Customer Reviews

Audio Day Dream

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

It is undeniable the talented beatboxer, Blake Lewis, is up to something good. Audio Day Dream confirms it. While many might liken him to be another Justin Timberlake-wannabe, Lewis has it in him to differentiate himself a little. On his debut outing, he works with mostly OneRepublic frontman, Ryan Tedder. The result is more electro-funk-pop with a tinge of rock.

First single, Break Anotha (co-written with Ryan Tedder and Sam Watters of Color Me Badd fame) is incredibly catchy and funky with some parts reminiscent of Missy Elliott. Know My Name probably draws much of its inspiration from 80s Prince (and thank god the only song that features rapping by Lupe Fiasco). The sappier tracks like How Many Words and I Got You recall Color Me Badd (Watters contributes again on End of the World). That's not a bad thing for they feel entirely different from those faster tracks. Electronic maestro BT contributes a track She's Making Me Losin' It where Lewis sings in his falsetto amid the blips and beats. End of the World and 1000 Miles also signal his aspirations in electronic music, with the latter breaking into vocodered stutters towards the end.

Knowing that beatboxing isn't the kind of thing the masses might enjoy, he has kept them mostly on the interludes interspersed throughout the album, occasionally showcasing them on the main songs. The majority of the album revels in the uptempo beats, something the newbie is effortless at. The closer, ...I Choose Noise is a sign of more good things to come. Except for a few fillers in the middle, Audio Day Dream does a good job at capturing Blake Lewis' musical persona. (B+)

So I really liked Blake Lewis' musical taste and experimentation on American Idol, tolerated the beatboxing but wasn't necessarily in love with it, was sure Jordin and Melinda outdid him on vocals and had absolutely no idea what his first album would sound like.

The label gave Blake relatively free rein on this album and he was heavily involved, with a writing credit on all but one of the tracks and I suspect a hand in production for all of them. There's an overall concept of "updated 80s mixtape", with various fusions of rock, pop, funk, r&b and soul with an overlay of a heavy 80s vibe of synth and electro effects.

What it all blends into is what I think is the first true pop record that hasn't fallen victim to Idol's "safe and sold" route. It's nicknamed A.D.D. for a reason, but somehow it all hangs together, and Blake keeps his reputation for eclectic style with substance. First thing you'll think: "Oh jeez, the 80s are back!", then "Hm, maybe that's not so bad after all."

The beatboxing is fairly minimal (except for one track which is *just* beatboxing) and his vocals are good enough for the job. The music is more about the beats, melodies, and production - lots of layers and little details; you really have to hear this through headphones to get the full experience. There are fun interludes between many of the tracks but I wish they'd gotten their own tracks instead of being stuck on the ends of songs.

1. Silence is Golden - short intro track, electro sound. Blake did a lot of EDM and ambient style singing in his former life and snuck it in on this and the Outro.

2. Break Anotha - First single, takes a guitar line from Jane's Addiction, adds beats and a Jekyll & Hyde storyline in the lyrics and turns out a club banger. Highlight is the crazy drum breakdown in the bridge, produced by Blake himself. 4/5

3. Gots To Get Her - Clever take on "Puttin On The Ritz", very catchy, another club song, the second single? 4/5

4. Know My Name - More mellow R&Btype track, reminded me of Musiq's "Just Friends". Lupe Fiasco guest-raps; catchy chorus, the bridge is the highlight here too. 4/5

5. How Many Words - Breakup letter to the ex, first of the surprising number of ballads on the disc. Nice layering of harmonies, maybe the vocal scratching is unnecessary but the song might drag a bit without it. 4.5/5

6. Surrender - First of the iffy tracks in the middle, first of the more obviously 80s songs on the disc. Good beat, catchy but it starts to all sound the same around the middle of the song. The only track Blake doesn't have a writing credit on. 2.5/5

7. Hate 2 Love Her - And here come the M5 comparisons. A little too similar to the songs in this part of the disc for me, doesn't really stand out. 2/5

8. Without You - The slow sappy ballad on the disc; would be right at home as the last song at a 1986 senior prom. Weakest track on the disc for me, could've done without it. 1/5

