[10.12.09] Review - Australian Idol's Stan Walker's debut Album, Introducing Stan Walker

Review - Australian Idol's Stan Walker's debut Album, Introducing Stan Walker

REVIEW: Stan Walker ran away with this year's Australian Idol title and his debut album's been rushed into print, but is it up to the mark? Read on.

THERE was a moment on Australian Idol when you knew Stan Walker should win.

Among the teenage karaoke on display Walker reinvented Beyonce's wom-anthem Single Ladies as a jazz strut.

Inexplicably, and sadly given it'd be a nice change of tempo, Single Ladies isn't on this covers album rushed out for Christmas. It wasn't for lack of space - Introducing Stan Walker does its introductions in 33 minutes.

Walker could teach the Australian Idol producers something about brevity.

Indeed, he sprints through Queen's We Will Rock You in 1'50" - shaving 10 seconds (and nearly all the grunt) off the original.

And he's taken the Idol truncation approach to his cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (based on the Jeff Buckley version). His beautiful but brief rendition jettisons some of those pesky verses and choruses to come in under three minutes.

But the reason Walker won is that voice. And that voice soars all over just-like-you-remember-them-on-TV-but-re-recorded-for-boring-contractual-reasons versions of Prince's Purple Rain (again in bite-size length), Al Green's Let's Stay Together, John Legend's Ordinary People and James Brown's It's a Man's Man's Man's World.

Walker glides effortlessly over the Carpenters' classic Superstar and his reading of Amazing Grace is more Luther Vandross than Susan Boyle.

The money shot? That may well be his take on Miley Cyrus's The Climb. Presumably inspired by Guy Sebastian's inspired gospel-tinged reading of the hit by the Nashville brat, it sounds like the kind of uplifting Idol winner's singles we used to get (indeed, it's this year's X Factor winner's song in the UK).

Speaking of Guy Sebastian, he produces (and plays nearly everything on) this album's other new track, Think of Me, a sprightly modern Motown romp that is far more old-school than Walker's commerical-radio-ready winner's single Black Box.

For post-Idol role models, Walker could do far worse than follow Mr Sebastian's lead.

So here's your swift introduction to that voice singing classic songs. Now comes the real test -- to write or find some of his own. CA

The verdict: 3 1/2*
In a word: promising

reviewed by Cameron Adams

Hikoi wrote:but he does say promising! What kind of reviewer is he normally? Anyone know?

josephineperrot wrote:Great to see you Kalavani..yes the album is great cant wait for the next one..hope you had a great xmas and new year
xx