Katharine McPhee

Okay, so I've had this album for close to two years now, and I don't think I've made a review yet. I was listening to it yesterday, and something strange struck me. Though it has been two years, I am STILL listening to this album. So I must really love it, huh? I don't know what it is about this album, but it gets me. McPhee's voice gets me. I've gone up and down on my critiques for each of these songs. One day a song will be #9, and the next it will be #4 and vice-versa. So I can't trult "rank" the album beyond my favorite four tracks (Neglected, Everywhere I Go, Better Off Alone/Not Ur Girl), but I can definitively (and, for your sakes, succintly) state how I feel about each one.

1. Love Story-This is the premiere throwback song of the album. Nice horns. There's a great kick-off in the beginning that sounds like a live band playing. Next, the "woo woo woos" start in, and I feel like I'm back in the 70's. It's soulful, it's groovy, it's upbeat. This is definitely the right song to start off the album. An energetic tribute to finding love before it was too late. Katharine's voice perfectly captures the bittersweet tone of the song. The record company should have given the song a chance. It's a hit.

2. Over It- Honestly the weakest song on the album. I won't say much about this one because I'm confused about how I feel about it. It's a nice pop tune, but it's not authentic Katharine. It barely even sounds like her, thought it's clear she's singing it, even though it's not clear that it's actually her voice. I like the song in parts (just the chorus and the bridge, really), but I would like it better if the producers had lain off the vocal synthesis. Wrong choice to make the album, wrong choice for a single.

3. Open Toes-Haha. So once you learn not to take this song seriously, it's pretty amazing. Katharine definitely sings her butt off in this song despite its parododic content. Really, she sounds like a purer Christina Aguilera with more sincerity and less emphasis on runs. Her voice, simply by being what it is, lends substance to this song. She sings the bridge with unabashed seriousness, and suddenly the theme of the song becomes clear, though erratic. The song isn't *gasp* really just about open-toed shoes. It's about not letting things in life get you down, and sometimes you just have to do whatever makes you happy, no matter how silly it is. As the last line in the song states "Only got one life, feeling good tonight, no this girl's not staying home." The song tells a different part of the story from beginning to end (goes from "I've been needing a girl's out" to a statement of why). It's genius really. So I say not to take it too seriously because it's more than what's on the surface. Not sure if that makes sense.

4. Home-So this is one of the premiere ballads. It sounds like it belongs to a movie soundtrack. It's lush, epic, romantic, and inspiring. The best line is "it's hard to feel beautiful in your own skin" or "it's hard to see beautiful in your own eyes." Both lines end with "but you make me beautiful for the very first time" at the end of each verse. Katharine sings the lyrics as if they were a part of her soul. It's somewhat ambiguous because it can be a song of romance, of friendship, or religion. It can be about any person that makes you feel "at home." Incredibly moving.

5. Not Ur Girl-She brings back the throwback sound here, but it's more 80's than 70's with a vocal sound of the 90's. Soulful, but utterly a fun pop song. Think of the upbeat Whitney Houston. This is the second McPhee co-write (Open Toes was the first). I would say these lyrics are among the best of the album. Katharine completely captures the attitude of the song, but doesn't leave out any of the emotion. She senses the flirty side to the song, while not abandoning the underlying hurt and sense of betrayal that the lyrics bring out. Her vocals are uplifting, but sadly tinged with a regret and a longing that is hard to miss. This is most presented on the second verse with the lines "And if you see me walking by, don't be surprised if I say `Hi', but it won't be any more than just that. Not moving down the fast. Oh we just collided in the fast lane..." The song is really sad in the way that it portrays how making a friendship into "something more" can ruin the friendship.

6. Each Other-90's midtempo pure R&B track. Standard, but beautiful in its simplicity. No overdone vocals or overdone production. The bridge gives me goosebumps. Katharine sings it in a soft, romantic, resonating voice that is her trademark and separates her from everyone else out there. My description may be sparse, but this really is one of my favorites. The production in the beginning could be tweaked a bit, so that the drum/clapping isn't quite so loud. That's my only criticism.

7. Dangerous-This one also has an oldies-meets-newsies feel to it. Katharine continues to be able to display emotion in a song that is vocally simple. The song is about wreaking revenge upon a cheating, player boyfriend, but even though the choruses are playful, the verses and bridge reveal a deep seated pain. The song shows off her rich, soulful middle register at its upmost. The way McPhee sings the last line before the final instrumental final "Oh protect your heart, he'll tear it apart" once again shows why Katharine can infuse an emotional depth that by anyone else would just be a fun or angry pop song. She's multi-dimensional, making repeated listens of her music all adventures unto their own with the new nuances one can find.