9. Here's My Hello - I get a lot of variety of reaction on this from people who hear it. Some say it's hot and should definitely be the next single, some say meh, doesn't stand out. I'm of the second group. Can't deny it's catchy though. 2/5

10. What'cha Got To Lose - Moving back into better territory. This is a more uptempo track, co-written with Idol buddy Chris Richardson and based off one of Blake's pre-Idol original songs. Hints of Tupac's California Love? 3/5

11. She's Makin Me Lose It - Okay, I gotta give this 5 cause it's SO PRINCE. Lots of fun! bt produced on this. 5/5

12. BShorty Grabs Mic! - Beatbox track, you'll love it or hate it. I guess he had to have one of these on here if this CD was really gonna be him. 1.5/5

13. End of The World - Now moving into the end section of electro-ballads. This to me is the strongest one, lots of lush layering, less boyband than you'd think. One of my faves. 5/5

14. 1000 Miles - So supposedly there's a "Sting-meets-Neverending-Story" song somewhere on the disc, and I think this is it :) Nice beat, melody flies, great driving song, another fave for me. 4.5/5

15. I Got U - Last full track, sweet melody, midtempo (none of these are true slow ballads except for Without You), ends the album on an up note. 4/5

16. I Choose Noise - Outro, the ambient/edm effects Blake likes so much.

Overall: Good strong debut with a unique sound. Hopefully enough people out there can set aside American Idol and give this CD a fair chance, because barring some same-ish sounding songs in the middle (I won't say boyband but I won't blame you if you do) this is a very smart, listenable album with lots of interesting ideas. Looking forward to more from Blake! Music is 4/5, but skewing to five stars cause originality should be encouraged ;)

He's no Kelly Clarkson, but at least Blake Lewis has made his mark by co-writing twelve of the songs on this album. The mix may best be described as eclectic, and you'll probably have to listen to the album a few times to get a feel for it, but I think you'll find a few tracks here to make this worth your while.

Hint: This album sounds best through headphones with the volume turned up.

The tracks that deserve a comment are:

1. Break Anotha - A little techno, a little beat-boxing, a little funk, but all held together with a great beat. A good choice for the first single.

2. Gots To Get Her - An updated tribute to "Puttin' on the Ritz"

3. How Many Words - Nice melody and a comfortable vocal range for him

4. Surrender - The one he didn't co-write. All around radio-friendly song with an eighties feel.

5. Without You -Arguably one of the best songs on the album, if you like eighties ballads, that is.

6. End of the World - A mid-tempo track suited to his vocal range, with a swelling chorus. This would make a good single

7. 1000 Miles - Nothing to do with the Vanessa Carlton song, and won't be as big a hit, but well worth a listen anyway

8. I Got U - Another mid-tempo track to end the album. Sounds boy-band-ish.

The song titles may make an English teacher faint, but you can't accuse Blake Lewis of not being himself on this album.

Amanda Richards, December 22, 2007

Okay. There was a lot of focus on the show comparing Jordin's voice vs Blake's performance ability.

Well - much like the show - the CD's play out the same way.

Blake doesn't have Jordin's voice ... BUT ... his CD is much more listenable. His songs sorta blend together [as in a daydream] but are still distinct, upbeat and fun.

Seeing as Blake penned all but one song on this CD - it's totally HIM. When you hear it - you KNOW it's Blake. I'm not sure how he retained so much creative control on his album compared to previous contestants ... but it soooo shows.

The CD is very fun, and a pleasure to listen to. One of the better Idol debuts in 6 seasons!

I gave the CD two complete listenings before rendering judgement. I wasn't necessarily a Blake fan on the show (Melinda was my gal), but I've got to hand it to Blake and Clive, this is one of the better American Idol efforts I've heard. Very current, with an eclectic mix of modern beats and styles. Many current artists seem to repeat the same basic hip hop beat on every darned song, such that every song sounds essentially the same with little distinction from song to song (Britney's new CD?). Can't say that here; a great mix of songs that make me want to move, think, lay back, etc. with lots of little surprises that make me think "that was cool!"

