Idol Chit-Chat
This is your place to discuss all things "American Idol." The performances, the judges, the past contestants — it’s all right here.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Josh Gracin CD Review: Well Worth the Wait


Ever listened to a CD that made you want to stand up and cheer at the end of it because you were so proud of the effort the artist put forth?

No? Then you clearly haven’t heard Josh Gracin’s sophomore album, “We Weren’t Crazy.” By the time Josh sang that last gorgeous note, I wanted to jump out of my chair and give a big “Woo-hoo!”

And remember, I don’t even like country music…

Usually when an album has as many stops and starts as this one did, you can count on an inferior product that was nowhere near worth the wait. Thankfully that is not the case here as Josh has given us an outstanding album that far surpasses his solid debut.

The CD gets off to a great start with “Found,” which features a great beat and a beautiful soaring chorus. That leads into his current single and the title track, “We Weren’t Crazy,” a nostalgic tune with a catchy chorus.

“Invisible” is a standard country ballad, but it has a pretty hook and Josh shows off some of his range. He continues that voice expansion with “Let Me Fall,” which spotlights Josh’s falsetto. “I Don’t Want to Live” ends this trilogy of ballads as Josh wrings every ounce of emotion out of that great country voice of his.

The CD then picks up with “Favorite State of Mind,” which was originally the title track for Josh’s sophomore CD that was scrapped. I have always liked this song, but it’s almost out of place now with the more mature sound of the rest of the CD. It’s still catchy, though, and it’ll get your feet tapping.

Then, it’s back to what Josh does best with “Telluride,” featuring another gorgeous sweeping chorus. That’s followed by another previous single, “I Keep Coming Back,” which really should’ve been more successful than it was on the charts because it’s a great country ballad.

And speaking of great country ballads, you don’t get much better than the next track, “Sweet September,” with another great chorus. Then, the CD picks up the tempo one final time for the cute ditty, “Livin’ It Up.”

But Josh wisely closes the album with another gorgeous ballad that I can hear being played at weddings everywhere this summer called “Unbelievable.”

If indeed the delay in this CD was to find better tracks, then the plan worked as the geniuses at Lyric Street Records have done it again. Josh’s voice is stronger and better than ever and it shines on every track. There are a lot of opportunities for singles here and I hope that Josh gets to take advantage of every one of them.

Ladies and gentlemen, Josh Gracin is back and I couldn’t be happier about it.

“We Weren’t Crazy” from Lyric Street Records hits stores Tuesday, April 1st.

You can take a listen for yourself here.
Note: This review was written based on an Internet stream of the CD and not the actual CD.