8. Ordinary World-Another one that belongs in a movie soundtrack and not a pop/R&B album. Ordinary World plays like a really good Disney song. Katharine continues to display different sides to her voice, and once again shows the triumph of simplicity over spectacle. The song is at its best in the beginning, where Katharine croons forlornly. It's almost as if she's talking or whispering, her voice almost breaking, but not quite. She breathes life and depth into the Disney lyrics, bringing the song to such a place that anyone listening who has lost a loved one, by distance or death, in their lives will feel their own heart breaking as the song encapsulates the feeling of going through a life that is never quite the same as it was before that person went away. I've teared up a few times listening to this song, and it is probably one at the bottom of my ranking.

9. Do What You Do-This is probably the track I have been up and down with the most. It has the feel of a club song from either the 70's, 80's, or 90's with some new-wave attitude thrown in for good measure, making this the most eccentric, electic and strangest song on the record, in lyrics and production. It's all over the place, disingenuous, frantic, and a little cluttered, but somehow it works. McPhee's voice drives the song and captures--yes you're hearing me right--the "sexual" frustration of the lyrics, but she does so with innocence, like a virgin who doesn't understand her own feelings but knows that this guy she's singing to knows what to do. Um, I'm gonna stop before I get too graphic. But it truly is all innocence and the anticipation of...um...lovemaking. But, her voice is truly great on this track, powerful and beautiful. The bridge is the highlight. She hits her highest note on the album in this one!

10. Better Off Alone-*sigh* This is a fantastic performance from Katharine. After I was done listening, I wanted to clap, cry, jump up and down, and I ended up doing all three. It is definitely another song that I could hear on a movie soundtrack. It draws influences from blues, soul, and R&B classics. It's epic, sweeping, emotional, and Katharine's low, earthy vocals brings the song to a real and painful place from the first note, and her voice soars higher and higher before sweeping back down to that haunted and sincere low tone that no one but Katharine has, evoking the way Mariah used to "sang" back in the day. Far and away the best power ballad on the album.

11. Neglected-This will be the hardest song for me to critique...Why? Because it's my favorite song on the album, not to mention among my favorite songs of all time. I could write an entire essay on its greatness. Katharine's last and final co-write of the album , this is utterly the most personal song on the album. A mid-tempo R&B ballad, Neglected is haunting, mysterious, chilling, painful, and beautiful, using the contemporary melodic intricacies that made R&B so great in the 90'sLike Better off Alone before it, it shows off Katharine's best instrument, her deep lower register. She weaves in and out between this deep register and a soft, high register that is unlike anything I've heard before. Listen closely to her enunciation of the last word of each line in the first two verses. Vocally, it sets her apart from every other singer, including those I've been comparing her to thus far. It may be subtle, but it gives me goosebumps. The mystifying chorus is hypnotizing to the senses with its Middle Eastern feel and somewhat inexplicable lyrical use. The bridge brings an unexpected, delightful surprise. It begins with Katharine's lovely deep register, but when it gets to the line "believing in all of your lies..." a separate voice joins in, and both sing the same lyric. Soaring and powerful, this voice takes over lets loose the pent up tension that's been building in the song. Outraged, it implores "How could you? How could you neglect my love?" Then the song ends as simply as it begin, with Katharine's haunting and low repetition of fading "da da da da da da da da da da." I can never get enough of it.

12. Everywhere I Go-Right behind Neglected as my second favorite song of the album. Objectively, I can even say it's the best song on the album, due to the deceptively simple, genius and laidback production of Babyface and his poignant lyrics. Mid-tempo? Check. R&B? Check. 90's? Check. This song takes the most influential sounds of the album and forms a masterpiece. Lyrically, it's on another level, making the song sad and funny at the same time. Katharine's yearning voice evokes the wronged sentiment of the song's confused and lost subject. What I hear most to this song is how relatable it is. How many have convinced themselves that they're over someone only to realize that, painfully enough, they're not? How many have been led on in a relationship, thinking everything is hunky dory when out of nowhere, their significant other drops them like a bad habit? As Katharine sings "I just can't get you out of my head. So it annoys me, he wasn't man enough to come and tell me I was never the one like you said I was. You knew that you didn't love me anymore." The song finds it lyrical cleverness in weaving in and out between 3rd and 2nd person, singing to the world at large and then to the lover who has been callously breaking hearts. This song should have been the single, not the over-synthesized "Over It." I firmly believe it could have been a smash.

