Customer Reviews

Take a Chance on Something Beautiful

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Two things are unfortunately the facts of life. First, Chris Sigh doesn't fit the image of today's "Pop-Stars". Back when it was music over image, say 1967-1978, with enough talent AND enough connections, you MIGHT get a record deal, but studio time was so expensive that it was really difficult. But then you could look like Leslie West and still be a rock star. Then came MTV and video killed the radio star. Then recently, digital music recording has become affordable enough that anyone that really wants to can record a quality CD, if you have the talent. You just need the pirates that they call Record Label Executives to market your CD if you want it to make you wealthy. Consequently, the most marketed artist often looks the part, but is missing the talent.

Which means generally, that you have to know kids in college, to find the really good music that is being made by the "Independent Rockers," and sold at their shows.

Which brings us to American Idol, which had the good luck of having a first season winner that was capable of becoming what they wanted her to be, which of course is a "pop star".

Then came the train wreck of Karaoke singing contestants and a legitimate Country Star. Not that there have not been some great vocalist on the show, and not that my family doesn't watch every episode, but the CD's that have been made are so "cookie cutter pop", that it seems that these record exec's don't know what to do with these vocalist, and the vocalist themselves, don't know either. Take the best "Rock voice in the show's history, Chris Daughtry, the voice is so good, but the songs while they are not bad, you don't say to yourself, wow, rock is alive and well because the album is made, and he can thank the stars that he didn't win or he would have really been watered down, frankly I don't even want to imagine that album. As it is Daughtry is a pretty good CD with okay songs and great vocals. But by the way, women I know think he is dreamy.

Which brings us finally to my second point, Chris Sligh, isn't the chick magnet that record companies want in an artist, and we on the west coast would have never heard of him without American Idol. Did he get a fair exposure on Idol?, probably not, I think he probably has the second best "Rock Voice" in the show's history. Did he have some problems with the Pop Theme's? yes. Did I want him to win? No. Because what they would have done to his music would not have been good, AND...

"Take A Chance On Something Beautiful", by Chris Sligh & Half Past Forever, is a GREAT CD!

The musicianship is outstanding, the songwriting, the lyrics, and the vocals all very, very good. If this is the future of rock music, then I think that there might be hope after all. If you long for the days of Classic Rock, if you miss the times when the music wasn't a jar of jellybeans, but rather a fine recipe, then this is a CD to buy and play over and over.

i like this cd ,i did not know that chris was in his own band. he has one of the most insteresting voices in music. as some one said i hope he don'e win ai they would kill whatever that special thing that chris has , i have a couple of faves on this cd track's# 5 and 15 . any whoo you may think that iam a teen but iam not iam a 44 year old afrcian amercian female, who CAN think outside of the so called box

I admit I was skeptical buying this CD. Let's face it, other than Chris Daughtry's effort, the former Idols who tried their hand at Rock/Pop musical efforts made CDs that are not very good. Taylor Hicks...yawn...Constantine's band, Pray for the Soul of Betty...a few good songs but they couldn't make up their mind whether they were Led Zeppelin or a some form of a 21st century Black Sabbath, so their CD was a mush of music....Bo Bice...forced to cotton candy his songs to try and please the Idol producers and the masses, so it ended up sounding bland with no edge.

So even though I liked Chris Sligh and was disappointed he was voted off Idol earlier than I thought he should have been (although you could tell he was ready to go home), and heard he had a band, Half Past Forever, I was not sold on buying his band's musical effort. So I first checked out the band's My Space site and liked what I heard. I proceeded to order it fearing I would get two, maybe three decents songs from a quasi-Christian message band trying to make it. Boy was I wrong.

This band's songs fill your speakers with solid rock songs that have enough hooks, musical bridges and key changes to keep the songs creative and different. Where Daughtry's songs all start sounding the same after awhile, Half Past Forever does not suffer from the same song writer's cramp. The band sounds like a cross between the Goo Goo Dolls (when they were good), Mercy Me with an edge and a little HelloGoodbye keyboard thrown in. I loved the way Half Past Forever creatively links many of the songs to each other, which creates hardly any dead air time on the CD. If I have one nit, it is the two weakest songs are the first two full songs on the CD (not the short intros), after getting past those two efforts, the CD sails to the end. After the CD is finished, you felt it was worth every dime you paid for it. No buyer's remorse.

Half past Forever's CD is as good as anything out there on the market by many major label bands. There is no good reason this band is not on the radio and in the mainstream. Trust me...at my age I have heard all the good and bad that rock has to offer. This CD will be in your player for weeks before it comes out.

Chris was the only reason I watched Idol, and when he was voted off I searched the net to see if he had a CD out. Sure enough, he did, and I have to say that this is the best debut album I have heard in a long time. The lyrics are strong and moving and Chris' voice is very refreshing in todays' music business. I can't wait to see what they come out with next!

I saw Chris Sligh on American Idol and I immediately became a fan. When I heard he had an album dropping with his band, Half Past Forever, I knew I wanted to check it out. Well, the album did NOT disappoint!! Chris has amazing song writing abilities, not to mention vocal genius. Adam and Cole are fantastic musicians! The band operates as a single unit allowing an incredible sound to blast through the speakers. Each song on this album has a different flare, but it all falls under the same category of good rock. The lyrics are meaningful and the music is catchy. I find myself singing "Know" all the time, and it's not like one of those bad songs you get stuck in your head and ruins your day...It actually made my day to find myself singing the pleasing song!!
Overall, "Take a Chance on Something Beautiful" gets 5 stars and hopefully we'll see these guys make it big! They deserve it!

HPF's album "Take a Chance on Something Beautiful" takes the listener on a journey though life's sorrows and triumphs. Faith, love, joy, redemption and peace are some major themes. Chris' vocal talent is only rivaled by his crafty songwriting abilities. The lyrics are supported by great music that drives the message home, rather than being a distraction. With an album that is FULL of potential hit singles you certainly aren't "taking a chance" in purchasing this album.
Keep rockin' Chris!

-zc

Listened to some demos quite a while back and had been waiting for the release - Impressive! Well worth the wait. Any day now expect to hear Know or In a Moment getting regular radio play. Catchy tunes, smart lyrics abound in this collection. Great work for an indie band!

Chris Sligh has a wonderful well-rounded voice. The lyrics are meaningful and even without the superb vocals Chris could have a great writing career. It is a fabulous CD that is fun to listen to all the way through without those annoying stretches of 'filler' music that the big production companies put in just to save the chart-topping stuff to spread out among multiple releases.

This CD rocks! You know how when you buy a CD of your favorite band and then just end up skipping around to listen to only a couple of the tracks? Well, you won't being doing that with this one. This is one of those CD's that you want to play from the beginning to the end. It is that good!! In fact, the CD is best enjoyed when you listened to it from the great intro to the thought provoking finish. Each song is uniquely different. You are not going to find two songs that sound alike! Something that I find new & refreshing.
I will admit that I have my favorites. "In a Moment" is what I would call a power ballad and show cases not only Chris Sligh's awesome voice but his fantastic song writing ability. Sligh shows us that not only does he have what it takes to sing but that he also has the talent to write and produce a number one selling album. Take a chance on something beautiful and buy the CD. You won't be disappointed!!

One of the best new CDs I've heard in quite awhile. Chris Sligh's vocals are stunning and true, and the lyric and music indepth and captivating. For the time being, it's made a place at the top of my rotation.