Lea Michele is pretty much a household name at this point. When she released the news that she was to release her first solo album, “Louder”, the interwebs went crazy and rightfully so. The public is so used to seeing her face and listening to her vocals on the FOX hit “Glee” that expectations went through at least 15 different levels of excitement. While the album did have its high points, there were some deep lows.
To start off positively, this album is full of beautiful dedications to the late Cory Monteith. “You’re Mine” is truly one of those great love songs that take your heartstrings and pulls them out of your body. Michele said it is her favorite song off the album and that the song was written for Monteith, her late boyfriend and “Glee” co-star who died in July of last year of a drug overdose.
“Cannonball” is the first single off of the album and Michele told MTV it helped her cope with Monteith’s death. “If You Say So” took its name from the last words Monteith spoke to Michele.
The song “Battlefield” also has a strong emotional pull and its overbearingly somber sound makes the overall mood of the album crash down around you in comparison to the upbeat pop track right before it. The lyrics for this track, “Once lust has turned to dust And all that’s left’s held breath Forgotten who we first met What seemed like a good idea has turned into a battlefield,” are an extra weight that overshadows any bit of happiness presented on the rest of the album.
Lea Michele certainly lets her vocals shine on this record with every song showing a range in her voice that is not comparable to many of her contemporaries. “Thousand Needles” really showcases what her voice has to offer without being reminiscent of “Glee” and allows her to stand on her own as a solo artist.
All of the niceties aside, this album does sound very plain. It’s almost as if Michele put everything into the lyrics and vocal delivery and then gave up.
The album’s mood is confusing as the lyrics are melancholic yet upbeat and ‘poppy.’ The beats are really catchy and addictive but some of the songs and the lyrics overall are just so blatantly upsetting. It’s like wanting to dance but knowing that it’s inappropriate.
If you’re a diehard “Glee” fan or madly in love with Lea Michele, this may be the album for you. If so, run and pick up the album right now. But it leaves much to be desired and lacks originality. Well, it’s original if she was planning on making an album that could be played at a dance party to accompany someone’s funeral.
