Without further ado, I bring you the official Flasky Poo review of @IamCaseyAbrams' self-titled new album!

Let me begin by saying I've been only a tepid fan of Casey since his Season 10 run on American Idol, enjoying him mostly when paired with the incomparably seductive Haley Reinhart on a duet. Therefore, when his new album was released yesterday I immediately downloaded the sensational "Caley" cover of Ray Charles' iconic classic "Hit The Road Jack", but waited to preview the rest of the songs before deciding if it was worth buying the entire album.

After previewing the snippets, I came away surprisingly impressed with Casey's sound and vibe, so I went ahead and downoaded the album figuring if it's as good as the 90 second clips it'll be well worth the money.

Well, after listening to the entire LP from start to finish several times, let me just say that it's a fantastic creation. Jazzy, soulful, breezy, organic...it's a delight to the ears, and perfect for summer listening.

Lyrically, Casey's album is mostly about unrequited love (and I have no doubt that Haley's the love interest in every song), but instead of having a sad, heavy and angst-ridden vibe the tone is happy, hopeful, and even if his love isn't being reciprocated he's not discouraged. His outlook is serene and optimistic despite whatever frustrations, longing and loneliness he has to deal with.

Musically, the instrumentation is highly skilled and creative throughout, and the production effects are at a delightful minimum. We're treated to some swinging piano, a bit of recorder (yes, recorder!), his trademark bass, a bit of organ, and an ample infusion of acoustic guitar just to name a few.

The arrangements have a great, melodic flow so you never feel any redundancy creep in while listening through the album. His jazz stylings are on nearly every track, and well varied. Sometimes swing, sometimes bebop, sometimes ragtime, sometimes cool, sometimes folky, sometimes bluesy, sometime soulful, he always seems to hit the right sound while keeping it fresh.

The only song that I really didn't care for was "Get Out", a sellout to mainstream pop that just doesn't belong on an album of this quality. That said, the rest of the album is an absolute gem and I strongly recommend spending the $9.99 at iTunes to download it. It's worth every penny.

Now, if we can just get Casey and his unrequited love interest Haley to schedule a nationwide "Caley Tour" by the end of summer my life will be complete.

Rating: An enthusiastic 5 Stars!

Reply · Report Post