Katharine McPhee - "Unbroken" Era (OUT NOW!!!)

[StarSprinkles]

Lifetime is a good song. I thought I heard it in a commercial or something already?

[rosemoor]

Still much better than her first album. I like the new direction she took with this album, the problem is that there are not enough good songs on it.

[sassywahine]

Kat's Wal-Mart Soundcheck is up for your viewing!

soundcheck.walmart.com/katharine-mcphee


Kat's new album is a record that requires more than one spin to appreciate her new music. After listening to it several times, I find more favorites at each spin. Kat's new sound is for the mature adult listener. Love the CD! :)

[K.]

Anybody's Heart is probably my favorite song on the album. The first verse of Unbroken (the song) is gorgeous, but I think it loses it during the end of the chorus. This is a well-written album, definitely. And Kat does many new things with her voice that show a growing musical maturity. I'm not surprised that many people dislike the album - it's not the kind of sound most people on this board appreciate. Kat can't quite deliver in the way that some of her writers (Yamagata, Michaelson) can, but her performance is far from unenjoyable or amateur, and, again, the material itself is very strong.

[Rumors]

Album release date?

[JamaicaFunk²]

It's in the thread's title.
Tuesday.

[uplink2]

The Boston Globe

Despite being only 25 years old, Katharine McPhee has gone through three musical incarnations. The runner-up on season five of “American Idol’’ was a big-voiced belter. Post “Idol,’’ she morphed into a dance-floor pop tart whose identity was lost amid calculated songs and star producers. With her first record for Verve Forecast, the newly blond McPhee transforms into a straight-up pop singer with an ache in her voice and a newfound focus. “Unbroken’’ is a conventional set, at times too much so, with a stripped-down musical backdrop of acoustic guitars and piano. McPhee has smartly reined in her vocal approach to find the nuances of the lyrics without trying to raise the roof. The songs, a healthy six of which she co-wrote, deal with longing, emptiness, and pained love. The disc is at its best when it avoids formulaic exercises like “Had It All,’’ which the cliche-loving Kara DioGuardi copenned. When McPhee lets the lyrics breathe, she shines; on the title track, the requisite big ballad, she finds its center and gives it a soul. The cover of “Brand New Key’’ is a mistake since McPhee misses the song’s loopy whimsicality. Otherwise, McPhee version 3.0 works. (Out tomorrow) KEN CAPOBIANCO

www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2010/01/04/katharine_mcphee_unbroken/

[Filthy Pop]

Exciting, I've yet to hear any of the tracks but I will very soon.

I st@ned for her a bit during her first era, even though there was a lot of lackluster material so I'm especially interested in this.

[Rumors]

Jan 3, 2010 9:59:41 GMT -5 JamaicaFunk² said:

It's in the thread's title.
Tuesday.

\

Thanks. I skipped right over that.

[shaq91]

Buy The Album For Only $3.99 on Amazon MP3!!!
www.amazon.com/Unbroken/dp/B0030GGTJM/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk

[realityBITES]

Saw her on Conan! I read on twitter that she was sick... that's bad timing! :(

[SHOOTER]

I'm in love with It's Not Right!

[uplink2]

On sale for $3.99 in MP3 downloads on Amazon today only! Album of the day!

[shaq91]

The album is #18 on iTunes & #2 on Amazon MP3!!!! Go Kat!!!

[Mike79]

Are there any upbeat pop or dance songs on this cd? So far, I've heard a few songs and they sound very Adult Contemporary!

[shaq91]

The only other debut of note is Idol alum Katherine McPhee’s Verve Forecast debut, Unbroken, which sees her as a blonde, targeted for between 13-15k

www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/newsPage.cgi?news07888m01

[SHOOTER]

Better than nothing.

[Illusions]

Jan 6, 2010 16:04:42 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

Better than nothing.

[S_Bunny]

:/ Was expecting more to be honest.

The best songs on this album for me is It's Not Right, Last Letter, Terrified, How and Faultline with It's Not Right being by far the best, I love it!

[Mike]

Wow, that is incredibly disappointing. I wonder if she'll even get another album after this...

[Tanisha Thomas.]

"Better than nothing." Are you serious? That's basically nothing!

[MuSiCizMyLiFe]

^^LMAO IKR but this album really sucks

[K.]

I doubt she has to worry about getting another album, especially if the songs end up doing decent on AC. The label likely didn't spend a whole lot, and she's already had probably the third biggest opening week of anyone on their roster in the past year.

The numbers are completely unsurprising, given her buzz level at this moment in time. I actually think they are a little high. I was expecting between 7-10k.

I think she should go all-out Jazz on her next album. Hook her up with Larry Klein.

[JamaicaFunk²]

This album reminds me a bit of a cross between Mandy Moore's Wild Hope and Jennifer Love Hewitt's Barenaked. Though I'm sure few people here have one or both of those discs. I like that kind of almost-organic sound.

[shandrim]

I didn't even know that the album came out this week until I saw the HDD sales prediction posted on another board. I'm downloading it now.

[StarSprinkles]

To me, this album almost feels like a cross between the typical female singer/songwriter sound and very, very light country.

Those numbers are :/

[₫anny Jerz ♔]

Jan 6, 2010 16:54:42 GMT -5 K. said:

I doubt she has to worry about getting another album... she's already had probably the third biggest opening week of anyone on their roster in the past year.

The numbers are completely unsurprising, given her buzz level at this moment in time. I actually think they are a little high. I was expecting between 7-10k.

LOL Precisely. Even with such low numbers, she is off to a better start than the majority of the artists on their roster; many of whom have been signed and have been releasing albums for years. Kat definitely doesn't have to worry about anything in that regard.

I don't know how anyone could be surprised, to be honest. She has virtually no airplay, rather meek promotion, little to no buzz. Couple all of these disadvantages with the album being released in literally the absolute worst week for sales of the entire year and the numbers make complete sense. If anything, I expected the numbers to be trending even lower.

As for the album, it is actually really solid. Fantastic writing along with totally organic production. Not surprising that some here wouldn't like it. The comparison to Wild Hope, Mandy's best album far and away, is spot on.

[shaq91]

I hope she gets to perform on American Idol this season!! It will definitely help the sales!!

[StarSprinkles]

I think she's rather past her expiration date for Idol. They tend to only invite those that are managed personally by 19E or have big buzz. Kat has neither

[shaq91]

Jan 6, 2010 17:52:17 GMT -5 StarSprinkles said:

I think she's rather past her expiration date for Idol. They tend to only invite those that are managed personally by 19E or have big buzz. Kat has neither

Ruben Studdard & Taylor Hicks were both on last season, and they have neither and aren't doing any better then her....