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Forward
by Cbuj Ent
| List Price: |
$15.98 |
Unavailable for
purchase at this time |
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Audio CD
Publisher: Cbuj Ent
Format: Import
| Customer Reviews: |
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| She got game, both on the court and on record. |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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0n the court Ayla can weave through defenders with the greatest of ease to go up for an uncontested layup while leaving her opponents in the dust. 0n the album, she weaves a tapestry of words and music with the greatset of ease as well.
0n the court, Ayla gets in your face and blocks shots and prevents opponents from getting anywhere near the basket. 0n the album, the emotion Ayla sings with hits you in the face just as hard.
So when your describing Ayla's performance, you could be describing either her music or her basketball abilities.
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| Really 3.5, good effort, AI missed out |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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Ayla should have gone much farther, certainly as far as Kat McPhee, on AI. Her voice is just as strong without the aloofness of KM. I prefer Tina Arena's version of "River" but overall, the CD is a good 1st effort and sadly, better than Taylor Hicks post AI CD and I like Taylor Hicks. He's cool live so catch him that way. On this CD, standouts are Forward, Falling into You and Know You Better. I'm conflicted over Suga. It's catchy but really hard to nail down the beat. I guess that makes her a better singer because I could never sing along with it. The song Breaking Away however; is totally high school musical. It should be in a Disney TV original about b'ball. Ten Cent Wings doesn't thrill me, either. I hope she comes up with more.
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| Going to buy it |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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I really thought this little gal had a GREAT voice, well, at least of what I heard of it. She was gone too soon for sure. I didn't know she had an album out and I just went thru and listened to the previews. Great vocals. I'm probably going to purchase it. We've got to keep these wonderful talents heads above water! These short little cuts sure beat the heck out of alot of the crapola I heard on The Grammy Awards tonight. Go figure.......
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| 'Forward' exemplifies Brown's drive & determination |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Although she did not make the finals on the fifth season of FOX's hit show 'American Idol,' Ayla Brown struck a chord with many Americans due to her immense talent, both vocally and athletically. Ayla finished 13th, being beat out by Melissa McGhee for the final female spot in the Top 12. Though she undoubtedly deserved to go further, it seems things have worked out quite nicely regardless.
'Forward' is littered with ballads, Radio Disney-esque pop hits and soulful tracks. Considering the album was recorded in one a week, it is amazing to see what has transpired over the past few months. Of course the highlight of the album is Ayla's voice, which is enough to make any song amazing.
1) "Know You Better" (8.5/10) A cover off of UK popstar Ruby Amanfu's 2002 album 'Smoke and Honey,' "Know You Better" is a great track to start off the album. It's catchy, fun and very radio-friendly. I think the bridge could have been re-written, but it works regardless.
2) "If I Was a River" (9/10) Originally written for Tina Arena by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Diane Warren, "If I Was a River" is truly an underrated song. This ballad shows off Ayla's range, as she magnificently reaches some high notes near the end of the song.
3) "Sugah" (7/10) Another cover, "Sugah" again was originally sung by Ruby Amanfu. Though it is uptempo, this song sounds a little dated. It's fun and poppy, just not one of the standouts for me.
4) "I Quit" (6.5/10) A cover of the British girl band Hepburn, this is one of my least favorite tracks. This is the one song where Ayla's vocals are stretched too thin, especially during the chorus. It sounds like a second-string Kelly Clarkson song. Again the bridge is lackluster, as it is filled with 'da da da da''s instead of lyrics.
5) "Forward" (10/10) This is my favorite song on the album. The lyrics are meaningful, and Ayla sings with such passion. The gospel choir in the bridge adds a great feeling of emotion. This could be a huge hit at adult contemporary radio.
6) "Breaking Away" (6/10) My least favorite track on the album. Although the song takes a unique approach and tries to be different by including basketball-themed sound effects, it doesn't do much for me. It's a fun song and it shows the connection to Ayla's basketball talents, but it does nothing to showcase her range and instead sounds as if it were to come straight out of a Disney Chanel original movie.
