CD Review: Idina Menzel's I Stand

By Jessica Grabert: 2008-02-06 10:32:11

My first impression of Idina Menzel’s new release,I Stand , was that the album sounds like a Broadway show that was castrated by the writers of Across the Universe and turned into an equally horrible pop soundtrack. Just like Across the Universe , the album begins with a shitty pop ballad, the lead is bad, but at least can sing, and the whole morale involved in each musical number is vaguely reminiscent of cheerleaders during a big game—They’re both extremely loud and smiling a bunch, but not doing anything productive. Thus, my initial reaction was something along the line of, seriously, isn’t Idina Menzel a little too old for this prettily sung but falsely uplifting bullshit?

I guess I shouldn’t have been overly surprised. Idina Menzel is a renowned Broadway Star with original cast leads to her credit in both Rent and Wicked . Of course, the album seems as if it was written for the stage. Therefore, when I began to listen to the music more closely, I changed my tune, a little bit. With her clear-cut voice and direct lyrics, Menzel sounds, well, like she’s singing truthfully. What I mean is quite simple. Menzel doesn’t ever warble like a fucking American Idol wannabe singing a Mariah Carey cover. She’s not overdubbing her voice in an electronic attempt to make it seem like she can sing, a style that Brittney Spears favors. She’s not wantonly playing a piano and pretending to be indie like Vanessa Carlton. And, she’s certainly not pretending to be a hardass with sing-song mannerisms like Lily Allen. Thank god, as if the world could handle another one of those . Instead, she’s singing songs she’s put passion and work into and, believe it or not, she’s singing them without the help of machines to “fix” her voice and without a ridiculous image to back her up. That, at least, is something.

I’m not saying this album is a heads up in a different direction for bubblegum pop music. In fact, her lack of image will most likely render people clueless of her existence, rather than change anything. Secondly, I’m not advocating I Stand as a wonderful album. Like most bad pop albums, her lyrics are generic and even include painful-to-listen-to statements like, “When all of the madness falls like rain (The song ‘Gorgeous’),” “ Where do I begin my love/Starting with the things I haven’t said enough of (‘Where Do I Begin’),” and, my personal favorite, “If this is the moment I stand here on my own/ If this is the right of passage that somehow leads me home/I might be afraid but it’s my turn to be brave (From the single ‘Brave’).” Even the music itself is somewhat less than catchy. Regardless, if you are a person who generally enjoys a beautiful voice, this album is a gift without all of the tiresome wrappings that the music biz usually focuses on. From start to end, the album is a showcase of Menzel’s talent as a singer and not the talent of her producers. To me, that gave the album a weird sort of appeal.

With I Stand , Menzel is competing in a pop world that’s filtered through phase upon phase of music. Remember the mantra “Together we stand, divided we fall?” Idina Menzel may be standing, but she’s standing in a crowd of people weary and tired of hearing the same type of songs, over and over, with a different leading lady. Unfortunately, this weariness is exactly why disdainful beats and images were originally thrown into pop music in the first place. Without those bells and whistles, I Stand falls short of any flashy tries at innovativeness and will inevitably be ignored, even if there is a classy, talented lady singing where far less talented, unappealing gimmicks have already trod.

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Adrianna
September 12, 2008 at 18:55

I just became aware of Idina Menzel's music and I think she is just wonderful! She is so incredibly talented! I thought some of her fans might like to take a look at her widget and maybe even post it to your Myspace or Facebook accounts! I thought it was a pretty cool way to spread the word (and show your love) for her! :) http://www.clearspring.com/widgets/48583b018da8aa42

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Angel205
August 27, 2008 at 19:39

â€˜I Standâ€™ marks Menzelâ€™s third solo album and features some of the power ballads that youâ€™d expect from the musicals that sheâ€™s been in. Menzel is bold, brassy and has a powerful voice with wide ranges to her notes. She has the ability to sound soft and sweet on one track and intense and emotional on the next. The album talks about hope, faith, love, and loss, and sounds like any one of the numbers could have been from a Broadway show. Idina Menzel's album "I Stand," is proof that a Broadway star can make a decent pop singer at the same time.

