I was pretty excited when I got a review copy of Harry Connick, Jr.’s newest CD, “Your Songs,” a few weeks ago. I dig on Harry Connick, Jr. In fact, I know very few women who don’t dig on Harry Connick, Jr. There are several reasons for this; his voice being second on my personal list.
Anyway, I can’t lie. I have several of his other CD’s and they’ve come in handy when I’ve needed some spontaneous (but really planned) “dancing in the living room with my boyfriend and oh wow! I happen to have Harry Connick, Jr. in the CD player” music. I figured this disc would be another weapon for my arsenal.
I guess I was mistaken.
There’s no denying the fact that Harry Connick, Jr. has a fantastic voice. This gives him a pass to occasionally get away with corny stuff; like acting and the “When Harry Met Sally” soundtrack. However, it doesn’t give him the right to do an album filled with great songs set to the sounds of bad lounge music. It’s almost as though he was contractually obligated to grind out an album this year, and instead of doing something original, he waited until the last minute, blindly picked some old “standards”, and just went with it.
The album begins with a Sinatra favorite; “All The Way.” This is a pretty safe start. Harry Connick, Jr.’s VOICE sounds great on the track, though it lacks genuine emotion. There’s something very hollow about it all, which doesn’t work with music like this. The reason why these old standards are so great is because the people singing them know how to “sell it.” And I wish the band would’ve played this song a little more “straight” and a little less lounge-like. The notes were all drawn out a few seconds too long and it left me feeling like I was listening to a cheap Vegas band playing in a hotel lobby.
This seems to be the theme with the whole album. It’s all very lackluster, very generic, and very easy to forget. It doesn’t help that it ends with “Mona Lisa”, which is just a terrible song in any case. In fact, I’d be pretty okay with this song just being permanently wiped from history. Anyway, I’d honestly recommend you not buy this CD, even though Oprah had him on the show a few weeks back and I’m sure most housewives are convinced otherwise. Trust me. Either listen to one of Harry Connick, Jr.’s older albums or dig out your Sinatra records and hear it straight from the source.
Anyway, I can’t lie. I have several of his other CD’s and they’ve come in handy when I’ve needed some spontaneous (but really planned) “dancing in the living room with my boyfriend and oh wow! I happen to have Harry Connick, Jr. in the CD player” music. I figured this disc would be another weapon for my arsenal.
I guess I was mistaken.
There’s no denying the fact that Harry Connick, Jr. has a fantastic voice. This gives him a pass to occasionally get away with corny stuff; like acting and the “When Harry Met Sally” soundtrack. However, it doesn’t give him the right to do an album filled with great songs set to the sounds of bad lounge music. It’s almost as though he was contractually obligated to grind out an album this year, and instead of doing something original, he waited until the last minute, blindly picked some old “standards”, and just went with it.
The album begins with a Sinatra favorite; “All The Way.” This is a pretty safe start. Harry Connick, Jr.’s VOICE sounds great on the track, though it lacks genuine emotion. There’s something very hollow about it all, which doesn’t work with music like this. The reason why these old standards are so great is because the people singing them know how to “sell it.” And I wish the band would’ve played this song a little more “straight” and a little less lounge-like. The notes were all drawn out a few seconds too long and it left me feeling like I was listening to a cheap Vegas band playing in a hotel lobby.
This seems to be the theme with the whole album. It’s all very lackluster, very generic, and very easy to forget. It doesn’t help that it ends with “Mona Lisa”, which is just a terrible song in any case. In fact, I’d be pretty okay with this song just being permanently wiped from history. Anyway, I’d honestly recommend you not buy this CD, even though Oprah had him on the show a few weeks back and I’m sure most housewives are convinced otherwise. Trust me. Either listen to one of Harry Connick, Jr.’s older albums or dig out your Sinatra records and hear it straight from the source.
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