Gregory Robson
06/18/08, 07:24 AM
Ferras - Aliens & Rainbows
Record Label: Capitol Music Group
Release Date: April 1, 2008
There are three certainties to Ferras' self-titled major label debut, Aliens and Rainbows: first and foremost is that the Southern Illinois native has big, crystalline vocals that carry each song; second is that he writes songs with big, syrupy choruses; and thirdly, that the production by The Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz) is nothing short of spectacular.
Aside from that, the rest of the album is a mixed bag. Beginning with the one-two knockout punch of anthemic opener "Emancipation Day," and the Elton John-esque title track, he proves right out of the gate that he's a force to be reckoned with. When third song and lead single “Hollywood’s Not America” hits, he seals the deal as a bonafide talent. The song, which was used as an American Idol exit song, is a gorgeous mid-tempo ballad with witty lyrics and a feel-good story. But when fourth song, the "Hey There Delilah"-esque “Something About You,” flops, he proves he’s human and prone to mistakes. Unfortunately, those mistakes can’t be recovered. “My Beautiful Life’ invokes gratitude for the hand he’s been dealt and the many blessings in his life, but with spoken word verses, its both ghastly and grating. “Everybody Bleeds the Same,” “Dear God,” and “Don’t Give Up,” are all decent, but nothing to bolster the album to pristine status.
What Aliens and Rainbow needs is a knockout punch and unfortunately Ferras doesn't have any up his sleeve. He cites Bowie, The Beatles and Elton John as influences and their influences are certainly felt. But unfortunately, too much of the disc feels forced, perfectly planned and predictable. The production feels overambitious, contrived and squeaky clean. If Ferras deserves any kind of praise its for his deft piano skills and for pushing the envelope with sprite, buoyant songs that seek to inspire and uplift. Of the album, he says, “Aliens and Rainbows is about that other place where you go in your mind, when you just want to escape - when the world lets you down, when you feel misunderstood. It is a place for dreamers and misfits and outsiders." With these troubled times, one certainly needs a dose of that.
The New Radicals, Elton John, Ben Jelen
myspace.com/ferrasmusic (http://www.myspace.com/ferrasmusic)
Record Label: Capitol Music Group
Release Date: April 1, 2008
There are three certainties to Ferras' self-titled major label debut, Aliens and Rainbows: first and foremost is that the Southern Illinois native has big, crystalline vocals that carry each song; second is that he writes songs with big, syrupy choruses; and thirdly, that the production by The Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz) is nothing short of spectacular.
Aside from that, the rest of the album is a mixed bag. Beginning with the one-two knockout punch of anthemic opener "Emancipation Day," and the Elton John-esque title track, he proves right out of the gate that he's a force to be reckoned with. When third song and lead single “Hollywood’s Not America” hits, he seals the deal as a bonafide talent. The song, which was used as an American Idol exit song, is a gorgeous mid-tempo ballad with witty lyrics and a feel-good story. But when fourth song, the "Hey There Delilah"-esque “Something About You,” flops, he proves he’s human and prone to mistakes. Unfortunately, those mistakes can’t be recovered. “My Beautiful Life’ invokes gratitude for the hand he’s been dealt and the many blessings in his life, but with spoken word verses, its both ghastly and grating. “Everybody Bleeds the Same,” “Dear God,” and “Don’t Give Up,” are all decent, but nothing to bolster the album to pristine status.
What Aliens and Rainbow needs is a knockout punch and unfortunately Ferras doesn't have any up his sleeve. He cites Bowie, The Beatles and Elton John as influences and their influences are certainly felt. But unfortunately, too much of the disc feels forced, perfectly planned and predictable. The production feels overambitious, contrived and squeaky clean. If Ferras deserves any kind of praise its for his deft piano skills and for pushing the envelope with sprite, buoyant songs that seek to inspire and uplift. Of the album, he says, “Aliens and Rainbows is about that other place where you go in your mind, when you just want to escape - when the world lets you down, when you feel misunderstood. It is a place for dreamers and misfits and outsiders." With these troubled times, one certainly needs a dose of that.
The New Radicals, Elton John, Ben Jelen
myspace.com/ferrasmusic (http://www.myspace.com/ferrasmusic)