DAMN IT!!! That’s SOOOOOOOOO Far Away…..

Dear Kris’s MV, didn’t u get my letters!!!!!!??? Dang it!

bambampow08
10/30/2009 at 12:13 pm

HIS ALBUM IS GOING TO BE SICK! I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT AN ALBUM IN MY ENTIRE LIFE’ ¦I USUALLY JUST DOWNLOAD SONGS ILLEGALLY, BUT I’M DEFINITELY BUYING HIS! CHYEA!

Wahahahaha this made me LOL thanks.

LOL, I was disappointed, too, Seeker, but it’s all good. It will get here eventually Maybe they’ll leak a little teaser for us? I can hope!

1 week!!! 1 week!!! It will fly by! I hope. Is it next Friday yet?

bambampow08, I’m soooo glad you’re going to support Kris!!

wow! this thread is still alive!!!! yippeeee…

Hi SarahP, you don’t know me, but I always have to have the last word. LOL, j/k.

coolcricket!, you’re more than welcome to have the last word..and the last laugh….hehe

and wow! nov 6th…..yikes…..so close but seems so far away….

bambampow08
10/30/2009 at 12:13 pm
“HIS ALBUM IS GOING TO BE SICK! I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT AN ALBUM IN MY ENTIRE LIFE’ ¦I USUALLY JUST DOWNLOAD SONGS ILLEGALLY, BUT I’M DEFINITELY BUYING HIS! CHYEA!”

Thank you for supporting Kris and I bet he will feel very special if he read it.

Okay, I think “Red Guitar” has officially overtaken “Alright With Me” and “I Need to Know” and “Is It Over” as my favorite snippet. Gah! Everyday I have a new favorite song. Isn’t that just wonderful? All from one album?

Red Guitar Sounds amazing… Kris Allen is a gifted writer & musician.

BNS… apart from WIA & OOW, I used to think that it’s amature writing. There was a time I thought that Beautiful Moon verged on silly…. But man …. I love it now!!!!!!

It’s wonderful how you keep listening to his music… you gradually pick up on the little nuances here and there, get an understanding of his musicality…. but still get surprised by subtle twists and turns. It just slowly but surely creeps up on u and envelops u.

GAWD!! ‘I need to know’ + ‘Is it over’ + BWCU still favs.
Gotta say — Lifetime is growing on me… Can’t help it.

Seeker

I love how are there are like, 5 Kris Allen fans on this board hahaha! It’s so funny! I gotta say that now when I listen to “Lifetime” I get intrigued about how the verse will sound like.

And come on, “Beautiful Moon” is the not the most exceptionally written song but damn that melody is FINE. And the boy shows a lotta soul.

Starr!!!LMAO!!! – 5 Guardians of this Thread! As Long as we breathe, this thread will stay alive! I Swear it!!!LOL! Srsly!!!

Dear Kris Allen,
Plz reward our rabid commitment to this dying thread (= you) by giving us an exclusive sneak peak of ur MV RN!

“make it slow & sweet, if u can.” gentle zephyr…

Yeah… you know, some of the lyrics, yeah, somewhat amateurish but the MUSIC, melody – That boy can compose a FINE tune!!

I wouldn’t touch ‘Land of Smiles’ coz of the title (even tho I knew the Mission – Thailand connection) The title just put me off — but, Oh the music… so sweet and gentle — And GOD that chelo piece, just breaks my heart.

Also LOL look how I spelled amateur in prev post! Wow! I make alot of grammatical mistakes – ‘of’ instead of ‘for’ – swallow half the words… JEEZ

This link will soon be off of the Recent Posts links.

We’re going to have sooo much fun once the entire album is available for analysis!!!!!

I know cookcricket, just a post away from being kicked off the recent posts!!!!

Tho, Looking FWD to all that Flailing!!

Ok the 1st line of Lifetime snippet “It takes a lifetime to get it right” with the guitar strumming along (before the full band joins in) and then the way Kris goes real deep on the ending…. before the fadeaway …Yeah…. It’s working for me now…

I think the song in it’s entirety very be very good. I think it’ll have these quirky guitar bits here and there and only the chorus and bridge will really swell up…….. Ok… I’m intrigued!

