As I Am

I had heard great things about Kristin Chenoweth well before I ever heard her sing. I remember her getting lots of good press for her performance in YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN and, later, WICKED of course. But even though I officially live close enough to New York to consider heading in to see a show, I never did catch either of those productions. I finally did get to see her on a EVENING AT THE (Boston) POPS special on PBS though and remember being suitably impressed. She was genuinely sweet and funny--and when she pulled out all the vocal stops, well, WOW!Her first solo effort, LET YOURSELF GO (the one with two different covers) had her in full-out Broadway mode. (I was about to say "Broadway DIVA mode," but that's just it, she's not really all that diva-esque in her manner or affect.) That kind of music may or may not be your thing, but when it's done right, you've got to admit it's darn impressive. She was very much in her element on that one, so it came as a surprise when she switched over to a side interest, Contemporary Christian Pop, for her second solo outing, AS I AM.I'd never fault performers for wanting to reveal different aspects of their art or themselves to their fans, but on your sophomore effort?? Is that really wise? Well, I guess if you count the cast albums Chenoweth had appeared on, AS I AM is not really SOPHOMORE effort--maybe more like a "summer session extra credit" or something. And even though I'm pretty secular myself, my reservations about this record have little to do with its subject matter. It's more that Christian pop is, first and foremost, POP. If you weren't paying attention to the words, you'd think it was just slick, commercial pop music--which it is, essentially.There are, in fact, a few songs on the record which really are not specifically Christian in their orientation, like the opener "It Will Be Me," which seems to be your standard profession-of-love song. This expression of the ultimate love and loyalty COULD conceivably be interpreted as being sung from the point-of-view of Christ or a Christ-like figure and not just a mere mortal, madly in love. But I think that a bit of a stretch. This one's really just secular. But musically and emotionally, it pretty much is of a piece with the rest of the record. Unless you're focusing on the lyrics, you're scarcely going to notice what's Christian and what's secular here.One rather "poppy" trait MOST of the songs share, in fact, is that very few of them tax Ms. Chenoweth's much vaunted vocal prowess much. Of course, it's not necessary for a great singer to lay on the ornamentation on every track--just the opposite, in fact. Still the neophyte listener here would never guess that Kristin Chenoweth is an impressive coloratura soprano when she wants to be. But maybe in a Contemporary Christian context strutting your vocal stuff might seem too PROUD or something. The title of one track, "Power," suggests that it might be the show stopper we know her to be capable of, but it turns out it's her attempt at a Christian rock song and all chops go to the guitar--and the gospel flavored back up singers. The one track where she lets loose with a few dramatic, operatic swoops is "Upon This Rock," the CD's official closer (before the bonus track, "Taylor The Latte Boy"). She's duly impressive on that number(and evocative of the young Kate Bush), but unfortunately, it's just not that great or memorable a song.I never understand how a CD that was never issued with a different track list (and fewer songs) can claim that one of its tracks is a "bonus," but in this case, I'll buy it. "Taylor" wills strike some as a sop to her Broadway fanbase. It does stand out from the rest in that regard. It's got that showbiz pizzazz that the poppier, Christian tunes here foreswear. And after all that (probably quite genuine, but still kinda ho-hum) humility, it's kind of refreshing.If Kristin Chenoweth can't quite sing EVERYTHING, she can sing quite a lot. She certainly can do justice to glossy pop (or glossy Christian pop) quite handily. She acquits herself well, for the most part here. And aside from "Taylor," there are one or two other shining moments here. When she does something a little more "trad," like "Wayfaring Stranger," you start to wonder what she might be able to pull off with a collection of old style hymns.

Much has been made of the religious nature of these songs. I don't think it has to matter. If you like the lyrics, fine. If not, listen for the quality of the songs and singing. The songs are much better than on "Lessons Learned" where Kristin sounds like your everyday pop singer.These songs give her the chance to show just how much more she can do. Listen to "Upon This Rock" and at the end, thrill to her hit a ringing high C, with a high E flat just at the very end. I wish I could hear more of her singing in operatic range.

I love this album. Kristin has a great voice and I especially enjoy her rendition of some great Christian songs. My problem is not with the content of the album or the quality of Kristin's voice but with the audio mix. In many of the songs the vocal track is so far below the instrumentals that you lose most of Kristin's very fine voice. And to the other reviewers who liked the last song (Taylor the Latte Boy)the most, check out the same song by Christiane Noll, "Live at the West Bank Cafe."

You may know Kristin Chenoweth as the lovelorn pie waitress Olive on the ABC show "Pushing Daisies", but you may know that she is a very decent singer also. "As I Am" is her foray into Christian music and a very good one at that. She can stir emotions with her lithe, expressive voice on such classics as "Joyful, Joyful" and "As I Am", but her worship style anthem "Power" can lift your spirits up. If you liked Kristin on "Daisies", then you should give this album a try.

Okay, 5 stars for talent, 1 star for music selection. And that one star is only because of "Taylor, the Latte Boy," which is a lot of fun. I respect the fact that Kristin chose to express her faith through music, but of all the music to pick, why this selection? It's dull, it certainly doesn't showcase her amazing voice, and many of the songs sound very similar to one another. I'm a huge fan of Chenoweth...I think I own almost every CD she's ever been in, and I saw WICKED just because of her. (Although I have to say that Menzel rocks, too!) I loved "Let Yourself Go," which has become a listening staple in my car, and I was so excited when she released this. The only song I really LOVE to listen to is the last track, "Taylor, the Latte Boy." I can't wait for her next album....as long as it has a little more "Kristin Pizzazz!!" :)

Just right

I am a Kristin Chenoweth fan and anything she does is always outstanding!

I love this fellow Oklahoman and her amazing talent. As a vocalist I appreciate her passion and technique. in my opinion Miss Chenoweth cannot do a bad performance.