7) "Falling Into You" (9.5/10) "Falling Into You" completes the album for me. Ayla sounds amazing on this R&B-tinged cut, and it has 'hit' written all over it. It is everything radio is looking for, and is one of the most contemporary songs on 'Forward.' Hearing what Ayla can do with this kind of material, I hope she further pursues R&B in the future. Also, the fact that Ayla co-wrote this is quite a feat in itself.
8) "Thanks to You" (8/10) Also co-written by Ayla, "Thanks to You" is the most personal song on the album. The song is a 'thank you' note to all those who have supported Ayla, including her family, friends and fans. The sentimentality of the song overrides the clichéd lyrics, and the melody is pretty catchy.
9) "Miles Away" (8.5/10) The simplicity of "Miles Away" is refreshing. In an era where overproduction of tracks is as common as Dunkin' Donuts messing up your coffee, it's nice to hear a song that lets the artist's vocals do the talking. Ayla proves she can hold her own with limited assistance and the finished product is a testament to what true talent can accomplish.
10) "Ten Cent Wings" (8.5/10) The album's final cover, "Ten Cent Wings," is similar to "Miles Away" in that it is not over-produced, which is a plus. The piano accompaniment adds to the rawness of the song.
11) "Forward (Unplugged)" - 10/10 - The most basic song on the album, it is also the most impressive. Untouched by any enhancements, this version of "Forward" is nothing short of amazing. I'd like to see other artists Ayla's age try to pull this off. Just beautiful.
As you can see, I'm impressed with Ayla's first studio effort. Yes, there are both high and low points on 'Forward,' but realistically, is there any album that doesn't have them? I truly think we will all get to look back on this album one day and marvel at the fact that Ayla was able to pull this off despite having little formal vocal training. Ayla can move 'Forward' from this.
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| Vastly Underrated Contestant produces excellent album. |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Music albums are hit or miss these days. With so much focus on a "single", which can be played on a radio, the quality of an entire album can often be forgotton. Thankfully, with Ayla's first (of hopefully many more) albums is striking in the fact that on the album, not one song is of poor quality. Well, maybe Sugah is, but that is a cover of a song that was originally in the atrocious "From Justin to Kelly", so not her fault.
Know You Better: 7/10
Know you better was a curious choice for the first single. The song comes off great in some parts, cheesy in others. Not bad overall
I Quit: 7/10
I Quit, the second half of the first single, is very similar to the first song, in that when Ayla is singing it sounds great, but that the unnecessary "da da da yeahs" add unnecessary cheesiness.
Sugah: 6/10
Probably the worst song on the album (as well as the only cover), Sugah is cheesy almost the entire way through, though the lyrics are nice.
Forward: 10/10
Forward is a masterpeice. This is Ayla showing off the very best of her considerable vocals, and it seems unbelieveable that the song was recorded in under 5 days.
Breaking Away: 8/10
Breaking Away is a solid song, but as the "sports anthem song" as which it is billed, it seems out of place. However, the entire song does come off very nice and enjoyable to listen to.
Falling into You: 9/10
One of the better songs on the album, Falling into you is probably the most radio-ready also. With it's slight R&B touch on the pleasant pop vocal, it makes for very easy listening while still sounding hip.
Thanks to you: 9/10
Ayla's personal thank-you to her fans is the closest Ayla comes to rock on the album, and a very nice job it does as well, adding yet another touch of variety that Falling into you had already done.
Miles Away: 8.5/10
Miles away is a good song made more pleasent by the fact that is is done primarily acapella. However, it is too short, and made me wish there was more to it.
10 cent wings: 9/10
This is the most emotional song on the album, and Ayla sings it with superb tenderness. It would be the best song on the album....but for some odd reason, the writers chose to implement an unnecessary backbeat to the song, which distracts from the great Ayla-piano combo the song had going.
All in all, a fine album, with no song scoring under a 7.
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Know You Better
If I Was A River
Sugah
I Quit
Forward
Breaking Away
Falling Into You
Miles Away
Thanks To You
Ten Cent Wings
Forward
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