OK so I rewatched the interview with Lyndsey Parker and Kris absolutely lights up when he talks about “Alright With Me” – I think he really loves that song!

Alright With Me:
I guess that meanns’ ¦(L O V E???)

coolcricket you’re right..it is L.O.V.E….aww that is just so adorable..

so its only starr, seeker and me here….it sure does feel like home here…a small cozy one

and oh! coolcricket is here too! sorry missed you out….

and starr, you’re right…our commitment to this thread alone should merit a generous reward….where is the MV? my intensive googling is not producing any results

SarahP LOL ur back from ur MOVIE!!! And we’re still here, Starr!!!!LOL!
Yeah…. Don’t we deserve an exclusive sneakpeak of his MV!

I’m here too. Just not a talker but a reader and huge supporter! Love you guys for all the deep and interesting analysis! Keep it up!

Are we still counting? Coz I just came in – just got back from work – listening to the snippets along the way, missed reading about Kris and now I’m back here.

I know, sad isn’t it? 17th shld come soon, save me from these snippets…

Well, of course, there’s 6th Nov video which will make me more crazed over Kris’ snippets…. most likely I’d be shuffling the snippets and watching the LLWD video non-stop until 17th Nov.

Hahaha.. I was playing the Can’t Stay Away snippet and my 2.5 year old toddler girl started singing along to the “oh oh oh oh oh oh..” it’s so cute… made my day!

I’m really excited for the music video for LLWD. Marco Puig’s a cool director. I’m a fan of his work. Can’t wait to see what he and Kris have in store for us.

Kris is currently at the top and the bottom of the links for recent posts. Just wanted to point that out, won’t be for long. Doesn’t really matter. Just something that I noticed.

Hee, I was singing Lifetime in my mind earlier. Kind of surprised me!

I know this thread is buried now but I just had to comment on the quote below-

“I love how are there are like, 5 Kris Allen fans on this board hahaha!”

There are many more of us that lurk & comment only every now & again when there’s something to comment on- so don’t worry we’re all here supporting those that have a more prominent prescence!!

Well apparently we can’t close this thread yet as LA Times link it here today.

They are asking for votes on ‘Kris Allen’ song clips. Go vote your favourite now.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2009/10/first-listen-rate-clips-from-kris-allens-new-album-.html

Thanks serene for the link! But man whoever posted the pic on that article must not have like Kris and purposely picked a bad pic of Kris out of tons of awesome pics he got! Another bitter person I’m sure.

snlw
11/02/2009 at 12:00 am

Thanks serene for the link! But man whoever posted the pic on that article must not have like Kris and purposely picked a bad pic of Kris out of tons of awesome pics he got! Another bitter person I’m sure.

It’s the Los Angeles Times. They aren’t exactly hiding the fact that they are fans of Adam. There are numerous articles on Adam, and a handful on Kris. Perhaps it’s because Adam lives in L.A. and considers it his hometown, and the same treatment can probably be observed in say, a newspaper in Conway, AR towards Kris.

I’m glad this thread is not dead (yet)!

Agree…the LA Times pic is pretty sad. I noticed BWCU has the highest votes with CSA 2nd. One of my favs, BIB, is 3rd. However, I also noticed you can vote more than once, so it’s not exactly scientific. Yesterday I realized I was humming CSA…it really does have a catchy tune. I wish someone would put up a poll on what his next single should be because I think it should def be CSA or BWCU since they’re the most catchy, probably radio-friendly songs.

Seeker: I, on the other hand, shall be jumping straight to ‘I Need to Know’, followed by ‘Red Guitar’, …

LOL…you would! Why do I love to tease you?!! Like cookcricket, I enjoy your long posts.

Someone mentioned Kris’s comment at the Walmart Soundcheck (organic). I noticed that too. Yay Kris.

JIC someone else comes back here. Bring It Back has a touch of a 70′s ballad vibe to it. And why not? Some of the dance type music has that vibe as well, so why not the ballads too. I can’t wait to hear the entire song!!!!!! The snippet is beautiful!