Lee Mead [Import]

Lee Mead | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 12, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Polydor UK
• ASIN: B000XSLWCY
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,123 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Gonna Make You A Star

2. Paint It Black

3. You And Me

4. Why Can't We Make Things Work

5. Stronger

6. All That You Know

7. How Can I Be Sure

8. The Best Is Yet To Come

9. When I Need You The Most

10. Make It With You

11. Any Dream Will Do [*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lee, come to the U.S!, May 16, 2008

By 

Emily - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lee Mead (Audio CD)

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is a show dear to my heart and a random Google/YouTube fest led me to Lee. What a doll! This eponymous album is his first, and while it feels somewhat hastily cobbled-together in order to capitalize on his sudden fame, it is overall a very enjoyable album.

He has a very easy tenor. He never over sings but instead delivers clear, lovely performances. "Make It With You," in particular, is a standout precisely because he doesn't over deliver and the track isn't overproduced. They sat him down with a guitar and let him sing. The result is intimate and sensual, as if you're in the room with him.

The album has some misses for me that come off as common pop fare. "Why Can't We Make Things Work," for instance. Pretty generic. No harm, no thrill. "Gonna Make You a Star" seems to be a waste of his rich voice and interpretive ability. It's a bit shrill and frenetic for me. "All That You Know" is a little more interesting with its swelling to the chorus and touches of falsetto (not always a fan of falsetto but it's judiciously applied here).

I'm from the U.S. and am not familiar with the Sugababes work (have heard of them, just never listened) but I did check out their version of "Stronger" to compare it with Lee's. Theirs is a funky anthem to independence while Lee has turned his version into a nice little power ballad with a believable emotional thrust. His ability to interpret a lyric is really remarkable. This is most strongly evidenced when seeing him perform, but definitely comes across audibly as well.

"How Can I Be Sure" was made famous by David Cassidy. I wasn't familiar with Cassidy's version but I love Lee's! There's something hypnotic about it. "The Best Is Yet to Come" is pretty. I can see it playing at weddings all over the land.

I know Lee is capable of greatness, and this quick album gives glimpses of his potential. I hope his future offerings will more accurately reflect who he is as an artist. If he truly identifies with 70s pop tunes then that's cool with me (the 37 year old Bread song is my favorite after all), but he can do much better than the generic pop contributions which take up half of this debut. It's not unusual for new artists to need an album or two to hit their stride, particularly when their fame is the result of a talent search or manufactured entity and they're being pressured by management.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must buy, January 11, 2008

By 

CRoc (New City, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lee Mead (Audio CD)

Lee Mead is practically unknown here in the US but he is quite a "star" in the U.K. having won the part of Joseph in the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat musical. Love all the songs in this album especially When I Need You The Most (written by Gary Barlow of Take That, who is a huge fan of the musical), All That You Need to Know, Gonna Make You a Star (original by David Essex)and Paint It Black (Rolling Stones). Cheers!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pop vs Musical Theatre, September 17, 2010

By 

Ian Mcknight "Music junky" (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lee Mead (Audio CD)

I followed the rise of Lee Mead in his quest to be Joseph in the Technicolour Dreamcoat. A fine voice and a great stage presence all the way. He had clearly earned his stripes with his performances in Phantom and was set to leap forward into stardom via the West End stage or maybe even on Broadway. His voice is strong enough to carry almost any song, and he certainly can provide great covers of great songs that have become household favourites. This is demonstrated well within this album. He does a great job of the songs he tackles. However for me there is little light or shade in the selections that he has brought to us within this volume. As a musical theatre performer any show demands the up tempo and also the ballads and even some ability with the more torchsong styles. Lee can do all of that in spades. However it does not happen in this album. This is his second album and it to me is a continuance of the first with a focus on the pop market and the up market at that. Can I strongly suggest that if there is a third, and I hope there is, that a wider demonstration of the quality of Lee's voice is included. To date this is about quantity of voice only.