The Deal: Latest American Idol runner-up releases debut disc.
The Good: If I have to find something, I’d say Blake Lewis hasn’t forgotten how to beatbox – thankfully, not on every song – and he’d be a shoe-in for a Justin Timberlake sound-alike contest. He also didn’t forget to include the required ballads – “Without You” and “End of the World” – or a beatboxing track – “BShorty Grans Mic!”
The Bad: If someone asked me last week what I would pick as the worst CD of the year, I wouldn’t have had an answer. Then the Blake Lewis CD hit my desk. We have a winner! I don’t know if it’s the photo on the back of the CD that – fedora, vest, turntables – makes you think he wants to be Timberlake or if it’s the craptacular music that infests the 16 tracks. I’m sure some people will like it, judging by the rest of the swill that swarms the Top 20 on a regular basis. It’s overproduced, lacks originality and is a fine example of what’s wrong with music these days. Simplistic lyrics – especially repetitive on “Gots to Get Her” – that give the impression of “we can have a hit now, people will forget that it’s horrible later.” It’s pop trash and no one should look at this as an example of the right way to do things. He’s not a terrible singer, but, much like the previously mentioned swill, the music lacks life and substance. If not for Idol, this disc would be sitting next to Kevin Federline’s in the $1 bin at Wal-Mart.
The Verdict: Magnifishit.
This article appears in Dec 12-18, 2007.
