Tamyra Gray was arguably the best talent to come out of the first season of American Idol. But she was voted out prematurely, and Kelly Clarkson went on to win it all.
Two years and a couple of Fox television appearances later, Gray is in the spotlight again with her debut, The Dreamer, a release that avoids Clarkson's cliché-ridden lyrics and eschews Clay Aiken's stalker routine. In fact, the album easily outshines the collective work of her Idol rivals.
This is not to say that the album escapes the usual pitfalls of other Idol albums. Gray has a tendency to break out into an overblown ballad and several songs have too many extra sparkles.
The latter trap is the reason that Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" and Gray's first single "Raindrops Will Fall" will go down as the worst songs ever on radio.
Thankfully, there are enough interesting spots on the LP--much of which Gray co-wrote--for the listener to remain intrigued.
Some highlights include the disco-romp of "Don't Stop," the jazzy crooning of "Legend" and the brash rocker "Faces." Sounding like Donna Summer, Gray takes it back to 1985 on "Good Ol' Days," while on "Ha Ha," she hazily coos a kiss-off a la Angie Stone.
Although Gray is definitely still trying to establish her identity, this album shows enough energy to signal a strong future for this multi-faceted dreamer.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.