Katharine McPhee: I Lost You

Before I begin this review, I should start with some caveats:

(1.) It's really hard to review a 2 song disc. It doesn't really give you enough of an idea to know what the final product will be like.

(2.) I'm a fan of all the Idols. I want them all to do well.

So here goes.

I wasn't blown away like I was hoping to be. I thought initially that I'd pop the CD in, be overwhelmed by the melodies, and just have a musical joyride all the way home. That's not really what happened. More or less, I was feeling like "eh? this is it??"

Now before all the Katharine fans jump all over me and accuse me of being a Kat-hater, hear me out for a second. I'm not against Katharine in any way. I think she's an extremely talented performer with gobs of potential to be one of the greats. I sincerely hold out hope that her debut album will be good.

The truth is, I don't think that this single's flaws are Katharine's fault. It's almost as if the single's producers got together and said "hey, let's go find the two crappiest songs we can get, throw a shorted-out synthesizer program into the computer, and put out the most poorly instrumented and packaged performance we possibly can." Katharine's vocals are spot-on on both songs. The only problem with that is that you can't HEAR her half the time. She is constantly drowned out by her back-up singers. And the musical accompaniment quite often sounds like my little sister when she was five banging on a busted Casio keyboard.

I'll never understand the need to re-invent Katharine as a new version of Christina Aguilera. Yet that's where all roads point, based on this single and the tracks that were leaked previously. The thing with Christina Aguilera is that even Christina isn't Christina anymore. The times have changed, and reinvention became necessary. And Katharine is NOT a pop princess, nor does she need to be packaged as such. The girl obviously has a dynamic voice, but the material that she is being given to record doesn't showcase it very well. The problem with working with people like The Underdogs, Danja, the Neptunes, Timbaland, or any pop/hip-hop producers of the sort is that the song becomes more about their beat and less about your voice (to wit, the downfall of Britney Spears.) Katharine's better than that. I'd much rather see her performing songs written by Diane Warren or Walter Afanasieff. Those songs would allow her to show her range much more. When I hear Katharine sing, I want to hear a rich vocal performance, not some DJ showing off his beats.

The big irritating thing about this single is that it's a single meant to fill a gap. And it's obvious that's the case. This is a "we meant to have the full CD out by now" sort of release. A "please don't forget us" sort of thing.

I don't want to go into how this single stacks up against singles by Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, or Kelly Clarkson. Any of their worst singles was better executed than this one. I will, however, make a slight comparison to Justin Guarini, insofar as it seems that the powers that be are just as intent on screwing up her career as they were with him.

The trouble with Katharine herself lies not within her vocal prowess. It's just that since the beginning of last year's Idol, she hasn't appeared to really know who she is. There's so much about her that looks like a mask. Whether it's her sultry look, her "I can swallow my own fist" smile, or her performances, you're never really sure what you're going to get out of her. I sense a very troubled person inside the bright bubbly demeanor. It lurks around the corner, and has made itself evident with her eating disorder, but mostly it bubbles under the skin. I can't wait for the days when Katharine will discover herself more fully, because I believe that only then will we have a successful effort from her.

Like I said, I hope her debut turns out to be fantastic. I want to see this beautiful young lady succeed mightily. Unfortunately, I recommend skipping the single, saving your three bucks, and just waiting till the album hits stores.