I heart Elliott

OK, fine! I’ll write a review about Elliott Yamin’s CD. Get off my back!

Those who are near and dear to me know what a soft-spot I have for Elliott. He completely stole my heart when he sang this song on American Idol last season. Even Simon Cowell was convinced. And did anyone else notice how HOT he got?

I had waited anxiously since the conclusion of last season’s AI to hear news of his CD deal and I marked March 20th on my calendar because I planned on getting it right away. This makes it a whopping three CDs by American Idol contestants that are played in heavy rotation on my iPod. (Should I be more embarrassed about that?)

The thing is: this CD is just OK. But what Elliott does with his voice is MASTERFUL. His first single, “Movin’ On,” is pretty typical. In fact, the whole CD is. Pretty standard pop/R&B. There are even a couple songs I just downright do not like (“Wait for You” and “One Word,” to be more specific. Both are kind of…lame). But when he sings it right, he blows it out of the park.

Listen, if you will, to the very end of “Find a Way,” which I think is my favorite track on the album. Forget the lyrics, the saccharine “They say that pride goes before a fall/Heaven help us all, if love don’t find a way.” Just listen to how perfectly he wails it. I listened to it twice the first time through the CD, and it gave me chills. He makes the mediocre music compelling just because of his voice.

His forte seems to be the bridges and crescendos of the songs. In “I’m the Man,” he climaxes with “As long as we’re together, I know it’s gonna be alright,” and sends the song into a sweet bridge and ending. During “Free,” he belts mid-way through the track, “Don’t wait for tomorrow. You got to do it today,” and I believe him!

There are some surprises on this self-titled CD as well. In “Train Wreck,” in which he warns a girl against rushing into a relationship, the key changes in the chorus are unexpected and sexy. And his cover of “Whiter Shade of Pale” is another great example of his energy and enthusiasm in his singing. You can hear his heart and soul in the songs he’s singing on the whole album, even though the music could be better.

Even the rendition of “Song for You” included on the CD left me a bit disappointed. I think it pales in comparison to his performance of it in the link above. The arrangement is good on this CD, but he oversings this stunning, simple song. I want to feel like we are alone and he is singing the song to me.

I can’t stop listening to it because his voice literally moves me, but I hope this album does well enough that he can put out a better one someday.