REVIEW: GLEE THE MUSIC SEASON ONE VOLUME 1

It was only a matter of time before Fox and Sony Music cashed in on it, but Glee - The Music Season One Volume 1 has finally hit stores. And it couldn't have come any sooner. The 17-track disc is an eclectic collection of covers featured on what is arguably television's finest hour. This first volume ranges from broadway classics like Liza Minnelli's Maybe This Time (Kristen Chenoweth/Lea Michele) to adult contemporary hits with Céline Dion's Taking Chances (Lea Michele) ... to contemporary hip-hop in Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx's Gold Digger (Matthew Morrison). An odd selection on paper, but hey - it works.

The true heart and soul of these songs is the behind-the-scenes production team of Adam Anders, Tim Davis and Peer Astrom. Together, these three have breathed new life into each of these classics with luscious, intricate layering. I'm certain their work on this show will come to be coined eventually as "The Glee Treatment" - a gold standard in musical arrangement. Undoubtedly, the disc's true star is Glee's Lea Michele who shines consistently on each of her contributions, including my favourite performance from her in Rihanna's Take a Bow; she blows the original vocal out of the water completely.

Principal actor Cory Monteith, who has a wonderful tone to his voice, is drastically over-processed with digital enhancements as mentioned previously in my interview with E! Online. Nonetheless, his rendition of REO Speedwagon's Can't Fight This Feeling starts the disc off on a high note and I admit that the set would not be complete without his collaborations with Michele on Journey's Don't Stop Believin' and Chris Brown/Jordin Sparks' No Air. The same applies to young soulful powerhouse Amber Riley and her memorable performances on Jazmine Sullivan's Bust Your Windows and Jill Scott's Hate On Me.

Group numbers like Queen's Somebody To Love and Avril Lavigne's Keep Holding On are outstanding and I cannot describe the feeling of elation I get when I hear those big choruses in full effect - vocal arrangement at its finest. I will point out however, that I am disappointed that the fabulous versions of Duffy's Mercy and Amy Winehouse's Rehab we heard on the show are excluded on this disc and upon perusing the Glee The Music Season One Volume 2 (due December 8, 2009) track listing, they are omitted again there. Also, I'm not quite sure why it is insisted upon that Glee's main star Matthew Morrison be relegated all the embarrassing rap numbers. It is plain to see that he is more at home as a vocalist. After all, he is rumoured to be in talks to release a solo project (rap-free, hopefully).


The magic of Glee, including its music, is that it has a cross-generational appeal. I have friends who shun musicals altogether, but love the series and its music. On that same note, I have friends who adore Musical Theatre and they love the show equally. It is something my niece in the tenth grade and friends in their 20s follow. At the same time, I have friends in the 40+ age bracket who are obsessed with it equally. This is rare in a day and age of discerning tastes.

Preview the cast's amazing version of Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne below, courtesy of Sony/BMG:

Glee - The Music Season One Volume 1 is in stores today and to hear more, you can visit Glee The Music's official website here. Grade: A+