Wow...this album is absolutely amazing! It is now one of the best albums that I have ever heard! Blake certainly shown us his excellent musical and creative abilities once again. Audio Day Dream is completely him and captures every bit of his style, personality, and ability. The songs that stand out the most for me are "Break Anotha", "What'cha Got 2 Lose", "Here's My Hello", "How Many Words", and "Gots To Get Her". I became a fan as soon as he sang his first song on American Idol, and I believe he was the best contestant to be on the show. Blake is one of the most talented musicians out there, and I'm sure he'll make many more excellent albums in his career. Blake rocks!

I wasn't really a Blake Lewis fan during his AI run; I mostly found the beatboxing thing annoying. But I just listened to his debut album online, and it's surprisingly good! I'm impressed, and I think he'll do really well with these songs -- I can definitely see a couple of them getting radio play. Congrats, Blake!

Warmly nostalgic for the 80s, yet with feet planted firmly in today, Blake Lewis has created the first INTERESTING American Idol cd(oxymoron,no?). This guy is an artist and Audio Daydream feels like a conscious collective artistic statement. It's the kind of neck-out risk that can really pay off(which I believe it does for Blake) or fall incredibly flat, and its a risk few Idols, if any, take (Clarkson should be commended,not shunned).

Having said that, A.D.D. is also extremely commercial in that it comes in easy-to-digest individual pop nuggets. I'm not sure what kind of lyrical journey I'm being taken on but aurally its a delicious rollercoaster ride through the Early-MTV Era....Michael Jackson,Prince,Depeche Mode,Erasure mashed with 2007 hiphop flavor. Listening to A.D.D. you'd think the synthesizer was just invented. "Break Anotha" is a great first single cause it sums Blake up as a first single should. Future singles are plentiful....close your eyes and point,pretty much. My vote is for "Hate 2 Love Her" which could drive dancefloors crazy. I've been listening to it non-stop. Other uptempo gems include "Here's My Hello","Know My Name" and what sounds like a lost Prince track "She's Makin Me Lose It".

The ballads could've been shaved by one or two in my opinion. I would've ditched the awkward "Without You" but "How Many Words","End of the World" and "1000 Miles" are very endearing confections.

The beatboxing is integrated organically into the flow and while it may not please everyone it does add interest and its part of the statement of who Blake is. That's one thing that comes across in this collection: you really feel Blake is sharing his love of music with you. It all seems so genuine.

If you want a cd that'll put a smile on your face and get your toe tappin' Audio Daydream is for you.

And as they say....Save the Beatboxer,Save the World!

Blake Lewis is an unique performer. He beat boxes better than anyone I have ever heard on the tracks "Whatcha Got To Lose", "End Of The World" and "Bshorty Grabs the Mic". "Break Anotha" is a groovy track. "Gots To Get Her" is an interesting track. I like the "Putting on the Ritz" touch on this track. It sounds fun. Blake can also sing. I love the tracks "Without You". and "How Many Words" These tracks sound very pretty. "Heres My Hello" is a good dance track that stands out here.

"1000 Miles" is a touching song that shows off Blake's vocals too. This is a very entertaining disc overall.

I'm the kind of grouchy middle aged suburban soccer mom type that this album is NOT targeted to. So why do I love this album? I don't know. I bought it after listening to the sample tracks and was just totally shocked at how catchy the tunes were and how much I enjoyed Blake's voice--no, not the strongest but pleasant enough to my ears. I now find that I play this album over and over constantly. I love every part of it, even that godawful B-Shorty part is fun to listen to. It all just seems to flow and fit together, so that even if some of the styles are not to my tastes usually, they lure me in and don't overwhelm me. I don't often listen to albums in their entirety, in sequence. I'm more of a shuffle-play, pick and choose kind of listener. But this one feels like a story to me and I don't want to miss any part of it. I play it from start to finish and then start over again.

I did find him really intriguing on AI but was rooting for Melinda. Now, I am thankful he put this album out and made me forget that last season was dominated by Sanjaya's hair.