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Glee (TV) fans now have something else to be gleeful about: not only is the show going great and already picked up for a full season, but Glee: The Music, Volume 1 is out now, and in 17 songs spread across a full hour it captures everything that's fun and offbeat and daring about the hit Fox ensemble show that follows the highs, lows, loves, and trials and tribulations of a high school glee club (and those affected by it, including faculty members, the cheerleading squad, and the football team). On the show, the pop hits and show tunes are usually employed to express a particular character's feelings -- or those of the group collectively -- at a given moment, but the numbers also, for the most part, hold up on their own, separate from the series.
Fans know that the songs are as ecclectic as the characters. Other than a Grammy compilation or the latest Now That's What I Call Music collection, it's hard to imagine anyone putting Journey's "Don't Stop Believin,'" Rihanna's "Take a Bow," Billy Idol's "Dancing with Myself," Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," Kanye West's "Gold Digger" and the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" all in one place. Yet, each and every one of them is here, along with Queen's "Somebody to Love," the Wicked number "Defying Gravity," Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holding On," and more.
Now, for those who are not Glee-ophiles, the soundtrack may sound like nothing more than high-end karaoke. And, yes, even for fans, some of the songs work better having actually seen the episodes, no doubt about it. "No Air," for example, just hangs there without the accompanying visuals, and "Bust a Move" lands with a thud; the latter just isn't as entertaining when you don't see Matthew Morrison busting the moves. The songs that work the best are the group numbers ("Don't Stop Believin," "Somebody to Love"), anything with Lea Michele ("Take a Bow," "Taking Chances") or Amber Riley ("Bust Your Windows," "Hate on Me") performing lead vocals, and renditions that completely reinvent the original material ("Dacing with Myself"). Plus, Kristen Chenoweth turns up on two tracks, "Alone" (a duet -- a duet on a song called "Alone"??!! -- with Matthew Morrison) and "Maybe This Time," the latter a daring, old-school Broadway number with Chenoweth channeling her inner Liza Minnelli.
Some listeners may be disappointed by what's not on Volume 1 -- the mash-ups, Jayma Mays' big song, anything from the Acafellas, etc. -- and to those readers we say this: Volume 2 will be out next next month -- December 8, to be precise.
