| Music - New Albums |
| CD Review: "The Real Thing" by Bo Bice - another American Idol factory favorite. |
| by Lisha Simmonds |
American Idol runner-up Bo Bice scores as a winner by harvesting veteran writers and producers to debut his rock album "The Real Thing."
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The American Idol factory has certainly turned out a fair share of mediocre music during its insidious infusion into pop culture but the recent release by Bo Bice "The Real Thing" has an impressive set of tracks. The most notable aspect of the cd is not exactly Bo - it's the army of seasoned writers and powerhouse talent that was commissioned to create the substance of the cd and you can certainly hear their influence. Google any one of the following names from the credits of the cd and you'll get a litany of chart topping artists and songs: Clive Davis, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Max Martin, Ben Moody, Marti Frederiksen, Desmond Child, Kara DioGuardi, Chad Kroeger from Nickelback and several others including John Shanks are all prominent fixtures in popular music.
John Shanks for example, has either produced and/or co-written tracks from former AI artists: "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson; and "Blue Skies" by Diana DeGarmo. He also either wrote and/or produced on the albums: "Autobiography" by Ashlee Simpson (including "Pieces Of Me"); "Hilary Duff" (including "Fly"); "So-Called Chaos" by Alanis Morissette; "Speak" by Lindsay Lohan; and "Lucky" by Melissa Etheridge.
The first title track "The Real Thing" is a ballad perfectly suited to Bo's emotional and powerful voice, it's catchy, simple but magnetic and is the most "poppish" song on the cd. The two tracks with the greatest draw are "You're Everything" which is rockerfied authentic Bo; and "Nothing Without You," (by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, John Shanks).
Maturity matters too when it comes to the sincerity and committed delivery from Bo's self-assured sound. Bice is no teenager. He is 30 and has gotten some evident experience from the school of hard knocks and exploits it through his voice and writing. The edge he brings makes this album work. Get the Dualdisc for greater insight into Bo's musical roots - and be mindful that the cd version is copyprotected. |
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