Customer Reviews

Blue Skies

5 star:		(219)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

Regardless of its underwhelming debut at #51 on the Billboard album chart, American Idol runner-up Diana Degarmo's debut album, "Blue Skies," is a solid collection of pop tunes with top-notch performances and melodies that never loses its footing.

Despite her powerful voice, many of her televised performances had been rather vanilla and sleep inducing, but memory of this is quickly wiped away with the opening track "Cardboard Castles." With lyrics that allow her to hit each syllable out of the ballpark with her honeyed voice, the results could not have possibly turned out better.

"There's a girl in New York City/Skyline's no longer pretty/Bound to destination anywhere/She grew up in California/Big dreams, they tend to own you there/Now she's building cardboard castles in the air/Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

Other selections are just as appealing to your stereo's back button. Whether singing the angsty teen pop of "Boy Like You," saccharine yet irresistible schmaltz like "Emotional" or the power-chord stuffed "Till You Want Me," (which would be a huge hit if made a single) Degarmo sounds assured and authoritative, never out of step with her material. She proves that, in an industry where every other teenage recording artist we can think of cannot really sing, she can hold her head high in the company of today's most revered vocalists.

Degarmo sounds particularly strong when singing the likes of her debut single, "Dreams," and the album's title track. Although in the hands of other singers they could easily suffer the fate of sounding extremely corny, her interpretations of the songs make them difficult to dismiss as such. Still, songs of love gone wrong fit her like a glove as well, particularly evidenced by "All I Never Wanted."

"But it's all over now/So it doesn't really matter/Don't know why I feel so shattered/I should of known better/You were all I never wanted anyhow, yeah/But I sure want you now, yeah/But it's all over now."

The disc ends on a superb high note with her interpretation of Melissa Manchester's classic 1978 Top 10 hit "Don't Cry Out Loud." Although her version does not come close to the perfection of Manchester's recording, it must be conceded that Degarmo had extremely difficult shoes to fill.

Although it is clearly having a difficult time finding an audience at radio and retail, it is only a matter of time before Degarmo's star shines as bright as it deserves to. If she continues to record strong records like this one, she will find long-lasting success headed her way.

I think this album is a great debut for diana degarmo. However, I dont think she has found her niche in the music universe. There are so many different types of music on this cd, all of which are good but I think she needs to pick one and stick with it for her next album. Most of the songs really stand out and are able to be listened to over and over again.

Cardboard Castles - a song I could see being a single it just talks about finding your true calling

Blue Skies - very powerful and uplifting, but maybe with a religious undertone?

Emotional - a well sung cover of Michelle McManus' first single, very pop-ish

Then I Woke Up - a great song about going through your real life but then having those dreams thaat keep you going

All I Never Wanted - this has to be my favorite song off the album, it just talks about dealing with a breakup

Go On And Cry - I feel this is where Diana shows off her voice best, shes basically singing about how this guy hurt her but shes not going to do the same thing to him

The Difference In Me - a more rock-ish song talking about not being able to get through to your significant other

Till You Want Me - my second favorite song from Diana, she sings of not knowing if the person she's crushing on even likes her

Dreams - this was her first single and i dont feel it fits the album to well but it is still a great song

Boy Like You - this is the most rock-pop song on the album and i just love it when she taks in between her singing...

Dream, Dream, Dream - a really corny song that just overkills the whole dream thing she is trying to convey

Don't Cry Out Loud - it was great when she sang this on AI but i dont feel it fits this album AT ALL

so even though the album may have its cloudy parts, it predicts blue skies for Diana and her success after American Idol. I think she has great potential she just needs to find her kind of music and stick with it.

Though I was a fan of Diana on American Idol, I was a little dissapointed with her single 'Dreams,' though it did grow on me. Needless to say I was anticipating her debut album, wanting to see if she could make her mark on the music scene. Needless to say she has.

Her voice is practically flawless, and she can sure hit those high notes. One of my favorite song on the album is the slow, melancholy "Go One and Cry" in which Diana reaches and achieves the notes she was so famous for on the show.

I also disagree with those who say that Diana's indetity is skewed with the wide range of songs she sings on the ablum. A few (such as Blue Skies) have a little bitof a country feel, while others are rock sounding, and some traditional pop. This to me makes the album ten times more enjoyable. How many times have you bought an album on which each song sounds identitical to the last? Diana shows her true talent in the diversity of songs she sings, and I find that focuses my attention on every note she sings.

Overall, the CD is a great buy, and though some lyrics are a little traditional, I think Diana worked extremly well with what she was given to work with. Her voice shines through, and I encourage anyone looking for a diverse and powerful CD to give this one a try.

If I could I would give this album more than 5 stars! It is amazing! Diana DeGarmo shines with her debut album!! The songs are brillant, and Diana's voice and talent is brillant! Wonderful! Wonderful! This is a must-have album! It will never leave your CD player because you will be listening to it ALL THE TIME! WONDERFUL!!!!!

Diana has more talent than most of the pop artists out there and it shows. She has an emotional connection through her voice and the songs its incredible. She is amazing. Her songs Cardboard Castles, Go On and Cry, Dreams oh heck all of them are amazing.

