idina. - Idina Menzel

idina.
Idina Menzel
2016
Spotify

Oddly this new pop record from Frozen songstress Idina Menzel has been released to very little media buzz or clamoring. First and foremost Her voice is fucking incredible, of this we are well aware, however on this new record idina. she attempts to stretch her wings into a more pop sound. It's strange because with Her delivery she is able make any song soar higher than it ever would have before but pulling an entire album forward is another thing entirely. You are not going to get much variety on idina. it is either a love song or a female empowerment anthem, nothing else. The songs are big and bold but the content is so overdone that anything new Idina may be bringing to the table is lost in the blandness. At time her voice is almost too good to be a pop singer, there is no edge and no risk. As each track starts you can tell exactly where it is going and 9 times out of 10 on this album you will be right. However that is always where this album was going to land. Idina was never going to appeal to an indie crowd, or the electronic music scene, this album was going to be right down the middle of the road. She is clearly more talented that many of the singers in her same pool, but translating that to a record is really tough.

However, do not for a second think that there are not times that this record will give you chills. There is time after time when that voice is let loose on a track that the goosebumps appear almost instantly and don't fade. But, those moments are not enough to keep you interested in the record. On "Queen of Swords" Menzel makes a move towards the electronic (sort of), but it is so base level that any impact it may have had is simply lost. "I Do" is billed as a song made to represent Menzels divorce from actor Taye Diggs, but it is so broad and generic that any personal emotion that may have been there never translates. "Cake" is again another female empowerment song masked in some of the nomenclature of today's youth and an odd sounding reggae beat. It really feels like pandering big time and is a real downer on the record. In the end however Menzel ends and begins with her voice and that is absolutely the greatest part of this album, all the other elements however are a major let down. I thought I could listen to her sing almost anything, but I may have been wrong.

5.1 out of 10