Monday, October 29, 2012

Review: Chris Mann Roads

A year ago Chris Mann was nervously awaiting his audition for reality show The Voice.  This year he releases his debut album Roads with Faircraft/Universal Republic, a new label formed by renowned producer/music executive Ron Fair.

When I was offered the chance to preview this CD, I jumped at the chance - not because I'd ever heard of Chris Mann, but because of his picture on the album cover.  (Is that wrong?  I mean, he is nice to look at.)  But besides that, I enjoy discovering new music and new artists.

Now that I've listened to the CD through, twice so far, I can say that Chris Mann's voice is absolutely amazing!  They say you can't judge a book by its cover (or a CD by its), and that's true - this CD is way better than anything I could have imagined.  Chris Mann describes his style as classically based pop music.  Yeah, that's it.  He takes some familiar songs like Lady Antebellum's Need You Now and Willie Nelson's Always on My Mind, and gives them a deeper, richer feel.  I like it.  A lot.

There are some new songs on this album, two of them co-written by Mann, and a re-imagining of the Frank Sinatra standard My Way.  It's an eclectic group of songs that somehow fit together well.  Right now I think my favorite track is Unless You Mean It.  Don't ask me why.  I can't really put it into words, but I can see a reality show crossover.  This would be a perfect song for Dancing With the Stars.  It would be a very hot dance.

For more information on Chris Mann and his music, be sure to visit the official Chris Mann page. I learned that I may just have seen Chris Mann before, just not on The Voice.  He worked on Glee for a while and appeared as a member of the Warblers.  That wasn't what Chris was born to do - this was what he was born to do, and he does it very very well!

Roads will be available in stores and online October 30, 2012 - that's tomorrow for those of you who are paying attention. Be sure to grab your copy either in one of those stores or on iTunes or Amazon. You'll be glad you did!

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of the album by One2One Network, and I am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated are my own.