The attractive 22-year-old Katharine McPhee known as a runner-up to Taylor Hicks on the fifth season of American Idol released her promising self-titled debut album. Katharine isn’t one of those mediocre girls with a big purse who suddenly find out a “talent” and become singing, she is a real professional. McPhee has been singing since the age of two. Her mother, Patricia Burch McPhee, a vocal coach and accomplished cabaret singer, recognized a talent for music in her daughter and decided to train her. After graduating from school she attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. McPhee left the college due to her manager's suggestion that she try out for television pilots in Los Angeles. She was eventually cast in the 2006 musical film Crazy, in local professional productions of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Annie Get Your Gun as a lead actress and was nominated in 2005 for the Theatre L.A. Ovation Award for this role. McPhee also took part in MTV soap opera entitled You Are Here. At the same time she continued her singing carrer touring with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and performing in three of his concerts during his tour in the United States.
As for the tracklist it’s rather long for the debut - 12 tracks. Moreover, absolutely all of the songs are interesting and certainly worth of listeners’ attention. The album turned out to be many-sided. The first track on the disk is Love Story, with its rapid puls and strong singing it reminds Christina Aguilera’s style. The second track is Over It - a soul-spiced, mid – tempo song, which is associated with Mary J. Blige. Two piano-based songs from this album - Ordinary World and Better Off Alone - we can compare with Mariah Carey-style. Of course these songs are beautiful, but they do nothing to illuminate who the 22-year-old California native is beyond a pretty girl with a pretty voice. The real highlights of this compilation are Home (a power ballad written by DioGuardi), Each Other, Neglected (which McPhee co-wrote), and a very tense song Open Toes. The last track is also very potential, this is a blue, thought-provoking, bittersweet and giving birth to hopes composition, which can be percieved as a soundtrack to some drama film with a happy end.
The album Katharine McPhee is no doubt an excellent work. The singer sounds very mature, maybe, because for all her tender years she was confronted with difficulties. Many people consider that to create a real masterpiece a man should seriously suffer, and so happened with Katharine. In June 2006, McPhee revealed to "People" magazine that she previously suffered from bulimia. After a period of about five years, she began treatment after qualifying for American Idol. During her run on American Idol, she lost 30 lbs. McPhee told that singing helped her to cope with the disease. Now she is very likable, nice, leggy young girl with the cascade of brown hair and, what is of more importance, today McPhee is full of beans and plans for the future. Her first successful relise doesn’t mean that she will continue only her singing career and give up acting. Katharine McPhee is sure that she can combine these two occupations and already in the beginning of February she will play herself in the Ugly Betty episode, "I'm Coming Out”.
NakedSolo artist Marques Houston has done what others said was impossible, he has created a quality, mature, and intriguing album. Naked is another job well done for the next in line for the Prince of R&B