Customer Reviews

The Dreamer

5 star:		(221)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

It's a bit sad that this album was not promoted more by 19 Entertainment - yep, that's the American Idol sponsor/organization. Sure, they had her sing on American Idol twice, but as for a "real" advertising blitz - nothing. They sure took the cheap way out, which bugs me a little. With that said...

I'm also a little annoyed by some of the reviewers on Amazon.com. They are heavily and unfairly critiquing the songwriting on this album. Well, if they had taken ONE MINUTE to read the liner notes, they would have seen Tamyra was the primary songwriter for the entire album! This is her first voyage into songwriting for an album, so it's not going to be PERFECT...BUT, this album does have a veteran flavor that most debuts don't. I give you two thumbs up Tamyra, for your songwriting.

As for the vocals, you can't get much better. Every song is a quality performance, filled with emotion and style. The actual music component is very good, as well. The melodies are fresh, enough key changes for hard-to-please listener and high replayability factor.

My favs on the album are: Raindrops Will Fall (sure to be a Top 10 hit), Legend, The Only Thing, Don't Stop, Good Ol' Days and Like A Child.

Bottom Line: This is couple steps above your typical American Idol fodder. Maybe even three steps! Bravo Tamyra!

The debut album from Tamyra Gray is a nice collection of pop and classic r&b. It's a fine effort for a debut album. It perfectly showcases her powerful, if sometimes forced, voice. Should Tamyra have won American Idol? No she shouldn't have, but she certainly should have been the one to battle it out with Kelly. The songs are perfectly crafted, always letting Tamyra be the star of the song, and not the production. However, a few songs aren't that memorable. I've listened to the album at least a dozen times and I can only recall 4 songs. The first being the opening track Star. It's a great way to open the cd, it's got a catchy chorus and a fun beat. Raindrops will Fall is stunning. It's probably one of the best power ballads in years. Faces, has a rock edge reminiscent of her duet You Thought Wrong with Kelly Clarkson. Her vocals are outstanding. Finally, the last song God Bless the Dreamer is an amazing ballad backed with a gosepl choir, and Tamyra shines hitting high note after high note and it's a perfect way to the end the cd. Other than that, the rest of the album is nice to listen to when you need something in the background.

I almost never give a CD 5 Stars, but Tamyra's "The Dreamer" is outstanding. There is simply nothing about it that I don't like! From start to finish, this talented young woman takes you on a musical journey that touches on a variety of themes and genres. She can rock, she can pop and she can groove. Tamyra has a beautiful voice and the fact that she had a hand in writing all but one song in this remarkable collection makes the music even more compelling. She wrote for her voice and everything works for her.

Tamyra has persevered and fought to get this released. She is getting virtually no support from 19 Recordings and it is up to the people who believe in her and who love this CD to help promote it. Buy it, don't burn it. I want to hear more from her.

Before I get to my review of this phenominal CD, I would simply like to say that this area is for critiquing Tamayra's CD. This is not the place to attack people that have very little to do with Tamayra-I speak of the barrage of insults about Fantasia Borrino. People are entitled to their own opinion. Anyway, this CD is simply phenominal and I highly recommend it. It is proof that Tamayra's departure from American Idol was indeed premature.

...the other being Kelly Clarkson. The two were thought to be in the finale to battle it out between the two with, obviously, the best voices. In the CD world...it's hard to compare. Kelly focused more on showing her voice with beautiful, easy songs, leaning toward the ballads. Tamyra takes a more up-beat, emotional approach, and it usually works. While I don't believe debut albums are perfect (as there is certainly room to grow), it's a wonderful start. I would have liked to hear a ballad or two, to show off the magical voice she has, but maybe next time. The tracks...

1. "Star"- 3/5: The lyrics are one of the weakest on the CD--a bit cheesy and repetitive. But the beat is really fun, and her voice fits the song well, and it's pretty catchy.

2. "The Only Thing"- 3.5/5: A bit repetitive, but her vocals in the background are phenomenal. Very Tamyra...her range is seemingly endless. Easy-going song to listen to.

3. "Legend"- 4.5/5: I really like this one...it's a different style than any other song on the CD. The lyrics are good, and her vocals are astounding.

4. "Raindrops Will Fall"-5/5: Just such an amazing song. This power-ballad is what she's all about, vocally. Great background music, too.

5. "Ha Ha" 3.5/5: This song I think is a bit of a risk. Her vocal delivery is unlike anything we've heard from her, either in the past or on this CD. It's interesting, and she holds back on the vocals until a bit at the end, so it relys on the lyrics...and they deliver. Not sure how I feel about it yet, but I think it's the kind that will grow on me...

6. "17" 4/5: A very mellow song that shows she can sing a more relaxed song without being boring. Good lyrics, and her voice sounds great. Just nice to listen to.

7. "Don't Stop (Keep It Coming)" 4.5/5: Really fun song. Up-beat and made for clubs. Her voice is great, but it's the beat that makes the song so great. Lots of attitude and sounds like she had a blast singing it...the feeling is mutual listening to it.

8. "U've Only Got One" 5/5: A song that shows her skills as a song-writer (which can still be improved on with experience). It's a deeper song and it encorporates a message with great music perfectly.

9. "Faces" 5/5: Another great song in every respect. She sounds awesome, the music and lyrics complement her greatness well, too. It's a song that's just great to listen to when frustrated...or really any mood. But she shows some versatility here...she could probably manage some rock and roll.

