Worcestershire | Archive | 2002 | November | 6
From the archive, first published Wednesday 6th Nov 2002.
One star
If you think about it, it seems like an extraordinary amount of time and labour has gone in to this album.
From the first TV auditions, through the massive publicity campaigns to the orchestration of the backing tracks.
Which is why this 16-song collection is even more of a damp squib than it looked like it was going to be.
Gareth's defenders might say that despite the unimaginative musical shortcomings inherent in most gooey teen pop, at least he can sing.
Well he can, but frankly he sounds like a girl and though it's not been unknown for blokes to camp it up like the ladies before, poor old Gazza just sounds weedy and essentially soulless, which sums up the whole sorry exercise.
His producers have played it incredibly straight taking no risks whatsoever.
Cover versions of Suspicious Minds and Unchained Melody, near the start of the album, are predictably tame but by the time you've suffered the rest of the saccharine ballads and limp, hackneyed disco tunes, they can be reassessed in a slightly more favourable light.
Bargain bin, here we come.
JS
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