Glee: The Music, Volume 1

This will be my first official review for the Sagebrush. It'll be published next Tuesday!


After catching onto the popularity of the hit TV show, “Glee,” Fox and Columbia Records released the first installment of “Glee: The Music” last week, which features favorite songs from the show, performed entirely by the cast. It makes it hard to not jump out of your seat and sing along while listening.
The show itself takes viewers back to high school with the social struggles and worries of fictional William McKinley High’s Glee Club, along with  those of their instructor, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison, “Hairspray”).
“Glee” follows the members of the Glee Club as they battle to fit in and make friends, and Schuester fights to bring the club out of the dumps and back into the limelight. Difficulties arise when cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch, “Julie & Julia”) fights to keep the Glee Club down and her “Cheerios” on top.
Though the plot is entertaining and the characters are lovable and hilarious, the show is successful due to its collection of stellar voices and the musical numbers by the cast.
The track list of “Glee: The Music” includes covers of songs that span numerous genres, from the hip-hop hit “Gold Digger,” originally by Kanye West, to a stylish rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”
The album starts out strong with one of my personal favorite songs from the show, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which was featured in the first episode. Although it seems unlikely that anyone could improve on the classic Journey song, I find myself loving this cover almost as much as the original. The mix of the familiar guitar solos and great background harmonies add a very “Glee” touch to the song, and the leading vocals of Lea Michele as Rachel Berry and Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson definitely don’t disappoint.
Another favorite from the list is easily Heart’s ‘80s ballad “Alone.” This song was the first in the series to showcase the lead vocals of Morrison and also features Kristen Chenoweth (“Wicked”). The duet is one of the few songs on the album not done by the whole chorus; however, the two-part harmonies and nearly glass-shattering high notes show the Broadway training of the two and leave nothing to be desired.
The last half of the album, I feel, falls a bit short. Although the vocals continue to amaze throughout the CD, the first half of the album contains more of the upbeat and recognizable tunes, whereas the closing numbers are the slower, more obscure ones.
“Dancing with Myself,” originally performed by Generation X, showed that perhaps it is possible for the “Glee” cast to do a less-than-fantastic cover of a song. The melancholy rendition by Kevin McHale,  who plays Archie, is less like the upbeat original and more reminiscent of the woe-is-me song, “Mr. Cellophane,” from the musical “Chicago.”
All in all, “Glee: The Music” delivers exactly what it promises in the form of audience favorites from the show, along with a fresh new take on loved songs, both old and new.
Glee can be seen on Fox at 9 p.m. Wednesdays.