Well what can I say... this album has literally blown me away. If you're still wavering.. buy it, listen to it, and then see how you feel. Ok, so it won't be to everyone's tastes, that's a given, but I do defy anyone not to like at least 75% of it!! And that's not bad at all is it.
Ok. so on to the individual tracks.
Gonna Make You A Star. I can understand why they've chosen this one as his first single. It's catchy, will appeal to generations of all ages and Lee sings it his own way, but is also true to the vibe of the original. 8 out of 10.
Paint It Black. Mind blowing!! Whilst I love the arrangement on this, it could have been given a harder edge to it; but it works none the less. His slow drawl during some of the lyrics are incredibly sexy and match the low bass drum beat throughout the song. This is possibly one of the stand out tracks on the album for me. 9 &1/2 out of 10.
You and Me. This is a beautiful ballad. His voice alters from soft to strong, love the way he brings light and shade into what he sings. And this song is a fine example of his voice. The melody carries you along with it. Lovely! 8 out of 10.
Why Can't We Make Things Work. The double a side to GMYAS. This seems to be Radio 2's choice of song over GMYAS, and I can see why. In my opinion it's a better beat, works bloody well on the radio and gives us a chance to hear the 'pop star' Lee. Really like this track! 9 out of 10.
Stronger. I want to like this, I really do, but I just can't feel it. His voice is beautiful, but that's not enough for me for this song to work. Maybe I'm too familiar with the Sugababes version though to really 'hear' this song. That's always a risk with covers, some work; some don't, and this one just isn't capturing my soul like I thought it would. Doesn't mean I don't like or appreciate it's worth on the album, just not quite what I wanted. 5 out of 10.
All That You Know, I love this, no I ADORE this song!! The slow guitar & piano leads you in thinking it's going to be quite sweet, and then bam, full on electric guitar & drums fill your ears. Again Lee sings this with a slow rocky drawl, I love the line 'Feel like you're drowning in compromise, swim against the tide', and then he roars into the chorus. Brilliantly written song, fabulous rhythm that makes my heart pound, skin tingle and head go dizzy. This is a pure version of RockGod Lee, and god he's good at it! 10 out of 10! Yep, more than Paint It Black! Definately single potential!
How Can I Be Sure. A fabulous cover of a classic David Cassidy song. I grew up listening to David Cassidy courtesy of my big sister. She was a massive fan, so I'm very aware of how this sounded with him. I think Lee's emulated David's version well and of course with his chocolate voice it works well. 7 out of 10.
The Best Is Yet To Come. Beautiful, really quite beautiful. The string arrangement sets the tone of this song, and everything else flows along with it with ease. A simple ballad, but simple is sometimes better than overpowering. Works for me!! 8 out of 10.
When I Need You The Most My god, that Barlow chap can't half write can't he! And he couldn't have written a more sublime song for Lee. This showcases his voice off to it's full capacity. I can't really say any more than it's adorable, just adorable. Love it!! 9 out or 10. Again definately single potential!
Make It With You This is gorgeous enough to melt even the coldest, hardest heart! All you really need to accompany this song, is a warm fire, a huge rug and Lee to complete the beauty of this song. Heaven! 9 &1/2 out of 10!
And although they've included ADWD on it which sounds odd against the rest of the album I'd still give it 9 out of 10!