Customer Reviews

Songs From the Eye of an Elephant

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm proud to be the first reviewer on here to say that I was aware of Ryan's career long before his time on the show "Rockstar Supernova." I first discovered Ryan Star's music over 3 years ago in the form of the band Stage, who opened up for Eve 6 at a small concert club. I thought that Stage stole the show, and I bought a copy of their self-titled album there at the concert and have since fallen in love with it. I would highly recommend it to any of you, it's a beautiful rock album with powerful guitars and lush piano melodies, and of course Ryan's awesome voice. Anyway, the band was together for 10 years, but broke up shortly after being signed to Maverick records and putting out only one album. So this brings us to Ryan's first solo effort...

I was actually excited to learn that this entire album consists of just Ryan singing and playing piano, with the occasional drums and acoustic guitar. I thought that the best parts of Stage's album was when it was just Ryan and a piano, even though I love hard rock music. This entire album is beautiful, moving, and often melancholy. It begins with the subtle We Might Fall which pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the CD. The next song, So Ordinary, is much more uplifting, and it's probably the most popular song on here. My favorite track is Losing Your Memory, it's probably one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. Other stand out songs are Back Of Your Car, Sink Or Swim, and O...all of which had originally been written to be on Stage's second album that was never completed. There's also a re-worked version of Perfect (which appeared as a guitar-driven track on Stage's album) and The One You Know. Famous Love and The First Time are also very beautiful! It's important to realize that this is NOT a rock album. The whole point of this CD was for Ryan to drop the rock band, and get back to the organic sound that these songs had when he first wrote them. Ryan himself best described this CD as a musician playing alone in his living room, but who is performing for the whole world to hear.

Full track listing:
01) We Might Fall
02) So Ordinary
03) Famous Love
04) Losing Your Memory
05) Psycho Suicidal Girls
06) O
07) Back Of Your Car
08) Saw You In Heaven
09) The Same When I'm Alone
10) Dance With You
11) Sink Or Swim
12) Perfect
13) Famous Yet
14) The First Time
15) Waiting For Love
16) Here Son
17) Take A Ride With Me
18) The Fairy Tale
19) The One You Know
20) Lullaby Suicide

In fact, so good, that if there had only been 10-12 songs on the album, it would have been 5 stars.

Sorry, Ryan, the album was way to long, and some songs almost lost their identity to the 3 count piano tags. But despite that, it's still an amazing album. Damn near brilliant.

ADDITION:

I reneg. This album should have 5 stars, but i can't figure out how to change the rating. Go buy the Stage album, too. Different taste, same flavor. MMM-mmm Good!

I just got this CD last week and I can't get enough of it! I first heard Ryan on Rockstar Supernova when he sang "Losing My Religion", and that performance gave me chills! It was amazing!

All the songs on this CD are beautifully written. Each song has its own character. Ryan's voice is full of emotion and when you listen to this CD you feel like you're just sitting next to him listening. I love all the songs on this album. But if I were to choose my favorites they would be: "We Might Fall", "Famous Love", "O", "Back of you Car" and "Perfect"

I think everybody should have this CD in their collection this is definitely worth your money...even more.

Like other reviewers, I fell in love with Ryan's voice on Rock Star: Supernova. I was slightly disappointed he was kicked off, but mostly I was excited that we would see him on his own again (and not with aging rockers). For anyone who thinks you can't find a quality artist on a reality show, be prepared to be proved wrong - Ryan Star is the real deal.

The arrangements are mostly him and a piano, and the result is a hauntingly beautiful album. His vocals cut into you and he has a very versatile range. His voice goes from grunge-era to Coldplay falsetto and it is pure emotion. His songwriting is very sharp and very catchy.

I bought this for about $12 and it was autographed (don't think it is autographed here on Amazon). My favorite songs are "We Might Fall," "So Ordinary," "Losing Your Memory," "Saw You In Heaven," and "The One You Know." There are a few misses on this album, but let's face it...there are 20 tracks!

