In honor of Thanksgiving, I (with the invaluable help of our very own media ninja taks) have compiled all of the reviews of KRIS ALLEN worthy of your reading. Kris fans are used to making a feast from crumbs, but that’s unneccesary in this case. Critical reception for Kris’ debut album has been positive–at least with those reviewers who have really *listened* without preconceived notions and given some real consideration to the quality of the music. Even some who went in prepared to hate the album have changed their tune and couldn’t deny the bottom line–Kris has made some great music. He’s a talented songwriter and genuine artist with enormous potential, his voice is strong and pleasing, and he is a musician with a natural gift and strong musicality.
Okay, without further ado, I present to you the words of the “taste-makers”:
Disclaimer: TL;DR and crappy html.
The New American Sweetheart
“As we’ve come to expect, the draw of Kris’ performances is the man himself. His emotional connection and ability to relate to his audience makes his debut album hard to resist in a music store full of “artistes” who are nothing more than well-packaged and well-designed products to meet the needs of their customers.”
“We say, let the pop maestros help make some really sensational music first to confirm his place as a recording star, and when the singer-songwriter in him feels ready, the opportunity will present itself for Kris to transform into one of music’s leading men.“
NY Rock Music Examiner
“The 13-track album is filled with the soulful, heartfelt tunes that made Allen a popular AI pick like radio-friendly “Live Like We’re Dying” and “Let it Rain.” Allen reaches his inner Jeff Buckley on “Is It Over” before “Alright With Me,” something American Fool-era John Mellencamp would have loved to pen. The bigger surprise, a cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless.” Necessary? Not at all. Allen seems to have enough to go on his own without the self-proclaimed king of pop’s 808s & Heartbreak hit.”
Kris Allen CD Review: More In Love Than Ever
“The CD is pure unadulterated pop and that’s not a bad thing. Especially when the songs are held together by a voice as recordable as Kris’.“
Review: Kris Allen, the kid’s alright
“He transcends this critic’s expectations and fans should be most satisfied…Kris finds a workable pop/rock style of his own on the upbeat Kris Allen and its pleasures all come from his songwriting hand. He cowrote most of the album and all of its highlights, like the truly pretty Let It Rain with his skilled piano bed framing the memorable melody and the McCartneyesque-pop buoyancy of Alright With Me, are his. Fine tunes.”
…ultimately winds up as one of the more likable, artistically valid albums from an Idol winner. In fact, song-for-song, Kris easily trumps the weakest Idol champ debuts…He even comes out ahead of Kelly Clarkson at this stage of his career. Remember, Kelly exploded on her second album, not her overproduced and generic debut.”
Mansfield’s “review” that I wouldn’t bother reading
He does however, detail Kris’ “artistic vision” well :
“Thoughtful singer-songwriter, committed lover, but with a mildly funky, slightly sexy fun side”
“Glowing” praise from VFTW
“Overall, most of the songs are decent, with a few real standouts that deserve your attention. And knowing how the Idol machine cranks these albums out so quickly, a decent album with a few standout tracks is something you should look into. The appeal of the album is that Kris isn’t trying too hard.”
Another blogger who has fallen for Red Guitar
“The 13-song collection starts with the very-pop single “Live Like We’re Dying.” Yeah, that vocal delivery in the middle has a bit of a hip-hop feel to it. The single is just the tip of a passionate debut that’ll warm a lot of “AI” fans’ hearts.”
EW–Not Slezak
“It falls to Allen’s appealing pipes (that adorable little hitch in his voice!) to sew this patchwork of pop production-for-hire together, and they ultimately provide the album’s strongest selling point.”
Celebrity Bug
With Allen helping pen 9 of the album’s 13 tracks, his debut outing gives you a firmer grasp of his artistry and although the music can feel a little bland at times, it is Allen who saves the show with his undisputed confidence and lovable personality, both of which leak through the album.
He takes risks and although they may not always pay off, that is the key ingredient towards the making of great and long-term artist.
