Gareth Gates was the runnerup on the first Pop Idol series in the UK. Apparently, he got a lot of publicity for his stammer--but that stammer has never stopped him from releasing top pop tunes. Gareth is also a little bit of a divisive figure--often mocked, often dragged into Will vs. Gareth debates and used as the supposed counterpoint to Will's success story. His singles run seems, to me, more than decent, and I don't really understand why you can't like both (or accept differences in opinion), but what really matters is the songs, right? So let's get to those.
(Apologies in advance for what will probably be a long post; I just have more rare-ish things from Gareth than I do from Will.)
Anyone Of Us (Stupid Mistake)--Gareth's first non-cover single and what I think of as his first release. It's sort of a mid-tempo affair that seems to somehow be both ballad and up-tempo influenced. Probably the best produced track from his debut album (it sounds like it had a lot of effort put into it, whereas one could argue, as Amazon does, that some of the songs on his debut album"could be attained with a cheap keyboard's demo function;" there are some great tracks on it, but his second album just sounds more complete--mature-er in the best possible sense), but what a track it is! Excellent!
Sunshine--from Gareth's second album. Upon first listen, this song didn't really jump out at me, but it soon grows into something just as bright and happy as you would expect with a name like this. And it has a video that is definitely worth watching.
All Cried Out--while "Sunshine" is all smiles and beams of light because of a relationship going right, "All Cried Out" is the complete opposite in theme--a song about a relationship that's ended and the moment when, whether you've gotten over its end or are just too tired to cry any longer, the tears stop falling. So, of course, it's a ballad--but the least ballad-ish ballad I've ever heard. You know how Shayne Ward's "No Promises" manages to kick itself up a beat to be somewhat bouncy and mid-tempo for a ballad? Well, this song does that even better; it never drags or plods and, surprisingly for a ballad, it's catchy.
Gareth's second album has a good number of great tracks (and really should have done better than it did), but this post is already probaby intimidating enough :) I'm really excited to share these next two songs, though; I don't think they're widely heard, especially in their full versions. Lots and lots of credit goes to GPG, for finding the original 30 second clips, and Florrie, for ripping the full versions once they were found.
Face Myself--Gareth has been working on his third album for quite some time now and, with his recent split from his record company, who knows if we'll ever hear it (I hold out hope, since he's still with his management company). Let's hope so, because Gareth makes some of the best pop tunes I know. Even Gareth, though, isn't immune to the recent infiltration of the pop scene by guitars. This (full-length) demo, recorded for his third album but probably not going to be on it, does have a little, little bit of a rockier edge--an attempt to be hipper. Don't worry, though--this is an "a1-using-guitars-on-Make-It-Good" attempt at hipness, not an "I'd-really-rather-be-in-Fightstar" kind.
Something Right--another demo, which I guess is more "pure pop." I've heard someone compare it to George Michael but, not knowing that much about George Michael, I can't really say (I'm going to guess it's quite different). "Face Myself" is probably more exciting, but this song is a grower.
Phew! You all are probably on Gareth overload right now, right? He does have a lot of really good tracks I'd love you all to hear (more from his second album and his B-sides), but I'll try to hold off for a while. Please, please, please: if you like the songs, buy his albums, either hard copy or digitally.
Up next: another divisive Popstar (both in that he sings pop music and once appeared on "Popstars").
gareth gates pop idol
8 comments:
ooo i just discovered your blog and so far i really like it. thanks for the gareth post. i thought he had amazing potential as a pure popstar and was really shocked when his second album was abandoned so quickly - all cried out, skeletons and the title track would have made great singles... i like the demos well enough and hope that he gets a new record deal soon...
I think All Cried Out was supposed to be the next single, and, though I can understand worries about two ballads in a row, his last single reached #4 on the charts, so I've never really understood why they didn't go ahead with the single release...
Gareth's second album was brilliant, you are right, for some unknown reason, he didn't get much publicity for it, and the Press were hard on him. He is very talented, and when he comes back, it will be for good. I am a fan for life like many others. Gareth is very special, and a lot more than just a pop star! Thanks for your kind comments about his album.
Awww, thanks! I meant every word of what I said and couldn't have put it better than what you wrote. I can't wait for that next album :)
Hi there,
Your comments are spot on and I'm just hoping that Gareth comes back bigger and if possible better than ever. He's so talented and so cute. Will's fans were so bitter about Gareth having any success at all when Will won. But they should really have got over it by now. I just hope Gareth is allowed to show his fantastic personality now he's had speech training.
Gareth is a very special person as well as an amazing singer. When he returns he will show all his cynics. He put a lot of work into both his albums, his talent shines through everything he does, and of course, last but not least he is very handsome and sexy! His second album was a mature sound that should have done well for him, and now he is writing good songs, which artists like Aaron Carter have recorded. That is an endorsement to his talents!
Eep, I don't check my old comments often enough; I'm sorry for not replying earlier if you all left these a long time ago!
To the first anonymous, since we now have news of this documentary about Gareth, I hope that'll give him the opportunity to show how amazing he truly is. I adore his music and he seems like a wonderful person...I am nervous about his comeback, but I so hope it goes well!
To the second anonymous: his second album should have sold so much better than it did (although it did sell quite respectably, something which is often glossed over by the media in favor of the "he had one hit and then flopped" story)! I had no idea other artists were using songs he wrote--do you know the names of any of the songs?
Hi Poster Girl,
I know it's 2 years since you wrote about Gareth, but I just wanted to tell you that he has appeared on ITV,s Dancing on Ice. He reached the semi finals, and then went on tour for 3 months. He has earnt himself even more fans, and now we are all eagerly waiting for his next musical venture. He is a multi talented person, in fact, he has the whole package!
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