Constantine Maroulis was voted off American Idol in 2005, before being a rocker was feasible on this “talent” show. He ended up in 6th place, hence his label’s name “6th Place Records”. His first solo CD, the self-titled “Constantine”, surfaced in 2007 and boasts an impressive assortment of established talent to help him make his own mark. Constantine seems to have found his niche somewhere in the Rob Thomas vibe, trying to infuse a bit of soul in his otherwise straight up pop rock.
The debut CD has its flaws and fillers, but has more pleasant surprises than negatives. First, I forgot how good his voice sounds. Constantine has an excellent voice for this genre and he knows how to please by reaching up for the dramatic notes at the appropriate times. Second, he’s recruited Philly songwriter Jim Boggia to pen a handful of songs; Jim is an awesome songwriter.
The first song had me worried. “Girl Like You” sounds like a Rob Thomas-Santana leftover, and is pretty generic and bland to me. I also don’t find his efforts to rock out sincere; “Child, You’re The Revolution” and “I Thought It Was Something” fall flat. But “Several Thousand” (also heard on Jim Boggia’s “Fidelity Is the Enemy”) and “Sister, Sister” are slow to mid-tempo numbers that sink their teeth in deep and keep hold of you. “Right To My Head” is another great mid-tempo track with a nice mix of acoustic and electric guitars and sing-a-long chorus. “So Long” is a simple acoustic appeal that finds Constantine pining for a lost love, but he hits all the right buttons and the sparse arrangement puts his voice in the spotlight…and it shines. “Heaven Help The Lonely” is a nice upbeat track near the end of the CD, and you’ll be singing this chorus for the rest of the day.
Funny – I usually gravitate to the more upbeat numbers when listening to CDs, but for Constantine, I seem to prefer the ballads and mid-tempo numbers. If you were a fan of him on American Idol, the CD is a no brainer; for the rest of you, few pop rock fans will be disappointed with this release. It should have been a much bigger success! I look forward to the follow up...
iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11
Constantine on MySpace.
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