Customer Reviews

Look Around

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's hard not to love Anthony Rapp. He sings so honestly. It's like looking into his soul. His voice is so expressive. Any fan of modern Broadway, particularly of expressive emotional musicals such as RENT and performers like ADAM PASCAL and RIKKI LEE TRAVOLTA should buy this CD.

This is the cd that has lived in my car for the past few weeks, a definite must have for any RENT fan or anyone who loves honest, innovative music.

"Living Alive" is wonderful. It seems like many Broadway stars feel the need to include a song on their solo albums about changing the world or learning to love yourself, and they usually come off as pretentious and/or naive. This song, however, has a great message that really seems to come honestly from Ant's heart and experience.

"Look Around" is sweet and quiet, a pleasant listen. "Then Again" is fun and upbeat. "Human Tornado" is hysterical, and I always seem to picture Daphne Rubin-Vega dancing around to it. "Always" is beautiful and haunting; I always play this song when I'm driving and it's dark out.

"Just Some Guy" is also sweet, but I have one little problem with it. In my head I'm picturing Ant and whoever he's singing about having a quiet moment together when these back-up singers suddenly pop up in the middle of their bedroom. Always disconcerts me. :)

"Goodbye" is one of my favorites. It's so empowering. :) I play this one when I'm driving at night and need to stay awake. :) "Room to Breathe" is gorgeous and touching, another one of my favorites. "Lesson #1" is so sad that it's almost tangible. "Visits to You" is my current number one favorite at the moment (it changes from time to time). It's beautiful and powerful and you can tell that it's coming straight from experience. "Damn Spot" is just hysterical. "Now I Know" is also beautiful.

What makes this cd so great is the variety of the music on it but most especially Anthony himself. He's such an honest and expressive singer; you can tell what he's feeling as he sings. And hey, THERE'S A VIDEO ON THE CD! I'm probably the only moron who owned the cd for weeks before discovering it. :)

Anthony Rapp's soulful voice drives home his wonderful songs on his debut album--although one can hardly call it a debut album, after he's done so many musicals! There's not a bad song on this album, although some shine more than others. He shines on the slower songs, like the haunting "Room To Breathe" (one of my three favorites on the album), and the beautifully orchestrated "Always"... "Lesson #1" is also a pleasant listen.

Ant's voice doesn't quite fit on all of the rock songs--I adore "Living Alive", but the mix is a bit off (or maybe it's just me), and at some points it's hard to hear his voice. "Human Tornado" is a different, quaint listen; however, by the end of the song, you're ready for it to be over. The song was well executed and definitely witty, but the end drags a bit.

However, the truly great songs: "Goodbye"--a tune with a really powerful message--is utterly fantastic. My repeat button is wearing out from listening to it. It's as close as Ant gets to pure rock, and the song truly glistens. My alltime favorite, though, is "Out Out Damn Spot"--so incredibly INVENTIVE! An upbeat ballad about...well, good Lord, just listen to it. It has showtune aspects and so much humor and his voice just soars with it. :)

Not to mention "Just Some Guy"--an incredibly sweet, jazzy little ballad--"Visits to You"--a tearjerker that you can tell was written from personal experience--and "Look Around", the cute little title track that's about the same as "Human Tornado"--both are highly listenable, but they get tiring after awhile.

All in all, this album is FANTASTIC. A must-buy if you're branching out from musical theatre, or you enjoy "alternapop" with excellent lyrics and musicianship.

I adored Ant's voice in RENT, and this album just makes me feel fantastic about his future in the music business!

There's nothing about Anthony Rapp's latest effort, "Look Around," that's complicated. No nuclear physics or complicated mathematical logarithms. Just pure, simple human truths wrapped up in beautiful lyrics and wonderful melodies and tied up neatly with Rapp's well-tuned voice.
The eclectic collection of songs on "Look Around" traverses several musical styles from a seemingly hard rock and slightly overwrought "Human Tornado" to the simple beauty of "Lesson #1."
I had, of course, heard Rapp in "Rent" and heard of him from that musical and other stage efforts. However, I was unprepared for the quality this singer-songwriter accomplishes on his own. He's at his best with uncomplicated accompaniment, as in "Just Some Guy," "Lesson #1," and "Now I Know." His voice lifts his beautiful lyrics off the score onto which they are written and they surround you as you listen, and more importantly, are moved by them. These three pieces also happen to be my favorite tracks from this CD. The other tracks are quite enjoyable. "Visits to You" is at first playful and turns haunting by the songs end.
One or two of the tracks have a hard-edged accompaniment that doesn't seem to quite mesh for what Rapp was attempting to attain with this CD. But this small blemish does nothing to diminish the overall worth of his work in "Look Around."
Don't be put off by the lack of track samples. If you like Anthony Rapp or know nothing about him, you will really enjoy this CD. You will listen to it and see the heart of a sweet soul sharing with us some simple human truths.

