Ace Young releases debut CD on Tuesday: Review

American Idol is like a time machine: unknown singers become immediate household names by singing songs from the distant past only to find that most of them wind up instant has-beens after recording songs in the present tense. In the time it has taken Season 5 finalist Ace Young to record his debut album, that season's top two (Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee) have already come and gone and Season 6 runner-up Blake Lewis similarly lost his deal after he dropped a stink bomb on a weary public.

Young, who finished in seventh place, largely on his good looks and amiable personality rather than his non-existent singing voice, earned royalties for cowriting fellow competitor Daughtry's smash single, It's Not Over. But based on Ace Young (in stores July 15), his feckless debut CD, his singing career should be over before you finish reading this blog review. Executive producer and cosongwriter Desmond Child (Kiss, Bon Jovi, Cher, Ricky Martin) provides his client a commercial pop/R&B sound -- if this were still the 1980s or '90s. Young's thin, colorless voice swings somewhere between Micheal Jackson/George Michael but he lacks their distinctive stamp. Still other times, as on Addicted, he winds up a B-list Justin Timberlake wannabe so that basically makes him a copy of a copy. Without a style to call his own and lacking memorable songs (a problem for which Child should shoulder the blame) poor Young's time is up.

Comments

[Jenni]

Ace who?

[Linny]

Did you listen to the same music I did? There are some really good dance tunes on this CD and Ace has an energy that's really catchy. I can hear several of these songs on Hot AC stations, maybe even top 40, if we can get past the dreadful lollipops and umbrellas droning on.

[scattered]

Wow I dont think you even listened. He has amazing vocals. His career is just getting started. you redeem me is beautiful. And I want to get up and dance with alot of the others. yes it has an eighties vibe but it has a current stamp that makes it sound like it is todays music.

[Nancy]

Thin, colorless voice? The songs give me a range going from chills to tears to my eyes. The emotion coming from his flawless voice makes you feel his soul. Go back and give it another listen, I bet you'll think differently. Better yet, go see him live when he's in your area, and you will change your mind.

[Pam]

I strongly disagree with you on this one, Howard. I love Ace's smooth R&B sound and am equally impressed when he hits the glory notes in a few of these songs. This CD has a great dance vibe. Is it a throwback to the 80's and 90's? Maybe so, but I love music from that era. I intend to pick up a copy of this CD.

[Christine from LV]

Make no mistake, Ace is distinctive. His unique stamp is that he is an amazing singer, songwritter, performer, and he is like no other when it comes to his fans! This is the beginning for him. I think you need to listen to the CD again or better yet...Catch Ace performing live, you just may change your mind.

[Sarah]

His music is amazing! There is so much meaning to every song, a story to each one. If you heard him in person, you would think otherwise. He sings with such passion.

[Sarah]

His music is amazing! There is so much meaning to every song, a story to each one. If you heard him in person, you would think otherwise. He sings with such passion.

[Tracy]

Howard, I completely disagree with your assessment of Ace's CD. The upbeat songs are catchy and fun. Not to mention his vocals truly shine on the ballads, You Redeem Me and How You Gonna Spend Your Life. I wonder if we listened to same CD.

[Hope from GA]

Wow, it's truly a shame that you came into this with your mind made up that you weren't going to like this album before even listening.

It's sad that you focused on Ace's looks rather than the fact that he beat out thousands of contestants to be deemed worthy to compete by the judges and show's producers. You mentioned a few Idols who haven't risen to the top in a hugely competitive business, but failed to recognize that these judges and producers are the same people who saw the talent of Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, and Kelly Clarkson.

As for the songs being memorable, I've had them in my head from my first listen. Each song brings a new flavor to enjoy. The lyrics for each song tell powerful stories and the music is loaded with subtleties and surprises. I discover something new each time I listen. This is an album that was put together with great thought.

Ace has an amazing voice. He can go from strong to soft, low to high, seamlessly and effortlessly. What is unique about Ace is his passion and conviction for what he is singing. That is something I find refreshing compared to some of the "cookie cutter" artists on the radio today. His music is representative of all I have enjoyed about music in the last few decades as well as what I enjoy today.

I will listen to this album over and over.

[Michaelene]

Howard, I think you are way off the mark on this one. Ace Young's vocals are far from thin and colorless. As an artist, he is very versatile as well as very distinctive. That is what makes him AND the CD so impressive. It is not a mundane repetition of basically the same 11 songs as is the case with many. I would be much more inclined to take your critique seriously were it not laced with obvious distaste for American Idol performers in general. I wonder if you actually listened to the entire album.

[Brentwood]

Do you follow these peoples' careers at all? A couple of the people that you said have "come and gone" haven't gone anywhere. Taylor is working on Broadway. Katharine has a movie in theatres in August, her second album is out by the end of the year, and is the new spokesperson for Neutrogena's anti-acne line. I like Ace, but he would be happy if his album sells as well as either of theirs has.

