Blue Skies

Diana DeGarmo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 17, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
• ASIN: B000LP4OXI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (346 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,967 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Cardboard Castles

2. Blue Skies

3. Emotional

4. Then I Woke Up

5. All I Never Wanted

6. Go on and Cry

7. The Difference in Me

8. Till You Want Me

9. Dreams

10. Boy Like You

11. Dream, Dream, Dream

12. Don't Cry out Loud

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Collection of Pop Tunes That Never Loses Its Footing, December 30, 2004

By 

Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Blue Skies (Audio CD)

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.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars cloudy but blue nonetheless, December 13, 2004

By 

Andrew Corder (San Jose, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Skies (Audio CD)

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.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue Skies for DeGarmo, December 12, 2004

By 

Andrew (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Skies (Audio CD)

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.