shellcool

Thanks for the detail and the video clips. Great reports.

So glad all went well khelda. Thanks for a great report! :smile:

I saw Lee too and thought exactly the same about Gareth playing the role. It really is a fantastic opportunity for him.

These objective reviews from non Gareth fans mean a lot at this early stage. I'm so pleased Gareth is making Joseph his own , but expected nothing less. Although Lee's voice is powerful and he puts emotion into it - I am sure, as these people have commented, that Gareth will offer something different but as poignant. He is bound to grow in confidence as the months progress.

I guess if it's not popular then it could be bad for Gareth especially if he has an important part in it, then he would be associated with failure and you can just guess at the media coverage of that......but then he's got to start somewhere if he wants to make it in the West End but we don't want him to be Gone With The Wind. :fear:

I agree with you Snowdrop. I Wish is definitely the best of the three songs. I wonder if they're employing Gareth just for this show on July 6th? Apparently Gareth's not on the cast list.

Of course he's a really nice guy. He is very patient with his fans - that's for sure.

Sorry to be a pain, but I've been away - I've read through everything but can't seem to find what position Gareth came this week - was it third?

What about all the men of all ages that find him attractive too :frantics: Voting wise this all sounds promising, but I thought we were supposed to vote on the contestants ice skating skills

I don't think that it is just Gareth who is being singled out - we are only aware of this bias because we know and love him - but this is also happening to other artists as well. Eternal posted a really good article recently (in General Music section) about how downloading being included in the charts is not having the expected effect because of the influence of g/map and e/map who are the people in control of what is heard on the radio and on the music channels. This means that the charts are not an accurate reflection of what is popular today because we are not hearing all that is on offer. I know this doesn't change anything but it helped me to understand the situation more clearly to know that other artists must be struggling to be heard as well, however unfair that is.

I agree. It's one of those abums I feel is best heard in its entirety as a whole 'work' (of art) I feel bad if I skip a track, as I have to sometimes when my son is in the car and wants to hear Lost in You. :heart: It passes smoothly from one track to another like pages in a good book.

Thanks for the great report khelda. So glad you were able to see Gareth again. Thanks to everyone else too for all the information. Really enjoyed reading it this morning.

Been enjoying the album some more and thinking about your comments Puppygates. Totally agree about the Santana effect at the end of Electric. It clicked suddenly last night when I was listening and I knew exactly what you meant. I wasn't sure about the clip of CBIO but now think it is my favourite track of the album. Couldn't agree more that the album needs to be heard Live.

The more I listen to the album - the more I hear within it. I mean all the different instruments and effects. It is such a different style from Gareth which I find refreshing. My 14 year old says it's good too (had it on in the car) He likes the upbeat tracks like LIY, and New Kid In Town. My hope is that more people his age will hear it and like it as well.

No! It has to be Electric or LIY. :hyper:

Haven't got time to post a full review at present, but at the moment I'm impressed with Can't Believe it's Over - which seems to be the most successful blend of Gareth past and present. I love it that you can hear the full quality of Gareth's voice on this track but it also has the interest of the instrumental interlude followed by the recap of the start which lends itself to the perfect close. Bit disappointed with 19 Minutes. When I heard the snippet of this on the documentary I thought it was amazing but on the album I think that it would have been better just piano and Gareth at the start not the percussion bits - again so you can hear the quality of the voice to full effect. I love the stillness of CBIO and wish this could have been transferred to 19 mins. My favourite upbeat track is LIY especially the chorus which is really inspirational. I also love the laid back feel to Electric. Not sure about Afterglow. Changes is superb on the album. Great start. Will post more later.

How clever to have adapted LIY to an acoustic version -would love to have heard that. I can't help but wonder if Gareth himself would have preferred to have released LIY as a single at some point rather than Changes or AOMS but I guess airplay was the issue and it seemed as if AOMS was a good prospect in this respect. Thanks so much for the detailed report Heather.

Bless him :heart:

Loved your report Khelda and so glad you enjoyed yourself. Was surprised and glad that hubby was with you. Is that a first? Wonder did he talk about the performance? Would be interseted to know what he thought as a non-fan - though maybe you have hauled him on board too now?! :shocked:

Excuse this late reply but I've been away for the weekend and I'm just catching up on all that's happened - love the clip of LIY - so refreshing to see and hear something more upbeat from Gareth - but it's not just that - it's a whole different genre. You have to admire his versatility.

He had massive chart success the last time round and he did not survive - the music business is very fickle and he needs credibility to survive. While we as fans all acknowledge his talent as a musician/songwriter it will take time for the wider audience to appreciate this and indeed some never will. Gareth has a lot of completely unfair stereotyped bias to overcome from those who are uninformed about him. A slower growth in success this time round may help him to last for longer. Of course Gareth wants chart success but I guess this time round he will not compromise himself to achieve it. I get the impression from Gareth that if people don't like what he has to offer then I think he'd rather do something else. He certainly has many options available - did anyone notice that operatic voice he has hidden until the start of the start of the Pop World interview?! :shocked:

Sometimes I think we have to accept that Gareth only wants his music to be heard - and any chart success he gets is just a bonus. He's true to himself so he won't hide the fact that he wrote AOMS for his Mum when he gives interviews or whatever. That being so, I hope 19 will see the wisdom of not including Wendy in the video (wink)

I know just how you feel Puppygates because that's what I was thinking as well about 19 being the next single. Surely the third single has to be Lost In You or Pictures?? I like AOMS too but I'm not sure it's the right song to connect with the listeners Gareth is not reaching with Changes. I understand that Gareth/19 feel that it should be a gradual change towards a new style of music - but I fear that this choice, lovely though it is, could be thought of as too sentimental. I remember cringing inwardly years ago when The Spice Girls did that song about Mum's even though it was quite a good song. I don't think it's going to do much for his image with the 18 -30 audience which is surely the one he is trying to reach??