10. "Like A Child" 4/5: Her voice is nothing but beautiful here. Not my favorite lyrically, because it's more religious based. But she's stuck to her beliefs on that, without forcing it in any way.

11. "Yesterday/Today" 3/5: The weakest song on the album, for me. That rating is more in comparison to the others than the actual quality of the song. It's more laid-back and relaxed, but not done as well as "17."

12. "Good Ol' Days" 3.5/5: A bit different than some of her other songs. Nice to listen to, her voice is fun and excellent here. Maybe not as powerful as others, but still a worthy track.

13. "God Bless The Dreamer" 5/5: While I'm not a church person, and don't necessarily care for that style of music, this rendition is fabulous. Her voice is amazing, energized, and pure here, and her range is phenomenal. It's a different kind of song for her, and it's awesome.

What a great start for her. I wish her the best, and hope she has the long career she's more than capable of.

Great stuff, Tamyra. After having dutifully bought and listed to all the AI solo albums, I clearly like this album the best. Technically superb and great songs that do not border on being boring or background listening, too mainstream or too inaccessible. Raindrops is great, Star is good, Legend is good, God Bless is great, and so are the rest as well. As a whole, great buy. The material, pacing and instrumentaton is also clearly superior to the rest so far. Now, I wish that the others will also come out with quality albums that do justice to their talent. Well done, Tamyra.

Tamyra Gray jumped into instant fame through the reality TV phenomenon, American Idol. After Idol, she began to film guest roles on "Boston Public" and "Tru Calling". But now, Tamyra is ready to shine in the music spotlight once more. Her debut album "The Dreamer" is a collective of soulful, heartfelt, and meaningful tracks which prove this girl is so much more than an "Idol Loser".

Entitled "The Dreamer", Tamyra's album seems to have a very laid back mood. But don't be turned off by the mature soul material, this album has much more to offer. The first track "Star" is almost a modern throwback to Prince and old school funk. This continues throughout the album with other groove based tunes such as the neosoul "Ha Ha" and the infectious disco track, "Don't Stop (Keep It Coming)".

Tamyra also offers a handful of poweful ballads which showcase the amazing vocals she has. Her first single "Raindrops Will Fall" is one of the stronger ballads on the disc alongside "You've Only Got One" - an empowering song with the message that 'you've only got one' life to live.

The concluding track on the album is also the title track, "God Bless The Dreamer" - which happens to be a gospel cover. Tamyra leaves us with goosebumps as she delivers a chilling and church vocal driven rendition of the song.

As much as there are high points to this album, there are a few minor low points. One obvious criticism appears to be the blandness on some of Tamyra's songs, such as "The Only Thing".

Although Tamyra's songwriting skills are debuted in a generally impressive manner throughout the album, she tends to steer towards the almost "sappy" lyrics. Younger audiences may consider this as a negative point since today's mainstream market only has room for songs that talk about 'booty shaking' and so forth. However, noticeable radio friendly songs on the album seem to be "17" and the chill "Good Ol' Days".

I for one love that fact that Tamyra stayed true to her church roots, sending positive messages throughout "The Dreamer". Tamyra's album may not gear towards the mainstream market too well but it definitely has the power to reach the adult contemporary stream. Leaving us with much soul food for thought, Tamyra has definitely come through and delivered on her debut. There's much to improve on, but something to notice about Tamyra is that she is one of the true talents with staying power.

No need to keep on dreamin' Tamyra, your dreams are finally coming true.

First off would like to say that she was my favorite idol from season one so I have been anticipating this release for quite some while!! I am pleasantly surprised at how she touches all different types of genres. This CD is a warp of different sounds, creativity, and emaculate vocals!

Star- very very good, nice dance song- 10

The Only Thing- wierd beat, but good vocals nonetheless- 9

Legend- 2nd favorite song on the album, should be 2nd single- 10

Raindrops Will Fall- one word: POWERHOUSE!! SUPURB- 10

Ha Ha- love how she took a different approach with the vocals on this one- 9

17- love it, kind of sounds like a lullaby- 10

Don't Stop, Keep it Coming- good dance song- 8

U've Only Got One- good vocals, good lyrics- 9.5

Faces- another one of my favorites! The song is fierce!- 10

Like a Child- sad song, good vocals- 8.5

Yesterday/Today- alright song, vocals still great- 7.5

Good Ol Days- I love love this song! My favorite off the album, should be 1st single- 11!!!

God Bless The Dreamer- love it love it, outstanding vocals, great song- 10

Tamyra is probably in the top four or three vocally out of the female ranks that has been produced by the music industry in the last decade. I put Kelly Clarkson up there as well. Tamyra's cd captures everything a star can have. Usually, there are only on or two songs that people want to buy cd's for but I can listen to this whole album with out skipping forward to any other song. It is fantastic. By the way, the other two female singers up there with Kelly and Tamyra in my opinion are Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. I sometimes put one song of each singer over and over and over and they can all compete with each other. That shows how great AI is.

I liked Tamyra's 'Raindrops Will Fall' song I saw her perform on TV, so I bought the CD based on that performance. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I could listen to her CD from beginning to end and enjoy all of her songs without having to skip over boring ones. Her voice is amazing and enjoyable and her songs are original and not all sounding the same. I recommend this CD to anyone who likes ballads and meaningful lyrics.