Morgan Lanyon
In 2011, season 10 of American Idol reached new heights with a contestant by the name of James Durbin, who begged everyone to give metal a chance. Now, in 2014, Durbin has just released his second album titled Celebrate. And although Durbin finished fourth on the show, he shows a promising career in music with this album, but disappoints dedicated fans who expected more from this long-awaited album.
This new album does not seem to compare whatsoever to Durbin’s previous album Memories of a Beautiful Disaster. When Durbin was eliminated from Idol, people said it was because he refused to abandon his metal/rock style. And that was the main reason I continued to listen to the music he produced, because he stuck by himself. But now this new album shows that he appears to have succumbed to society’s norm that pop is what the world wants.
The first single of the album “Parachute,” which Durbin performed on Conan on March 3rd, is what I like to classify as “pop-rock.” The song is catchy, but that isn’t the problem. I feel myself waiting for the metal moments that Durbin is known for, but to no avail. The song is good, don’t get me wrong, but compared to Durbin’s last album single “Higher than Heaven,” I am disappointed.
I listened to the whole album multiple times waiting for a song that would get my attention. Waiting for that one moment where I would smile in excitement and think “that’s the real James Durbin.” But that moment never came. Instead I was greeted with pop-sounding songs about love and self-empowerment, when I really wanted was to hear him scream about being an outcast, which is what he has been known for.
The album has a great selection of catchy songs, and to a new listener, would seem to be perfect in every way. However, for those who have been fans of Durbin from the beginning, the album is a letdown. It is off-putting to listen to these, dare I say preppy, songs when all I want is to hear him shriek and let me live through my phase of being a teen without a cause. As a huge fan of Durbin, I am disheartened to give this album a B minus.