This is a toughie. Katherine McPhee is a phenomanal young artist. She possesses a smooth, clear voice. A wonderful smile, a compelling style. It's a pity that she was not given material even close to her remarkable talent. If anyone was ever born to sing the classics, it is Kat. 'Someone to Watch Over Me', 'Over the Rainbow' this is the stuff that she should be doing. I can't remember one memorable song on this CD but she gives it her best That's the only reason I give it 3 stars, her performances give some spark to these otherwise monotonous tunes. Katherine wowed them on the recent David Foster PBS special, singing 'Somewhere' and 'Prayer' with Andrea Bocelli. I'd love to hear Kat do an album of standards but this is only one opinion. For those who love Kat and the songs on this CD I say God bless you, you're obviously hearing things that I don't. I still say that Kat could carve out an outstanding, brilliant career doing the standards and forgetting to try and be a rock star.
It was Kat's stellar performance of 'Someone to Watch Over Me' on American Idol that inspired me to write the fantasy-time travel romance novel 'Will I Ever Know' in which a man from the present time travels back to 1945 to meet the legendary star Frances Langford. Kat. I thank you for that!

"Ordinary World" and "Better Off Alone" were my favorites in the album. "Love Story" and "Over It" was okay but the rest sounds like your typical songs you heard already. Vocally she was Great sounded better than anytime she sang. I know Katherine Mcphee could have made a better album. She just needed to sing better songs and know what she is good at singing. Hopefully if she makes another album, she should change her style

Katharine has a beautiful voice and she is a beautiful girl. I don't care for the songs that are on the contemporary side. I don't like singing with to much voice fluctuating (or rungs). The slower songs are very good. I hope the next album is less contemporary. I would just get songs I like.

I could see Katharine McPhee falling into the same path Kelly Clarkson fell into. Katharine's debut isn't amazing by any means but you end up liking it a lot simply because her vocals are so strong (much like Kelly's debut). And with each further CD she'll realize who she is musically more and more and come into her own. For her first outing, though, she could've done so much worse.

The first two songs, Love Story and Over It, are pretty much just average pop fare. Nothing special but easily listenable. Open Toes is where the CD actually starts for me. After Open Toes you have only a couple songs that are so-so and quite a few that hold their own.

For the most part the lyrics aren't great. Perfect example, Open Toes. I love that song but the lyrics are so cheesy. Love Story is the same way, its your typical romantic comedy condensed into three minutes. Probably the only two good songs lyrically are Home and Neglected, the latter being the better of the two. Yet another thing she has in common with Kelly Clarkson...anyone see a pattern here?

For all the bad things you can pin on this CD, you have to admit that it's oddly enduring. For no reason--if you're anything like me--you'll feel compelled to listen to it. I figure any CD, or artist, that can do that deserves some type of bonus.

My favorite songs are Over It, Open Toes, Dangerous, Ordinary World, and Neglected. Anyone merely looking for pop music with no desire to be anything it's not, look no further than Katharine McPhee's self-titled debut.

Kat can sing Over the Rainbow like nobody's business. It's just beautiful. However, My Destiny is the most cloying, ridiculous song I've ever suffered through. Here's hoping she feels the same way and will choose her future music accordingly.

KATHARINE MCPHEE BRINGS SUCH A UNIQUE SOUND TO THE TABLE. HER VOICE IS SIMPLY AMAZING. HER VERSION OF SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW IS ONE OF THE BEST VERSIONS OF THE SONG I HAVE EVER HEARD.

TO ALL THE FANS GO OUT AND BUY IT. SOMTHING DEFINITLY I THINK YOU WILL LISTEN TO MORE THEN ONCE.

MUCH LOVE

KATFAN4LIFE

This cd is wonderful, you can hear the full expression of one of the most beatiful voices of america. The principal single "over the rainbow" is perfect, the version showed here is even better than the original played at American idol contest. Ideal for a romantic night, candles and twilight, the caress of her voice can conquers everyone.
The second song "my destiny" is good too but obviously become pale next to the perfection of the other song. It let you appreciatte other aspects of katherine's voice not expressed on rainbow track, like more power nearly afro voice and higher tones played at this song.
In short a great purchase. The only defect i can say is that you want taste more of her art, but there is only two songs in this cd.

This is the most beautiful and expressive version of the classic song I've ever heard. I'm so glad it was produced on CD after it aired on American Idol!

Kat and Chris Daughtry were my two favorites on American Idol last season. Kat has a beautiful voice and amazing talent! I used to sing Opera and Classical music and have a very fine tuned ear making it easier to pick out the real talent in groups. I am painfully aware that this doesn't always mean they will win though. I believe the only time someone DESERVING won American Idol was in season 1, Kelly Clarkson. I am really looking forward to Kat's CD coming out and plan to buy it.