LaToya? 
By on 2004-05-13
I'm just curious to see what everyone else thinks..if you think LaToya should not have been voted off like I do, hit the yes button.
Only two people worth listening to
By on 2004-04-29
La Toya who already performs like a professional and Jasmine who has an enchanting voice.Jennifer and Diana have low-quality voices and can't do anything better than scream, all the men have limited range and styles, while Fantasia screeches her way through her songs (cover your ears!) like -- as Simon says -- Donald Duck in helium! Camille actually has a sweet voice and performs well here but is weak in the competition.
If this is the best that America has to offer, we're in trouble.
Okay
By A3JP30OQ902H4H on 2004-04-29
It's Camille who does surprisingly well in this album. Other voices that are pleasant to listen to are Jasmime's and La Toya's. All the others are second-rate. Jennifer always delivers over-the-top performances, George always picks the wrong style of singing for the song, John has a very limited style, Diana always screams her head off, while Fantasia, who has the worst vocal timbre in this competition, always squeeks like a mouse.
This album doesn't have much to offer.
Old School Soul � Idol Style
By A2ASEBCEN9ZWTZ on 2004-05-11
"American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics" showcases the talents of the 12 Finalists from Fox's American Idol's third season. Each of the showcased 12 finalists performs a song individually and there is one group number.What may surprise fans of the series is that even those performers deemed as the "weaker" of the group all turned in solid performances on the tracks making this a CD of definite keeper tracks. Fans of American Idol and Motown will love the Idols and their takes on these old school classics.
Below are the 13 featured songs with my comments on the side:
THE TRACKS
1. "Chain of Fools" - Fantasia Barrino: Outstanding rendition by the top rated Fantasia as she definitely puts the soul into it.
2. "Me and Mrs. Jones" - by George Huff: The ever popular and outstanding Huff brings new life to this classic as his voice definitely puts the groove into Mrs. Jones. One of MY favorites from this track.
3. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - by Diana DeGarmo: Great rendition of this classic by Diana and her Southern twang.
4. "If You Don't Know Me By Now" - by LaToya London: Good job by the top rated LaToya on this, smooth and subtle if not powerful.
5. "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)" - by Jennifer Hudson: Not one of my favorites on the track and not really one of my favorites on the show but Jennifer definitely does a good job with the song.
6. "You Make Me Feel Brand New" - by Amy Adams: Smooth version of this classic love song by the ooh to early departed Amy Adams, one of my personal favorite songs and one of my personal favorites from the track.
7. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" - by Matt Rogers. Surprisingly well done track by Matt Rogers who does a fine job on the Otis Redding classic.
8. "Midnight Train to Georgia" - by Jasmine Trias: Not really Jasmine's genre of music but she does a good job with it.
9. "My Girl" - by John Peter Lewis: Again, another surprisingly well done performance by John Peter Lewis who does Motown proud with this rendition.
10. "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" - by Camille Velasco: Never heard this song before but Camille does a real catchy rendition with it as it's a perfect fit for her voice and style.
11. "Betcha By Golly, Wow" - by Leah Labelle: Again, surprisingly a great rendition of this song as Leah's vocals and the background make it an infectious track. One of my favorites.
12. "You Are Everything" - by John Stevens: Not a bad track. This isn't John's genre but his mellow laidback sound make this track a pretty decent serenade.
13. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - The Top 12 Finalists: Motown never sounded better than the 12 Finalists kickin' it on this old school classic!!!
THE VERDICT:
Overall you get a SOLID bag of tracks. What I found great about this track is that they arranged to songs to play to ALL of the Finalists strengths as even the "marginal" singers in the group still turned in solid performances in the track. In my opinion there were no weak performances on the CD. Here's my rundown:
Keepers: George, Fantasia, Amy, Camille, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
Goods: The rest
Bad: None whatsoever
With no bad tracks on here and a truckload of classics and favorites this CD's a definite keeper.
If you were a fan of the show you'll definitely want to get this CD. Even if you aren't an A.I. fan you'll definitely dig these new takes on some old classics.
Highly Recommended
Jennifer Hudson was never that good!
By A2HLA3B03PW5JS on 2004-04-30
And she was never been popular - in fact, she had been in the bottom groups many times. Fantasia is OVERRATED; her "Donald Duck in helium" voice is so ANNOYING to listen to. George always sings either the wrong song or the wrong style.I like La Toya. Although she's also one of those "not so popular" contestants (having been in bottom groups many times, too), she's the most consistent performer in this group. Jasmine is good, too (good voice) -- she just needs to polish her performances. Camille is surprisingly good in this recording -- too bad she was weak in the actual competition.
