the 31 best of 2007 – 15: Shayne Ward – Breathless

Appearing as the final four star rated album of this year, Shayne Ward’s newest CD Breathlessmakes the second time Shayne has made my year end list. His new CD makes this year’s list for much the same reason his debut did last year; but there is something distinctly different about his new record. The difference, is that his new album is much better than his debut was; mainly because of the over-reliance on covers on his debut. While I am a fan of a cover song done correctly (No Promises was a great cover from Shayne), too many covers just seems like wasted potential; because this guy can really sing, and it really begs you to wonder why the producers behind him don’t give him the opportunity to sing some “original” stuff that he could truly make his own. Fortunately, that is exactly what he gets to do this time around, and the result is an album chock full of polished pop anthems, ballads, and club ready dance tracks.

There is no denying that some of my draw to Shayne has to do with his appearance, because the boy is, how do they say, “damn fine”? However, a friend of mine recently asked me if I would still like him if he sang as amazingly as he does, but looked like Barry Manilow; and honestly, I can say that I would still love the guy. His voice is very beautiful, and he can hit high notes that I bet would make even Mariah go “wow”. He is definitely a great singer if nothing else; he too was a product of the ubiquitous “tv singing competition”, where he was plucked from obscurity on the UK’s X-Factor. Since his discovery, however, Shayne has transformed into a sexy star, who really could give Justin Timberlake a run for his money; he’s got talented producers backing him, who know what to do with his sexy, and powerful voice. On Breathless, they have given him an entire album of hits, and it really goes to show, that sometimes, pop music should be perfectly polished and produced, because that’s when you get the best stuff.

As far as this album goes, there is really only one song that I really don’t care for (which is the only reason for the 4 star rating), and that isn’t because of the occasionally trite lyrics, or the presence of down right sugary, sappy songs; both which will no doubt make many question why I chose this record for my year end best of list. Yet, here’s what I have to say to that: in order to love a record like this one, you have to go into it knowing that it will be comprised of ballads about the boy getting the girl, and sometimes un-listenable lines in otherwise great pop songs. This is not meant to be groundbreaking “indie-cred” music. It’s music that you can dance to, enjoy, and feel good about.

On Breathless,Shayne sings his heart out, and these things that many would call “faults” are easy to let slide; which you’ll do when you experience the amazing voice on this kid. When you couple that amazing voice with his brooding looks, it becomes obvious (at least for me) that it is more than enough to make anyone swoon, and I will definitely say that I swoon like crazy when I listen to this record. I can’t help but imagine that Shayne is singing these love songs to me, and for me, it is easy to forgive a silly sentiment here and there.

As far as the style of the songs, and whether or not this record is for you, I would say that if you liked the songs that were chosen for him on his first record, and you too would have rather seen far less covers; then this record is for you. They also give him the opportunity to channel some retro-pop sounds from George Michael’s hay day, as well as a few sexy club numbers, which serve well in leveling out the amount of sappiness those loves songs inevitably bring with them. This is one of those records that I can listen to, and feel good about; and I will readily admit, that it doesn’t hurt to have a picture of the man in front of me when I listen, in order to increase my enjoyment of the whole package that is Shayne Ward.

Favorites from Breathless:(I seriously love all of these!)
Breathless
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/sw-breathless.mp3]
U Got Me So
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/sw-ugotmeso.mp3]
You Make Me Wish
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/sw-youmakemewish.mp3]
No U Hang Up, and If That’s Okay With You.

Rating:

(the album cover comes from uhlikethat.com, as it is vastly superior to the actual one.)