Corbin Bleu Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
Corbin Bleu has grown up a lot since his first album in 2007. All fresh-faced and innocent on the cover of Another Side, Bleu looks like a man on the cover of 2009's Speed of Light, dressed all in black, sporting sculpted arms and wispy facial hair. He has a sound to match his makeover, ditching the sugary Disney Radio pop in favor of a slick, stylish, modern R&B, driven by rhythmic hooks instead of melody. Bleu winds up with an album that plays FutureSex/LoveSounds with the sex removed; he has the shimmering synths, the chilly sound, but he's still singing about puppy love, he's still a teen idol. The same can also be said of Speed of Light as a whole: so much of the album is draped in threads borrowed from Timberlake/Timbaland that it's easy to overlook the lingering elements of Radio Disney, even when the strongest reminder, "Moments That Matter," arrives at the beginning of the record. "Moments That Matter" isn't only the lead single from the album, it was featured in Bleu's feature film Free Style, a reminder of how Bleu's not just a singer, he's a four-quadrant entertainer ready to tackle any medium he can. Speed of Light doesn't quite play up this ready-to-please element of the High School Musical alum. Perhaps wisely, it's intended to make Bleu into a presence on the pop charts outside of any movie or Disney affiliation and even if the attempt doesn't quite work, it's easy to chalk it up to growing pains, not a deficiency in Bleu himself. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Straight off the success of another Disney movie (High School Musical followed by Jump In), teen heartthrob Corbin Bleu released his debut, Another Side, ostensibly to show that there's more to him than just his acting and his pretty face. However, what the album illustrates most of all is that Bleu has an impressive production and songwriting team and plenty of money to make a hit record rather than any particular immense talent of his own. The singer's voice is decent in its own right, though not spectacular, and fits the kind of pop/R&B that's being churned out in spades, but Bleu isn't able to give himself much of an identity or personality beyond that. The music itself doesn't help, either. The 12 tracks that make up Another Side don't distinguish themselves from any other of the teen pop songs out there. They are catchy, but only in the most generic of ways, with too many synthesized beats and other instruments that are processed beyond the point of recognition. Yes, there are moments when Bleu seems to find his voice -- the stalkerish "Homework," the Ne-Yo-penned "I Get Lonely" -- but more often than not the tracks all seem to be knock-offs of older Disney faves *NSYNC (and similarly, Justin Timberlake, who Bleu often seems to be mimicking) or even the Cheetah Girls; it's pure TV-channel-created pop, meant to support and reflect the tween dynasty they've created. Bleu and Co. are trying to appeal to a sense of fun, to singing along in the car with your friends (as your mom drives), but it's so generic and produced it doesn't even do that. And with that one objective failed, Another Side loses its own purpose completely. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