411Mania
There are…moments of genuine artistry on Kris Allen, and they are not surprisingly the album’s high points…the brooding “I Need to Know,” which features a slow, woozy vocal over a churning piano melody. The song provides an intriguing window into Allen’s future potential, mostly because it eschews a sledgehammer pop chorus in favor of tasteful restraint.”
Rodney Ho
My initial impressions of the pop-rock album: it should satisfy his fans and remains true to what we think about Kris– dollops of Jason Mraz and John Mayer with more soul
My early favorites include “The Truth,” which sounds like Daughtry, the pretty “Red Guitar” and the sadly emotive ballad “I Need to Know.”
Syracuse Blogger
The album is a nice mix of ballads and rock tunes that highlight not only Kris’ vocals but also his guitar and piano skills.
…it’s a good first effort and seems reflective of his artistic vision, which is not always the case for a debut Idol album. Kris’ fans will certainly enjoy this CD and with enough promotion, his music should appeal to a much broader demographic.
Random Blogger
I could quote the entire article, so seriously, if you ever need a pick me up after reading an unfair/half-assed/loltastic/glittered-blinded review, go no further:
… hallelujah! – finally, an AI winner got it right! I’m not saying that Kris’ album is the best or is breaking new ground (hello? This is 19 after all) – but Kris had managed to both remain true to who I thought he was (based on his AI persona) and at the same time, show growth and versatility.
Vocally, Kris sounds like Kris – and that means his voice remains front and center – and sounds even better than he did before – fuller, stronger, rounder – and surprise, surprise – he isn’t over-processed or overwhelmed by the production.
He manages to keeps it as real and as emotionally connected as he has always been …
Seriously, this is IMO the best debut album to come out from an AI winner – it remains true to who Kris is as an artist and definitely showcased his talents not just as a singer, but as a very promising song-writer.
An early review that’s been expanded to include the bonus tracks
READ THE WHOLE THING \o/
“One word to describe the album: VARIETY. The album delivers a variety of staple radio-friendly sounds that mostly anyone can relate to. The album in itself deals a whole lot on relationships, which Kris himself said that its much easier to make songs about those significant bad moments in your life. But hey, that’s the magic of music, turning something bad into something great. Interestingly, what sets the album apart from other Idol albums is that it has that true feeling. Given that Kris wrote 9(11) of the 12(15) tracks, ”
As a whole, the album takes you on a (forgive me for being cliché) roller coaster ride of emotion. The album isn’t at all static and the album being dynamic really makes for an adventurous ride. What I like most about this album is that most of the songs are really radio-friendly and hopefully, Kris would be able to make it big with these staple sounds that everyone can like. Sure, I didn’t like the gravity of some songs but I do appreciate how well written they are. In a whole, I give this album two thumbs up! I’m so happy Kris was able to make his own album without the producers being too manipulative with it.
American Songwriter
The revelation here on this, the debut of American Idol champion Kris Allen, is not that he’s a great vocalist—the world already knows that—but that he’s also a gifted songwriter. Many of the songs here are co-written by Allen and one or two other writers, but “Red Guitar” is the one song here he wrote entirely alone, and it’s the stand-out track of the album. It’s a power ballad, but a poignant one, and suggests that if Allen could be freed from the gaggle of producers who produced this, and allowed to write his own songs, he could be a serious contender.”
“But if “Red Guitar” is any indication of what Allen can do on his own, perhaps someone in his camp will realize that this Johnny Cougar’s got Mellencamp potential, and can be more than an Idol, he can be an artist.
On The Download: Kris Allen Is An ‘Idol’ Who Delivers
Ivan Anderson, a writer for Access Hollywood–loves “Red Guitar” and should receive a fruit basket for this winning review.
I didn’t know what to expect from Allen, the cute, shy and talented guitar player and singer who graced the “American Idol” stage for all those weeks. Here, he proves himself to be an artist with confidence, presence and purpose.
