ARTIST: Ferras
TITLE: Aliens & Rainbows
LABEL: Capitol
GENRE: Pop
BITRATE: 198kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 45m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-04-01
RIP DATE: 2008-04-02
Track List
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1. Liberation Day 3:28
2. Aliens & Rainbows 3:59
3. Something About You 4:08
4. Hollywood's Not America 3:15
5. Everybody Bleeds The Same 3:35
6. Rush 4:21
7. My Beautiful Life 4:35
8. Soul Rock 4:15
9. Blame, Blame, Blame 3:01
10. Dear God 3:39
11. Don't Give Up 4:10
12. Take My Lips 3:30
Release Notes:
Singer/songwriter Ferras has a remarkable ability to bait a hook, producers the
Matrix and Gary Clark have a marvelous way with crescendos, and together they've
created a fabulous pop album of astounding depth and beauty. The first fruits of
their collaboration were introduced to the nation when Ferras' achingly lovely
"Hollywood's Not America" played off the chaff on American Idol. Even so, it was
the simple, breathtaking beauty of "Take My Life" that won the singer a contract
with Capitol Records. Accompanying himself on piano, Ferras performed the
emotive, romantic ballad to the label's chairman, and that is how it appears on
Aliens & Rainbows, the artist's debut album, with the producers accentuating the
dramatic sweep of the song. And drama defines the sound and mood of this set.
Like "Life," "Rush" is also an acoustic romantic ballad, and it too sounds
absolutely grandiose. Both capture Ferras' emotive, lilting style to a T.
Elsewhere on the set, though, the singer is less secure, leaning heavily on his
influences for support. The lavish "Liberation Day," for example, perfectly
slots into David Bowie's Space Oddity age canon, the even lusher title track to
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road era Elton John. With its anthemic chorus "What a
wonderful day to throw your illusions away," "Day" has radio hit written all
over it then again, so does the alt-rock-popper "Everybody Bleeds the Same,"
with its clubby beats and singalong-in-celebration-of-unity chorus. The new
romantic/new wave-soaked "Something About You" should take the alterno-scene by
storm, while "Don't Give Up," with its four-on-the-floor beats and exhilarating
vocals, is a guaranteed club classic. Every single song within this set is of
nearly equal caliber, the only flaw being the programmed beats that sap the
authenticity from the otherwise sublime "Soul Rock." Ferras' performances are
fabulous throughout, his lyrics thoughtful and eloquent. The themes are mostly
personal and occasionally (as on "Dear God" and "My Beautiful Life")
questioning, and even the romantic numbers have something new to say. The
arrangements are stunning, the sound full, the atmosphere electric but with a
debut this good, where will Ferras possibly go from here?
___
Born Ferras Alquasi in Ilinois in 1982, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter
Ferras began playing the keyboard at age five after his parents divorced and he
moved with his father to Amman, Jordan. There for only five months, Ferras
ultimately moved back to the States to live with his mother and quickly began
focusing his creative energy on music. By his teens, Ferras moved once again
with his mother to Santa Barbara, CA. Already an aspiring songwriter and
performer, Ferras caught the ear of Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, who wanted
to sign him to his burgeoning label. Ultimately, though, Ferras enrolled for
classes at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. While there, Durst facilitated
an audition for Ferras with Capitol Records, which led to a recording deal.
Ferras' debut album, Aliens & Rainbows dropped in 2008.