The male contestants, except for John Stevens, should have been eliminated fom this competition ages ago!
- Yes, Fantasia has a very SQUEAKY voice!
By on 2004-04-30
So irritating to listen to. As someone else has said, only two people have really good voices: La Toya and Jasmine. Jennifer and Diana are good only at screaming. The rest have no talent.
- Actually Quite Good!
By on 2004-04-29
If nothing else, buy this CD to hear Camille. Her track is surprisingly good. John Stevens' voice sounds very rich in his track; it was a good choice for him. But, frankly, they're all good. I agree with the other reviewers that the ensemble track is a real treat -- it definitely proves Fantasia's and George's vocals are the most powerful (not even sure I can distinguish anyone else).
- Re: Black people run this show
By on 2004-04-30
I wouldn't say that. Otherwise, it would be an embarrassment to all Black people. There are NO real talents in this overrated show.Fantasia, the one with the Mickey Mouse voice, is so painful to listen to (and her ghetto attitude is such a turn-off!). Jennifer Hudson ruins her songs to pieces by singing too low the first part of her songs then doing over-the-top attacks in the refrain part. George's voice is fit only for Black ballads, while La Toya is soooo boring!
If this is the best that the Black population has to offer, then I'd be ashamed to admit I'm one of them!
- Fantasia Barrino's annoyingly squeeky sounding-voice...
By on 2004-04-30
is better off heard in the annoyingly squeeky-sounding overrated show Hairspray.
- WOW....
By A1GUYQG1DI0KEZ on 2004-05-03
I am not going to compare this season to any other because it has been very different. The worng poeple have gotten voted off multple times( Amy and of cource the amazing jennifer hudson). The guys this season have not been very good, and some of the poeple whom showed be in the top 12 were not(like nicole tieri). However this cd is really good so here is my review of each song.1. Chain of Fools - Fantasia Barrino - Honestly she does not sound very good on this track. Sometimes i really like fatasia and sometimes i think she sounds like macy and on this song she sounds like macy gray alittle to much for comfort.
2. Me and Mrs. Jones - George Huff - Oh Huff you picked the worng song. His voice does not sound very strong and his personality does not come thru.
3. I Heard it Through the Grapevine - Diana Degarmo - Diana is my favourte in the top 5 right now, she is young yes, but has a amazing voice and is a great performer but this song doesnt show that. Dont get me worng she does a great job on this song and her voice is strong but i just dont think it showed off all her talent.
4. If You Don't Know Me By Now - La Toya London - Wow!!! Latoya did amazing! She sounded like a pro on this track and sang it flawlessly.
5. Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye) - Jennifer Hudson - AMAZING!! Jeniffer was the best singer in A.I.3 but was voted off because poeple are stupid, and to me this track will just show you what you are missing.
6. You Make Me Feel Brand New - Amy Adams - When i first heard this song i had to see who the singer was and i couldnt beleave it was amy. I wasnt a huge amy fan when she was on the show, though she was good, but after this song i am a huge fan!
7. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay - Matt Rogers - Why would he sing a song george is known for singing? It just doesnt make sense to me. It sounds just ok, nothing special.
8. Midnight Train to Georgia - Jasmine Trias - I was very surprised to hear this track by jasmine, she really did a great job and had alot of passion, good for her!
9. My Girl - Jon Peter Lewis - Again why would he pick this song when john stevens is known for singing it. It just doesnt sound very good. His voice is to deep to sing this song the way it was ment to be sung.
10. Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) - Camile Velasco - Major props go to camile! She really had to prove herself to people on this track and she did. Her voice came off very strong and you could her the passion in her voice.
11. Betcha By Golly, Wow - Leah Labelle - This is the best track on the album, and the biggest surprise. I did like leah but i didnt think she was as good a singer as this. Her voice is very strong and beautiful.
12. You Are Everything - John Stevens - Ok people i know he is a nice guy but does that mean he can sing? Well maybe. I was excpecting this song to really sound bad and....well it didnt. His voice came off very soothing, very frank sanatra-ish. Thats the only kind of genre he can sing, which is ok.
13. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Ensemble - This is not a ensemble song! It came off very scattered and just wasnt a good song for everyone to sing.
- Only two singers have good voices
By AA9R8SIFQXGA5 on 2004-04-30
That's La Toya and Jasmine. Fantasia with her cartoon character voice should be the next one kicked out, or George with the inappropriate attacks on the songs, or Diana whose only expertise is yelling.La Toya should win this one.
- Fantasia is horrific!