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Andrea
August 27, 2008 at 00:07

I think it is a decent album. She has a great voice and you really can't go wrong.. Also very talented..

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Nicky De Guzman
May 29, 2008 at 14:40

Whatever Jessica! Get a life! You're an "empty tin can"!

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Alana
May 26, 2008 at 15:14

I have to agree with the majority of posters: I Stand is an amazing album, as is Idina in general. Her songs are well written, and unlike most "pop" singers, it doesn't sound like she's trying too hard to flaunt her voice (even though she obviously has a much bigger range than many popular singers under her belt). I think her album is one that anyone, of any age, can listen to without knowing any of her background and agree that she has a wonderful voice, and obvious talent. Knowing her background, and loving her from her previous Broadway roles, I can honestly say that Idina has the best female voice I've ever heard, with an astonishing way of conveying emotion vocally and being totally flexible to any character and a range of music styles. This is just proving that not only does she have a wonderful jazz, ballad and musical theatre voice, she has a great contempory voice too!

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Anita
April 28, 2008 at 21:06

I think about the only thing I agree with you on is the fact that you said Idina wasn't well known. And it's a pity she's not! I agree with everyone else, Idina is not pop, she is Idina. It's a shame we don't have more artists like her - you don't see Britney Speares actually singing and writing her own lyrics, do you?

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Cassi
April 15, 2008 at 23:37

Okay dr phil

Idina shouldn't be listed under pop it's giving people like you the wrong Idea.
Yes usually pop music these days comes out to be pretty bad.
Idina's album kicks ass. I find her songs very inspirational especially all of the songs you listed.

"Even the music itself is somewhat less than catchy"
You really messed up your interview using that.
Solja boy is catchy
Low is catchy
umbrella is catchy
and.. those songs suck

1st of all I think Idina's songs are pretty catchy and even if they weren't that doesn't mean they are not good

Idina writes amazing music
her voice is amazing
SHE is amazing

..

I do believe everyone's entitled to their own opinion (except hsm fans) but you don't need to trash Idina to get your point across

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Holly M
April 3, 2008 at 18:13

Ok, first...Way to start off a review negatively!!!

Secondly, yes Idina does collaborate meaning she writes lyrics and much of the music. The only 2 she didn't write were "Don't let me down" and "Let me fall" ... It is VERY easy to find that out... It's written on the bloomin' album!!!

Thirdly, Idina is not pop... Pop music implies computerised backing tracks and generic melodies and harmonising. I realise that you picked up on this (sort of) but it needed to be said! Easy listening may be a better label, but still the darkness and depth of the lyrics imply a more in-depth adult analysis possibly more suited to rock. (though this is in no way a rock record!)

Fourthly, her songs were not written to be uplifting. If you'd read the lyrics like you say you did you would realise a lot of them are in fact fairly self-depracating and were obviously written at a time when she was not feeling too chirpy! They are actually quite dark! (I feel everything...Let me fall...forever) Even the more obviously uplifting songs such as Gorgeous or I stand are quite dark. Gorgeous is about a love that can never be and I stand is about being a "work in progress."

In fact this whole album is about being a "work in progress," as a human being... It's about trying to find your way and understanding that you are not there yet!!! It happens to be both lyrically and musically one of the most honest albums I have ever heard.

I also really think you should stop typecasting and comparing! For a start you are comparing Broadway royalty to pop trash!
"I Stand" is an album that can (and already has) touch people of any age, gender or race. I for one was brought to tears when I first heard Brave...Because it's honest and it's relatable. The album has actually done very well already and she has an ever-growing fanbase of the most devoted fans you will ever meet.