Keep an eye out for Ryan Star because I don't think this is the last we'll see from him.

Track Listings:
1. We Might Fall
2. So Ordinary
3. Famous Love
4. Losing Your Memory
5. Psycho Suicidal Girls
6. "O"
7. The Back of Your Car
8. Saw You In Heaven
9. The Same When I'm Alone
10. Dance With You
11. Sink or Swim
12. Perfect
13. Famous Yet
14. The First Time
15. Waiting For Love
16. Here Son
17. Take A Ride With Me
18. The Fairy Tale
19. The One You Know
20. Lullaby Suicide

I didn't think Ryan Star was a good fit for Rock Star Supernova based on his performances on the show, but I was curious enough to purchase his album. The album is slow and melodic, with the piano being the main instrument on most songs - so don't expect a pop album or a rock album if you purchase this. That said, I was actually quite pleasantly surprised by the quality of the song writing and found that I enjoyed the album quite a bit. Star has a good voice and the lyrics are clever. In some ways it's probably an album you have to be in the mood for to enjoy, but I give it a definite thumbs up.

I loved Ryan on Rockstar: Supernova, and was kind of glad when he was booted off since his style was definitely not their style. Am glad to hear that Ryan is having a CD professionally produced, and will buy it.

This CD, though, is a little dark for me. A large part of it is reminiscent of his cover of Losing My Religion, dark and moody. The first half is very, very dark and moody. I wanted to go drown myself in a bottle of tequila by the time I made it through the first 5 or 6 cuts.

The rest of the CD is pretty good music, with production values about what you'd expect. If you like Ryan's voice and love affair with the piano, then you'll probably like this CD. I will mostly like take a couple of cuts from it and put it on a homemade mix CD (poor person's iPod).

Am looking forward to Ryan's Mark Burnett-produced CD.

I was a fan of Ryan Star when he was on Rockstar: Supernova, so I quickly picked up his CD when I found it here. While his voice is still just as good as ever, I was a bit disappointed with the unfinished feel of the CD. I understand this was kind of the idea, but most songs are short, and have a really low-quality sound. So while I did enjoy some of the songs, the CD just wasn't as good as I was hoping.

Unlike everyone else, I had never heard of Ryan Star until this week. I went to a David Cook concert on Wednesday and he opened. I was so blown away I couldn't believe someone wasn't opening for him! I bought the CD and Ryan was so gracious enough to meet everyone there. I got a great hug and a great picture and he signed my CD with a very sweet personal message. I was thrown for a loop when I listened to this CD----Holy Cow, I have never heard anything so beautiful in my life. It's the perfect mix of melody and rock with a little symphony here and there. I put it on my iPod and with all the songs on there, this album has been on repeat for two days. Everything else just sounds so mediocre now!

If you didn't see Ryan on Rockstar Supernova in 2006, you missed out big time! However, this super long album gives you Ryan at his emotional and heartfelt best. This is not a "rock" album, the vibe is much mellower. But is shows what a AMAZING singer Ryan is, and what an incredibly talent musician --- he plays his own instruments. I also had the pleasure of seeing Ryan play live and he puts on one helluva show! check out this album, it's sure to become one of your favorites. And I DEFY you to let a gloomy day pass without popping this into your player. Five Stars, you RULE, Ryan!

My first encounter with Ryan Star happened when I decided to watch the last "Rock Star" competition, for the new group Super Nova. I loved everything he did on that show, and especially liked his own song, "Back Of Your Car". I supported him by voting for him, but then started to get the impression that he was just too good for Super Nova. So I wasn't all too shocked that he was let go. I went to his web site and immediately bought his first CD..."Songs From The Eye Of An Elephant", and planned to buy his "Dark Horse" CD, as soon as it was available.

Besides being cute as hell, I think that he has a great voice and plenty of showmanship. The only criticism I would have would be that I do not like it when he sometimes strains his voice by doing that screaming thing that rockers will sometimes do. I don't see a need for it. But that's just me. *Grin*

I wish Ryan all the best in his career path and goals.