First off, the 1-star reviews are simply ridiculous because I can GUARANTEE you these people have never even listened to the album. They are just Diana haters hellbent on bringing her down. You can tell by the way they write. There's no constructive criticism whatsoever. Just typing how bad it is in all caps. That's pretty immature.

Now for my thoughts. I have to say I was overall impressed with her debut project. I do feel it might be a bit disjointed as she tackles some songs with the great emotional maturity they require, yet still resorts to a couple of bouncy teen pop tunes. Not that I'm knocking her for the teen pop. She is a teen after all! I'm not really a fan of that music because I'm 29. However besides those two songs (Then I Woke Up and Boy Like You), the rest are more my style and I'm really impressed with the richness of her vocals and her ability to really deliver emotional conviction on the more mature songs. I have to say that the title track, Blue Skies is amazing! Sounds kind of like a spritual anthem. Cardboard Castles should be the next single. It has pop/country flavor to it. I LOVE it! The best track would have to be Go On and Cry. It has a very soulful feel to it as she hits those power notes. It also really showcases her vocal talent like no other track. Emotional, the first single is good, but I don't believe it fits her vocals the best. However, it's still good and a nice song to sing along with. Of course the now familiar Dreams and Don't Cry Out Loud cover singles are on there as well which are great. Though her live AI version of Don't Cry Out Loud would've been the best version to put on IMO. Dream, Dream, Dream and Til You Want Me are songs I'm not really sure about yet. They're not that memorable to me so I don't really have an opinion on them right now. All I Never Wanted and Difference In Me have the potential to be great on radio. Though they don't really showcase her vocal talent as well. Overall, not a bad debut. I do look forward to hearing her in a few years though to see how she's grown as an artist. Her sophomore project will be much anticipated as she finds her own style and matures musically.

Diano has such a beautiful and melodic voice, making her sound good in her pop songs and her pop/rock songs as well. In my opinion, she should have won instead of Fantasia. Her voice has the same quality as Kelly Clarkson with the powerful tones but both their styles are completely their own. This girl will go far! =]

It seems many like to label Diana DeGarmo as "the next" Hilary Duff. She DEFINITELY proves this theory wrong!! This album is for all ages and each song has it's own special meaning. Here are my ratings from the songs on her album.

1. Cardboard Castles 5/5 - This song has a lot of potential for a huge hit, it probably has the best meaning out of any song on the CD.

2. Blue Skies 5/5 - This song was dedicated to Diana's fans, and the people who have been there for her through everything, it's very heartfelt.

3. Emotional 4/5 - Although this wasn't my idea for a first single, it's still very very well sang.

4. Then I Woke Up 5/5 - Very upbeat and perky song. Hilarious lyrics and Diana shines in this song, she shows the comedian side of herself.

5. All I Never Wanted 5/5 - This song has a very set tone, she shows a lot of emotion in this song, has a lot of potential for a single.

6. Go On & Cry 5/5 - In the beginning she's quiet and modest, she sets a really well tone for this song. The song later builds up to a powerhouse ballad. This is one of the best songs on the album.

7. The Difference In Me 5/5 - This song is filled with a lot of rock, very, very, very, well song. Again, a lot of single potential.

8. Till You Want Me 5/5 - Another well sang song, in this song she expresses, "I'll want you till you want me."

9. Dreams 5/5 - The third highest selling single of 2004. This song has a lot of meaning for Diana, it's a tribute to American Idol but also a song that has a lot of depth within soul.

10. Boy Like You 5/5 - Probably the best song on the album, although there are A LOT of great songs on here. This song is upbeat, has a rocky edge, and the chorus is just too good to deny. You'll fall in love with this song within its first listen.

11. Dream, Dream, Dream 5/5 - Many thought this was going to be a cover, it's not...This shows the more "soul" side of Diana, it's a very good song.

12. Don't Cry Out Loud 3/5 - This is an awesome song, but the version on the album isn't near as good as the American Idol Live performance. This really shouldn't have been on the album but it's kind of like a farewell to the scene of American Idol.



Overall this album is a 5/5. She's REALLY grown since American Idol and she has a huge and shining career ahead of her. I definitely recommend going out and buying this album!

There rarely comes along an artist that records something for everyone in the debut CD. That is what we have with this one. This is certainly a keeper. We will be seeing a lot more from this girl. Trust me on this one. This is a must have for everyone.

Obviously when American Idols come into the "real" world they are not going to please everyone with their music and albums because finally after many weeks of trying to please everyone, they get to be themselves. I can tell Diana is herself on this album. The wonderful thing about Diana is she is only 17 yrs. old, which means she has much more growing to do. This girl can sing and she reminds me of an innocent Britney Spears or Christina with a voice like Celine Dion. Most of the album is certainly geared towards teens. What I do not understand is why people reject teen music so much in reviews and why it has such a negative conotation. Obviously there are a lot of people that like that kind of music otherwise the music industry would not continue to produce it. Some of the greatest classics and biggest selling artists started out as nothing more than a teeny/bopper. However as we learned on American Idol Diana is truly versatile and at heart she is an old soul, so her older fans will simply love the classic "Don't Cry Out Loud," and her new song "Go On And Cry."