[Laura]

Please listen to the CD again. The man can write a hook! Also, the music is REAL - no 80s synthesizers or drum machines here!

[wtgm3]

Mr. Cohen, I am sorry, but seems to me that you went into listening to Ace's cd with prejudice against him. Idol is a great springboard. Not always does all of the talent of the person come out during the show. Ace was incredible during the AI tour, and his cd is incredible now. I would recommend you go read his bio on his site, acemusic.com . He took 2 years to develop the album he wanted; in other words, he didn't go the conventional way. He played gigs for 2 years to get to record and write with those who are the top names in the business, and they used real instruments on there, for example, the strings, which the Nashville Synmphony Orchestra recorded for him. His site says, in fact, that he and his team might have developed "a model for the future of the recording industry." He is not a Grammy nominated songwriter for nothing. He knows how to write. I would suggest you go get some sleep and listen again. The Ace Young you are referring to is not the same one I and those who have posted here have come to know over the last 2 years.

[wtgm3]

Mr. Cohen, I am sorry, but seems to me that you went into listening to Ace's cd with prejudice against him. Idol is a great springboard. Not always does all of the talent of the person come out during the show. Ace was incredible during the AI tour, and his cd is incredible now. I would recommend you go read his bio on his site, acemusic.com . He took 2 years to develop the album he wanted; in other words, he didn't go the conventional way. He played gigs for 2 years to get to record and write with those who are the top names in the business, and they used real instruments on there, for example, the strings, which the Nashville Synmphony Orchestra recorded for him. His site says, in fact, that he and his team might have developed "a model for the future of the recording industry." He is not a Grammy nominated songwriter for nothing. He knows how to write. I would suggest you go get some sleep and listen again. The Ace Young you are referring to is not the same one I and those who have posted here have come to know over the last 2 years.

[wtgm3]

Mr. Cohen, I am sorry, but seems to me that you went into listening to Ace's cd with prejudice against him. Idol is a great springboard. Not always does all of the talent of the person come out during the show. Ace was incredible during the AI tour, and his cd is incredible now. I would recommend you go read his bio on his site, acemusic.com . He took 2 years to develop the album he wanted; in other words, he didn't go the conventional way. He played gigs for 2 years to get to record and write with those who are the top names in the business, and they used real instruments on there, for example, the strings, which the Nashville Synmphony Orchestra recorded for him. His site says, in fact, that he and his team might have developed "a model for the future of the recording industry." He is not a Grammy nominated songwriter for nothing. He knows how to write. I would suggest you go get some sleep and listen again. The Ace Young you are referring to is not the same one I and those who have posted here have come to know over the last 2 years.

[Adriane]

First of all, shame on you for not supporting "Miami's own" Desmond Child...Did you know that he is the Executive Producer on the album, plus he split the production cost 50/50 with Ace? I"m glad that you kinda enjoyed "Addicted" but did you bother to listen to "You Redeem Me" which was written by THE Diane Warren a.k.a. The QUEEN of Power Ballads?

I'm sorry Howard but i strongly disagree with you. Ace DOES have a style of his OWN on this album. Ace WROTE 7 of the 11 songs on the album...so these songs are emotionally RAW and come straight from Ace's heart. It's very obvious that Ace was MEANT to not only sing but to write songs...and his GRAMMY-NOMINATION for Daughtry's "It's Not Over" is certainly PROOF of that. And the SOUND on the album is a BLEND of Rock and R&B...these are genres that LOTS of people younger and older seem to enjoy these days. And each song tells a STORY and the album uses REAL LIVE INSTRUMENTS.

For me personally, all you need is a good sound and a good story....if you have both then you have the PERFECT SONG...and in my honest opinion, Ace does the job just right!! ;-)

[Jane]

Howard, you are clueless. Absolutely clueless. What a shame.

[Jeff Runrgren]

Interesting approach to article, I think your spot on with your angle towards Idol. However, I think Ace has a distinctive edge, I love his new tracks like Fast Life, Young Money and the Gift.
Very fresh and yet retro at the same time! I hope your wrong about this one. Pretty sure you are.

[Bob Boyd]

Howard, you're way off the mark on this one. Judging by all the thoughtful comments on this page, I'm not the only one who thinks so. Ace is not only collecting royalties for co-writing "It's Not Over" with Chris Daughtry, he was also nominated for a Grammy for co-writing it. In fact, it is Ace who came up with the catchy chorus for that song. There's nothing "feckless" about that and there's nothing feckless about his debut CD. I think it is well-written, well-sung, and well-produced. My hat is off to both Ace Young and Desmond Child.