Idina Menzel is a figurehead for integrity, humanity and honesty, mixed with a raw (yes, I said raw...) talent and flare only heard from the greats!
It just seems that perhaps some of the subtleties were wasted on you...
Yes, you began to pick up on some of the finer points in the music, but the pure fact that you think she tries to write uplifting ballads proves she did her job perfectly!
You have taken something away from the album, whether you like to admit it or not, and that is exactly what Idina Menzel would want! She didn't intend her songs to have the "uplifting" feel you describe... You have taken her music and added your own meaning to it, and in doing that, proven just how meaningful this album actually is...

...I think the word is touche :-)

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Tina
February 12, 2008 at 15:48

You should be ashamed of yourself. How can you say those things about this album? Idina is incredible and amazing. There are no words to describe how great her voice really is. The album has helped me through many hard times and it is no way generic. Do you even like music? Idina is the best undiscovered talent that the music industry has yet to discover.

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Alison
February 7, 2008 at 20:21

While I'll admit that overall I do prefer Idina's "Still I Can't Be Still" album, I wouldn't say that "I Stand" is all that bad. Yes, Idina probably could do better but she has an amazing voice and that alone is reason enough for me to buy anything that features her. And I agree with what Jess said on the song "Brave." It was that song alone that sold me on this CD. As for a lack of presence, Idina's true fans knew way in advance about this CD and will have pre-ordered it from various sources or gotten it soon after it's release. Yeah, you can't find any of Idina's solo CDs at at Targer or Wal-Mart, but perhaps that's a good thing. One of the things I like about Idina is that she doesn't try to be someone flashy. She is who she is. As for Idina being pop...that part did surprise me. Her music has no real classification. I'd say easy listening suits her better than pop, but even that is too generic for the amazingness that is Idina!

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Jessica Grabert
February 7, 2008 at 15:33

I wasn't being contradictory. A pretty voice does not necessarily indicate musical talent, it only indicates singing talent. I can sing well, but you don't see me neatly packaging my day-to-day feelings and activities into an uninspiring ballad, because it would be very dry and an extraordinary waste of time. Much in the same way, while Menzel has a neatly trained, pretty voice, that does not necessarily mean she should be writing ballads--and I'll be the first to admit that, while I assume she's writing her own music, I don't know that for a fact (Although I did try to find out while prewriting).

On another note, I disagree that I "looked too hard" into the album. There really wasn't much to look at, which is why I discussed her impressive lack of image before anything else. She's doesn't have a unique sound or even a unique gimmick and I thought it was a nice change of pace. Unfortunately, it also means she leaves the album to be vaguely generic and undefined.

It's impressive if you've managed to find the album inspirational. But, it's still pop music. Next time I'll define it as "inspirational pop," so we can really get the ball rolling...

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Jason Breslin
February 7, 2008 at 03:20

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

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Jess
February 7, 2008 at 03:20

I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have to disagree with you on some things.
First of all, I would like to say that everything you've said about Idina's amazing voice is true.
But everything you've said about the album was unfortunately, not.
I think you're looking a little to hard for the messages, and not quite understanding the point of the album. If you look too hard into the lyrics, you will definitely find them cheesy and very pop-like. But, if you just listen and let the songs tell you, instead of trying to read them like books, I think you might see that they are REAL. People can relate to Idina's lyrics, despite what others might consider "generic" or "painful-to-listen-to".
Personally, "I might be afraid, but itâ€™s my turn to be brave" has been more of an inspirational piece than just something to listen to when I'm bored and just want to hear a ballad...Idina's music is not pop. It is only placed under that category because she wasn't sure where else to put it. It's Idina. By calling her music painful-to-listen-to, you're calling her painful-to-listen-to...and that would mean you are contradicting yourself. Which doesn't seem very professional to me.
Consider this: Idina's music isn't pop, and yet you called it a "horrible pop soundtrack." But in reality, comparing Idina to pop is like comparing country to classical music: they're different categories altogether. So what might be a "shitty pop ballad" could also be "an amazing song that Idina Menzel herself wrote for people to enjoy, which has a real message people can relate to".
Thank you for taking the time to read this. :)
-Jess

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