Posted on 24 November 2009

Glee: The Music, Volume 1
Various (Glee Cast)
Sony Music


If you enjoy a round of karaoke or belting out hit numbers into a hairbrush when no one is looking, then this one is for you!
From co-creator/ director Ryan Murphy’s quirky comedy Glee – where  the cast perform a selection of hits spanning from pop, rock, Broadway and hip hop – this is the first in a series of soon-to-be-released soundtracks featuring music from the show. 

Glee: The Music, Volume 1 features 17 of Glee’s most in-demand and downloaded tunes,  including covers of Rihanna, Journey, Avril Lavigne and Kanye West – each cover song has been rearranged and re-imagined, taking it to an extra level.

The album opens with the show's signature pilot-song, Journey’s "Don’t Stop Believin'", followed by Kanye West’s "Gold Digger" – fronted by Glee's club teacher, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), who adds his very own Justin Timberlake finesse to the song. Conveniently, it has just been announced that Mathew Morrison is about to release a debut solo album in which we can expect to get a “classier Justin Timberlake”!

The standout tracks of the bunch are Rihanna’s "Take a Bow", "Taking Chances", and the Jordin Sparks/ Chris Brown duet "No Air" – all three feature the amazing vocals of Lea Michele (Rachel in the show).

Lea Michele epitomises a modern day version of Barbra Streisand (a cooler version, that is) and will definitely be one to watch in the future.

As the album concludes, you are treated with Neil Diamond's classic gem, "Sweet Caroline", performed by Dianna Agron (Quinn), and Avril Lavigne’s power- ballad "Keep Holding On", which works well as a group performance.

Like every Glee performance, the show must go off with a bang, so what better way to close than with "Defying Gravity", a track from the Broadway musical Wicked.

Verdict:

High School musical…. With balls! The only disappointing thing I can  say about this album is that they didn’t include the Glee version of Salt-N-Pepa's "Push it" or the Beyoncé covers "Single Ladies" and "Halo". All is not lost, however, as Glee: The Music, Volume 2 will be out on shelves by December 4th! 

A fan of the show or not, there are two reasons why you would like the album:

1) It’s a great album to daydream to. You know the scenario: you're at school singing in the talent show and, from one great performance, you become popular and that guy/girl you like asks you out?…. Ok, maybe not.
2) The songs help you recount every episode and explains each character's journey

Jenna Templeton

For your chance to win a CD + DVD Glee pack, click here