[Bob Boyd]

Howard, you're way off the mark on this one. Judging by all the thoughtful comments on this page, I'm not the only one who thinks so. Ace is not only collecting royalties for co-writing "It's Not Over" with Chris Daughtry, he was also nominated for a Grammy for co-writing it. In fact, it is Ace who came up with the catchy chorus for that song. There's nothing "feckless" about that and there's nothing feckless about his debut CD. I think it is well-written, well-sung, and well-produced. My hat is off to both Ace Young and Desmond Child.

[Anthony]

Mr. Cohen, obviously you've never heard Ace Young sing live with a full band, it simply blows you away! He has a powerful, talented voice. You would be convinced that Ace Young should've been in the Top 3 that season of AI, instead of the drivel we ended up with in the Top 2.

[Jessie]

It sounds more to me that you have a personal dislike for Ace, not for his music. But if that's the case, you've become too attached to the bland pop, rock, and R&B music you hear on the radio, because Ace took his time to create a REAL album filled with music that meaning and content to it.

[eaglewatcher]

Mr. Cohen, when I read your review my jaw dropped. Maybe that is what you intended to do. I cannot believe that we are talking about the same CD. There's not much I can add to the wonderful, thoughtful comments above that I've just read, especially those of 'Hope from GA' -- it's all been pretty much said. What I will say is that if you were to open-mindedly, without interruption, listen to Ace's CD, you would appreciate not only Ace's incredible vocal abilities, but the musical arrangements, the originality, and the songs like You Redeem Me that just simply grab you. If you would do this, with an open mind, I believe you would hear what all of us hear... and what a special treat that is.

[Darla]

What Hope said!!

[HoCo]

Interesting how everyone has such strong favorable reactions to an album THAT ISN'T EVEN OUT YET!!! Critics get advances. How is it that everyone else is so sure the critic is "wrong?"
Speaking as the critic: I have nothing personal against Ace. Never met him. Neither have you. Just got to call it like I hear it. Desmond Child was one of my favorite pop songwriters but, in my view, he hasn't written a great song since 1989.

[Lane]

hi HoCo, hope your summer is going well

Clay Aiken fans have Claymidia
and Mr. Young's fans have Syphill-Ace

[Christine from LV]

You are right, the CD isn't out yet, it will be released on July 15th. With a little research you would have seen that the entire CD is posted at AOL for a listening party:

http://music.aol.com/songs/new_releases_full_cds

Also many of Ace's songs are on his myspace page and we have been listening to them for a couple of months now.

http://www.myspace.com/aceyoung

Speak for yourself if you have never met Ace. Ace is on a national radio tour promoting his CD. He has met 1000's of people, some are faithful fans and some are new fans he makes along the way.

Your opinion is how you see it, we don't have to agree with you.

[Den]

Love Ace's CD...Hate your opinion!

[Stephanie]

I was surprised when I read your "review" of the CD, because I heard it, and it is AMAZING!! "Addicted" is doing very well, and his second single "You Redeem Me" is getting up there pretty quickly. So I don't think he's going to have to worry about his singing career. And I noticed that you commented on how far he got on American Idol. He did not get that far because of his good looks. Yes, it's the first thing you see when you look at him, but I can tell you that he did not make it to 7th place out of the thousands and thousands of people who auditioned based on his looks. Do you think Simon and Randy would have chosen someone to go through to the next round based on their looks?? Ace made it to the top 24 because he was chosen by the judges based on his great voice. He made it to 7th place, because of his voice. And I'm not saying that everyone voted for him because of his voice, but most of them did. And that's why he made it that far. It doesn't even matter now, cause he's done with AI, and he is on to better things. I like his CD, as do MANY MANY other people, and Ace is very pleased with it, so that's all that matters to me.

[Judy]

Ha, ha, it's just not your week HoCo. First you get slammed repeatedly for writing a prejudicial review based on your personal bias against Mr. Young instead of on the quality of the work he has produced and then you try to justify your review by posting your comment without doing research and finding out that Ace's music has been available to the public for a little while now. Yes, we've heard it, yes, we like it, yes, we'll buy it, and yes, many of us have had the pleasure of meeting him. Would you like to try for strike three?

[texas toast]

Mr. Cohen, the point isn't necessarily that "the critic is wrong." The critic is entitled to whatever opinion he likes. But what is insulting is "the critic" incorrectly assumed that fans blindly rallied behind Ace. You didn't even take time to consider that the fans responding might have the goods to back up their opinions and be just as "right" as you consider yourself.

I am glad Ace's promoters allowed the full cd to be previewed on AOL music. Listeners can hear the music for themselves and not have to rely on the opinions of critics who appear to be carrying a two year old opinion from a karaoke show.

As a member of the press, if you ever have the opportunity to interview or meet Ace Young, I hope you will take advantage of it. I am sure you will be impressed.