By AVD5JCIDPWKC6 on 2004-05-03
This swellheaded ghetto girl needs some reality check. She CAN sing, but her squeaking is not of record-able quality. Neither will her attitude gain her more fans.Donald Duck would be insulted to be compared with her!
- Great except for Fantasia!
By A1VATS0FB752S8 on 2004-06-24
Everyone performs well here, even the perennially nervous Camille Velasco who seems perfect for recordings. The exception is overrated contestant Fantasia Barrino, who does nothing but squeak. Her style is sooooo annoying!
- Yes, those two have good voices.
By on 2004-04-30
Consistent La Toya and sweet Jasmine. The others are either over-the-top or just plain uninteresting.
- Yes, Fantasia and Jennifer SUCK!
By on 2004-05-03
Overrated Fantasia is, like so many reviewers here have noted, so annoying to listen to. And that attitude -- it's so ghetto! What a turn off! She thinks she's the queen of this competition, but she needs a full make-over, beginning with her Donald Duck voice, then her personality.Jennifer Hudson is another overrated performer. It's good that we won't see her in the competition anymore.
- FANTASIA IS HORRIBLE!
By on 2004-06-23
Doesn't sing; only SQUEAKS. So annoying to listen to. She ruins this whole album with her presence!
- Listen to review
By on 2004-04-29
Why is there not a "listen to" for John Stevens? He was in the top 6 and he is the only one I want to hear.
- Fantasia sucks!
By on 2004-05-02
Overrated and very ghetto, this swellheaded over-the-top contestant has such an annoying squeaky voice that she could probably work at the fire station, replacing the alarm.
- Yes, Fantasia sucks!
By A12PYPTM3O2M2E on 2004-05-04
Unfortunately, she can't do anything about her screechy voice. We should just take Donald Duck out of this competition!
- This album's good!
By A20A43LXEDD4VT on 2004-05-04
Most of them perform as expected. The greatest surprise is Camille Velasco, who does a really wonderful job here in contrast to her disappointing numbers on the show.I wish them all luck as they embark on their respective music careers.
- I love Fantasia and Camille!
By A3BJ4MRC1JNMK0 on 2004-05-04
Yes, the girl's voice is squeaky, but she CAN sing (and sing WELL she does!)Another contestant in this album that I like is Camille. Her voice just soars in this recording; too bad that she didn't do as well in the actual competition.
I think La Toya and Jasmine have realy wonderful voices. I hope that Fantasia, La Toya, and Jasmine all make it to the top three.
- Fantasia "Donald Duck" Barrino has the worst voice
By A2NG9SNFHERLFU on 2004-05-02
among the remaining finalists. She's just plain irritating to listen to.As many others have pointed out, there are only two that have good voices: La Toya (who should win) and Jasmine.
- Fantasia sucks!
By on 2004-05-04
Consistently annoyingly squeaky performance that's just plain irritating to the viewing public!
- Take out Squeaky Idol and this would be perfect!
By A1G9XIEA7P7NGZ on 2004-06-24
Everyone did well except for Squeaky Idol who should not have made it to the top 12 to begin with.
- Fantasia has the worst voice among the remaining finalists!
By A1YUP4UJRSJQ0O on 2004-04-30
Yeah, she can sing, but you have to cover your ears to prevent your eardrums from breaking!La Toya should win this competition, with either Diana or Jasmine as runners-up.
We can live without the rest.
- Nice album!
By A2OGHWAPPCTYN6 on 2004-05-04
Would have been better if more appropriate songs for some of the contestants were chose, but overall, good. Pleasant surprise were Camille and John Steven's performances.
- Great performances!
By AP64ZLJRJGVB3 on 2004-05-04
I especially loved (surprise! suprise!) Camille's number. Everyone was good.A must-have for any American Idol fan!
- My ears are bleeding...
By A3EVBIVMI2IANQ on 2004-05-04
listening to Fantasia squeak her way through her songs and listening to Diana yell everything week after week after week.These two girls need YEARS of voice lessons to refine their voices and polish the way they sing!
- Camille and Jasmine,,,, i like!!!!
By on 2004-05-04
well, well, well, say goodbye to diana and fantasia... these two girls really rock the house... i bet they'll be recording artists someday... this is superb!!! greatly made by wonderful singers... so buy and listen for yourself...true, its really good! try to love the classics,,,aint no mountain high enough!
love u jas and cam!!
- I agree. Only two have good voices.
By A1UAOQQGNA7JMZ on 2004-04-30
La Toya who should win and Jasmine who should be runner-up. As many others have pointed out, Fantasia's squeeky voice is just plain annoying, while Diana's better off screaming into the open seas. The others are inconsequential.