I bought this album after falling in love with Rent soundtrack, and then Rent itself. After hearing a clip of "Just Some Guy", I knew I needed the album. It's so good! My favorite song on the album is "Room to Breathe" which is so sweet and wonderful. It has a great acoustic guitar behind it, and the words are so touching. My other favorites are "Out Out Damn Spot" which is hysterical and sounds like it fits in some musical (the video included on the CD for it is also great!), "Just Some Guy", which is incredibly sweet and sung with this complete trueness and "Goodbye" which rocks the album. The variety of this CD is great, and it's a must have for any Rent, Broadway or Anthony fan!

I'll admit, I'm a huge fan of Anthony Rapp from You're A Good Man Charlie Brown and Rent. I'll also admit that I didn't care for how this album was produced as a whole. But when Anthony is good, he is FANTASTIC and he can break your heart. Highlights for me included "Living Alive", "Just Some Guy", "Room to Breathe" & "Visits to You".

What made me exceedingly happy at one moment in time? Receiving Look Around by Anthony Rapp. Having become a fan of Anthony through Rent, being able to hear music written and sung by himself was bound to make my respect and like for Anthony even larger. And so it did. After hearing the first song (Living Alive) and instantly connecting with its simple -- yet effective -- lyrics, my enthusiasm for the cd grew. As I passed on to each song, I fell in love with Anthony's music. 'Look Around' is a jazzy number bound to make you think of a loved one. 'Then Again' and 'Human Tornado' both have more of the rock / punk feel, and each one is supplied by awesome vocals. 'Always' starts off with a haunting piano tune and moves into a more expressive tune as Anthony begins to sing. 'Just Some Guy' will ultimately make you want to be with your special someone, or long for that special someone, as it shows how sweet and simple love can be. 'Goodbye' is absolutely one of those power ballads proving that it is simple to move on. Whilst 'Room to Breathe' can be taken many ways, it's a good songs full of memorable quotes -- some of which I use daily. 'Lesson #1' is soft and one of the sadder songs on the cd, while 'Visits to You' follows in the sadness yet both songs speak highly for themselves and are meaningful. One of the best songs on the cd is 'Out Out Damned Spot.' The song is full of spunk and nifty tunes, not to mention the meaning in the song is down and to the point. To end the cd is 'Now I Know', and with Anthony's soothing voice, it's a quaint way to end a great and worthy cd.

Anthony Rapp has -- to me -- excelled with Look Around. The songs will always play a part in my life, as corny as that may seem. It's true.

I am a huge fan of Anthony Rapp, and last October my friends and I went to see him live in concert. His new CD 'Look Around' had just been released, and I bought it that night. He is an amazing performer - the songs were awesome live! I'm glad that I have the CD to remember that concert. This album truly captures Anthony's talent and emotions. My favorite is "Out Out Damn Spot" (the video rocks!) but I also love "Living Alive" and "Then Again" and all the others. This CD is a must-have for all RENT heads... but while you're buying music, make sure that you pick up Adam Pascal's 'Model Prisoner.' :-) These are my 2 favorite CDs of the year.

Anthony Rapp has a reputation amongst his fans and peers as being open, geniune and purely Anthony. His album is no exception. Anthony puts his heart on the line with his lyric, and bares his soul through his voice. His sound is unique, fresh, purely Anthony. This album is a must buy.

I bought this CD because there was a RENT Gala concert in Japan Jan, 2002. I saw the performance of Anthony Rapp Band. Some songs impressed me so much and that is the reason why I bought this CD. The extra sound is made by keyboard and sometime the sound is like hard rock, punk, and fantastic. There is something like British taste. I'm hearing this CD again and again. This is the first CD that I bought in U.S. I think I'll never forget the impresstion from this CD.