[Justin]

I don't know what you're going on about, Howard.
I listened to Ace's full CD on AOL and LOVED it! Have you read Billboard's review? Their reviewer was impressed with it too.

[HoCo]

As with the Clay Aiken CD, for which I was hammered by fans, time will tell if any of these Ace fans mobilize and actually BUY the CD they profess to love. Clay's CD bombed commercially and there's no disputing that.
Ace's Addicted isn't a hit, not yet anyway. Give me one concrete example of how "Addicted" has been a hit? Is it atop a Billboard chart? No. Is it atop iTunes sale chart? Nope.
Granted, sales and quality don't always equate.
I don't mind being hammered by fans. I appreciate the readers. Keep 'em coming and thanks for writing in. Of course, we'll have to agree to disagree. I state my opinion, I don't care what a Billboard reviewer says.

[Howard]

Mr Cohen, whether or not you like the CD matters little to me. I enjoy Ace's voice and music very much, and have pre-ordered it, and your review has no real influence on that. However, your assumptions are surprising and a little prejudicial, at least at first glance.
I am sure some of the people posting here have met Ace, albeit briefly, both as he toured with AI, and touring since. Ace has made himself highly available to his fans, both in support of his career and in fundraising efforts for charity.
To paint all fans with the same stroke of the 'Claymate' brush is a bit easy and unfortunate, a group you have less than fond memories. Most of the posts simply reported their appreciation of it, with little more than asking you to take a new look.
While you seem to believe you are being hammered by the fans, I am shocked you would consider 33 posts to be hammered. And you have 2 of those 33 posts, and there are a few that agree with you. Hardly seems like you should feel either intimidated or over run with 30 posts.
Most of those posts simply state their own opinion of the preview they heard online, which you apparently didn't know about. [Yes, indeed, AOL has preview parties all the time, you should check it out sometime. Lots of stuff to be found on the web.] Most have calmly given their opinion, knowing full well you would not be willing to take a new look at the CD. Indeed we will have to agree to disagree, as it appears you had your mind made up some time ago.

[Music Fan]

Howard, being a critic can't be easy. Seeing as you are always having to stand by your words - it is kind of similar to an artist standing by their work that in your profession you so easily criticize. I'm sure Ace would not be effected by your comments, but would very graciously discuss his love for music, long history as an aritst and songwriter prior to being on American Idol (writing and performing with the likes of Brian McKnight and others) and how difficult it is to navigate through a business that has even major labels confused. Thanks for taking the time to review Ace's record. If you had the pleasure to talk with Ace about it, I'm sure you might have given much more respect to what he has accomplished as an artist, but maybe not. I love the songs and arrangments and appreciate the work that went into this record. Ace's story is really amazing! As a music lover first, I would highly recommend this album to those that love live instrumentation, passionate vocals and a unique diversity that somehow flows together into a very dynamic and complete album.

Howard, best of luck to you in your writing!

Great job Ace! You were amazing with your band in Orlando on July 3rd!

[Lesley]

I can't believe the barrage of emails this review has provoked. It's almost, well, completely absurd! Are these the same fans who voted for Taylor Hicks, too?

[Chris]

Wow, no one even bothers mentioning The Letter? In my humbled opinion, best song I have heard all year - I just can't seem to get enough of the Chorus. And as for the rest of the album? Pretty much just as impressive - Addicted, How You Gonna Spend Your Life (POWERFUL chorus!), Fast Life, You Redeem Me and A Hard Hand To Hold are ALL some of the year's best songs I have heard. I'm with the majority here...did we REALLY listen to the same album?

I'm really glad I picked this album up and I'm not surprised in the least at how great it turned out to be. I really hope it does well because the quality is just so amazing, both from a songwriting AND production perspective. It shows a lot of time and care has been spent in creating an album the fans can truly be proud of.

Note: I've been noticing that it's all the females who come out and defend Ace and it does annoy me that the guys, well...seem intimidated for the most part and will NEVER give credit where it's due. Such a shame because what Ace and Desmond did here is create an album that surpasses anything any other "Idol" contestant has released. I may be a bit biased as I'm a HUGE Michael Jackson fan and can totally hear the influences all over the album, but...oh well (it DOES have a feel of its own as well.)

A BIG cheers goes out to Ace! Looks like all that hard work has really paid off in the end.

PS: Overall, reviews have been extremely positive. It seems Rolling Stone gave it a 5/5? Is this true?

[fanofmanyidols]

There was a comment that there were many favorable reviews before the CD was out. I bought it the other day and I agree with many of the other comments....OUTSTANDING. I hesitated in buying it at first and now I tell anyone who will listen how good it is. A Hard Hand to Hold and the Letter are 2 of my favorites right out of the starting gate and could compete with anything out there in radio land right now. Now if only the music community and the general population will give it a chance.