I’m noticing striking similarities between the reviews that Katharine McPhee is receiving, and the reviews that Taylor Hicks received. Both got tongue-baths, and both have their haters, but the bulk of the reviews are squarely in the middle: some good songs, some meh songs, shows a lot of promise, etc., etc. I think this year, critics are likely to blame any missteps of the album on the Idol machine, rather than on the singers themselves.
From the Long Island Press’s Checkout Express:
OFF TARGET. So this is how her career will go…if people want pretty, she’ll do fine; however, if it’s good music they crave, her mediocre new CD should go nowhere.
From The Duke Chronicle:
And then there’s Katharine McPhee, the latest runner-up, whose self-titled debut is likely to become the next pop radio darling. The opening song, “Love Story,” sounds as if it could’ve come off one of Beyonce’s albums, complete with horn bleats a la “Crazy in Love.” Later on in the album, “Open Toes” proves that it may well be the next girl-powered club anthem, with its snaky electronic beats and lighthearted ode to high-heeled footwear. Yet for every gem of a pop song, there are two or three filler songs that would make good elevator music. The slower songs feel especially clunky, filled with weepy violins and generic R&B anthems to love (see “Home”). Still, this is a surprisingly strong, above-average release in a genre that is currently glutted with female pop/R&B crooners who can belt it out.
