Michael John's "Hold Back My Heart" Could and Should be Better

Took me a while to finally get a handle on American Idols' surprisingly early booted off candidate Michael Johns album. He was actually my favorite, in the voice and looks department anyway. I still love his voice and wish Hold Back My Heart was a better album!

Blues and soul suit Michael Johns very well, his voice can shine best then. The arrangements of this album so are nothing but ultra boring. Worse! They even sound cheap, the whole recording sounds cheap!

There's something to it, to be the winner! While David Cook's first album isn't exactly perfect either, it sounds so much better! And let's room and hope for more. I am definitely looking forward to David Cooks sophomore album. And I truly love him as an artist. His voice is warm and disarming.

There's another idol who's first album I'll be waiting for: Adam Lambert. I just hope he can be original and he'll find great musicians to work with. He won't make it alone with his voice. Or awesome looks.

Quickly back to Michael Johns: the songs I like best are "Fire" an up-tempo, flavorful arrangement, and the soft and slow number with the same name as the album, "Hold Back My Heart", is beautiful too - but this alone doesn't make me buy the whole album.

Okay, let's see with what these "Idols" come up with next...

-- By Elke