Bill Lamb seems to have the Idol bias and finds the album “mediocre”, but he does give Kris credit for his awesome voice and is “Looking Forward To Album #2″
…the great moments are stellar and give us glimpses of a Kris Allen with real emotion losing himself in making his music
It’s obvious that his voice is an instrument to be treasured. Vocally, Allen can have a commanding presence on record that was too often only hinted at on American Idol. Tackling the ballad “Bring It Back” by Eg White, best known for his work on Adele’s breakthrough “Chasing Pavements,” Kris Allen turns in a performance in which his voice seems to lovingly caress the words with impressive technical control.
AllMusic
Kris Allen…about comfort, something that’s plainly evident on his immaculate eponymous debut, an album every bit as unexpected as his name. Allen possess an easy touch, making already pleasant surroundings a touch friendlier. Kris pens almost all of the 12 songs here (the exceptions being “Live Like We’re Dying,” “Written All Over My Face,” “The Truth” ), which unifies the album. Unhip it may be by design, but at least Kris Allen delivers the goods: it’s tuneful and likeable, melodic enough to merit a close listen
That Glambert I don’t feel like linking:
I’m shocked with how much I loved Kris Allen’s album. For now, though, I suppose I’m a Glambert, but Glamberts, don’t hate on me, ‘cos I’m buying Kris Allen’s album.
Review: Is Kris Allen’s major label debut a dud or a stud?
Allen’s strengths shine through on lead single, “Live Like We’re Dying,”… “Alright With Me,” a Buddy-Holly-like slice of acoustic guitar driven pop that’s jangly in all the right places. Co-written with the Fray’s King, it’s one of the album’s few unabashedly up-tempo tunes and one of its absolute best. Similarly, on the slightly bluesy “Is it Over,” Allen begs a lover to turn around. But he seems most at home on “Red Guitar,” which Allen wrote before the whole “American Idol” adventure started. It’s a sweet, gentle comparison of his lover to a red guitar that “may not have all its strings, but she strums it beautifully.
Kris Allen’s self-titled album is a success
The best thing about Kris Allen’s album is probably that it’s not at all consistent. It seems as though the songs have been strategically placed on the album to ensure that the listener will not get bored. .. As someone who does not avidly watch “American Idol,” I must say that this is one of the best albums I have heard from one of its contestants. I can only imagine how much more pleasing it will be for someone who became a fan of Kris Allen while watching the show.
http://blogs.chron.com/peep/2009/11/kris_allen_1.html
“…Allen has a terrific recorded voice. He’s like a livelier John Mayer. But the best moments happen when the arrangements break out of the adult-contemporary office radio and allow Allen some real musical identity.”
Newsday! (Hey, it’s my home “island” I’m excited)
“Kris Allen is an earnest, likable guy, and it’s a victory for him that his post-”American Idol” debut remains earnest and likable.”
Top Idol
What I do know is that for something recorded in only a few months time WHILE TOURING, this is a solid debut album. And it is by far the least Idol-y of any contestant who received a 19E contract. Kris Allen never claimed he was going to reinvent the wheel–and he didn’t, but his first release is worth a listen. It shows considerable talent. The guy is a musician.
Let’s conclude with the self-professed media fanboys (totally understandably) of Kris Allen: Michael Slezak and Jim Cantiello.
Slezak! He can over analyze to his heart’s desire.
To make a track-by-track analysis short–he loves it, but is also very thoughtful in his fair critiques.
“Okay, now that the fanboy has left the room….” (You aren’t fooling anyone Slezak)
Jim: …it’s pretty damn good
The irreplaceable “im” of Krim admirably tried to maintain his objectivity with his review:
But as far as “Idol” albums go, it’s fantastic. Kris’ influences are loud and clear, yet the songs don’t sound like lukewarm carbon-copies or wannabe retreads. Most importantly, Kris survived the major label machine without having his likeable personality swallowed up. In fact, the self-titled album sounds so quintessentially Kris that calling it anything other than Kris Allen would have felt disingenuous.