Author: Mike Farley (Page 27 of 63)

Ferras is the first name of a dude with a last name that’s hard to pronounce. Hence, the moniker. But let’s talk about his music, because Ferras’ debut, Aliens & Rainbows, is pure adrenaline-drenched pop driven by his own keyboard playing. Ferras got his big break much the same way Daniel Powter did a few years back, landing an “exit song” spot on “American Idol.” That song, “Hollywood’s Not America,” is not just perfect for the role — it’s a brutally honest yet powerful track in its own right. But Ferras, inspired by the likes of David Bowie and Elton John, uses his knack for melody equally well on rockers such as “Liberation Day” and “Blame, Blame, Blame” as he does on ballads like the title track, or the riveting “Take My Lips.” Ferras’ nasal tenor is closer to some of the Warped Tour vocal fare, but his music bears so much substance that you won’t mind. This is definitely an artist worth keeping on your radar, if he’s not on it already. (LABEL: Capitol)

Ferras MySpace page

The first edition of this compilation of former “American Idol” contestants was pretty bad, and while Volume 2 is itself pretty bland, the songs as a whole are a little better this time around. This round of singers is also moderately talented, but you can’t listen to this album without feeling like you’re hearing glorified karaoke. Maybe it’s the production, maybe it’s the arrangements, or maybe it’s the talent compared to everything else being released in the pop world, but there is just something missing. Alaina Alexander from Season 6 delivers three tracks that probably won’t have you humming along, and her voice isn’t all that memorable either. Rudy Cardenas, also from last season, has three distinct styles on here — R&B/pop/Jason Mraz, rock, and sappy ballad — and the third one is so bad that it evens out the fact that the first two songs are pretty decent. Then there is Sarah Mather from Season 4, who has a decent enough voice, but the songs are only average. Finally, Gedeon McKinney chose to write all of his own material, which was not a good idea. McKinney’s material is very amateurish, and brought the rating of this whole set down a full half-star. So we’re halfway with these four Volumes, and by this time next year, it’s likely that you’ll all have forgotten about these four singers from Volume 2 the same way you did when their seasons on “Idol” ended. (LABEL: Artists Addiction/Rocket Science)

Website: www.artistsaddiction.com