CD ReviewsAtlanta Journal-ConstitutionPOP "Blue Skies" sends mixed signals. Diana DeGarmo, "American Idol" runner-up and Snellville sweetheart, makes her full-length debut with an album that has a split personality. Do the powers-that-be at RCA want her to be the new Melissa Manchester or the new Ashlee Simpson? The Manchester contingent gives us tunes such as debut single "Dreams," "Go On and Cry" and Manchester's own late-'70s hit "Don't Cry Out Loud." They are cliché-riddled, yearning pop songs with a message that would thrill any high school choral director looking for feel-good, inoffensive chart hits. Then there are the guitar-heavy (relative) rockers: "The Difference in Me," "Boy Like You" and especially "Then I Woke Up," a piece of tasty bubblegum with bite. Perhaps the producers and label honchos thought it might be nice to have an Ashlee Simpson-like popster who could actually sing. And make no mistake, DeGarmo can belt a tune. She still sounds like the theatrically inclined teenager she is, but it's tough to fake experience and maturity. Give her time, and the shading and subtlety should fall into place. Here's a vote for DeGarmo as rocker, at least for now. Her spunk and sweetness give the uptempo tunes a fetching punch that overcomes even a jarring lyric like "I'm a little Lynyrd Skynyrd/ And a little 50 Cent." Sure, Diana. But she delivers it with such exuberance that it's almost believable. And that, friends, is a minor miracle. — Shane Harrison
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BILLBOARD SINGLE REVIEWDiana DeGarmo In a good and just top 40 landscape, Diana DeGarmo's "Emotional" would be a no-brainer add to playlists. After all, the season three "American Idol" runner-up has built-in familiarity with 26 million TV viewers, undisputed talent in a live setting and enough star power and personal panache to make her the hero of legions of young female fans across the land. Add to that the instant appeal of this uptempo pop jewel, an ideal showcase for DeGarmo's stellar pipes and a joyous, one-listen singalong. But the balance at mainstream radio remains so off-kilter today that high-quality pop music is often left standing last in line, meaning that RCA may have a tough job ahead of it. In any case, DeGarmo certainly delivers, with the perfect song to catapult her career forward.—CT Source: http://www.billboard.com/bb/reviews/single_article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000731163 |