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You Stand Watching

Ryan Cabrera - You Stand Watching Audio CD

A fair review of the Ryan Cabrera "You Stand Watching" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Ryan Cabrera reviews here, or go back to the Ryan Cabrera tabs.

Band: Ryan Cabrera
Title: You Stand Watching
Rating:

Release Date: 2005-09-20
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: From the Start 2: Hit Me with Your Light 3: Shine On 4: Find Your Way 5: Photo 6: Our Story 7: Fall Baby Fall 8: Last Night 9: Walking on Water 10: With You Gone 11: It's You

Ballad Boy is givin' it another go!!
7
Hit Me With Your Light <> 3. From The Start <> 3. 5
Shine On <> 3. 8
Find Your Way <> Not as catchy as the material on his debut. But possibly as good. 4
Photo <> 3. 8
Our Story <> Bleh. Come on Ryan. You're a great singer-songwriter. Show us your stuff. 3. 2
Fall Baby Fall <> Don't remember it, and I've played it 2-3x. 3
Last Night <> 3. 4
Walking On Water <> 3. 2
With You Gone <> Ryan, Baby. Get WITH it! 3. 85
It's You <> This album was over in a flash. Maybe it was better that way, sadly? Makes for the best ballad and the best song here. 4. 3

Overall, this release was very upsetting. I think it was a freaking sophomore slump. The composition and arrangements lacked that upbeat, pop-rock umph like the first had. But I do like With You Gone, From The Start and It's You!

Cover Art: B+
Inside Art: ?
Songwriting: C+
Vocals: C+
Vocal Emotion: B-
Production: B-
Length: A

35. 475/11 = 3. 225

3. 23 stars.

Overall: C-

Ryan could have done SO much better. Like I've said, this album was a BIG disappointment. Hopefully, he'll have more to talk about and the delivery will be golden next time. I'll be waiting for his junior effort. Until then, I'll buy a new copy of his "Take It All Away" CD, and spin it out!.

I agree with some people...others i dont
First of all. . Im over 13. I just dont wanna fool with buying a new cd or anything to write a review.

I agree with Anthony Rupert's review for this cd because this album isnt all that great. In fact I wasnt all out to buy it because the album cover bored me and the singe "Shine on" wasnt all that great either. In other words that song bored me. But then I heard "Photo" and thought well maybe this guys still got some class afterall. I was wrong. "Photo" is actually the only good song on the record! "shine on" "from the start" and "with you gone" are decent but for the most part the album bored me like i should have known it would have. Also I read an interview for this cd that said his next album would be a shock to some people. It was. After hearing this I could barely listen to his old album for weeks. Now Im getting over that. I mean with a popular and very good song like "On the way down" or the classic "true" we just had to have the album! I fell in love with it too. "Echo Park" "Exit to Exit" "Blind Sight" "Illusions" and the title track were great. But now I can barely listen to him. I dont like this new stuff and I dont think that many people do. "Photo" is worth the money. . . if you download it. Buy that song or get it free or however you download and then pretend this cd wasnt made. .

For Better Or Worse, The Album Title Says Alot!
The good side - "You Stand Watching" is a good (if less obvious and less engaging) way of inspiring lovers and belittling haters of his music. In case my album review title makes little sense, I'll simplify things for you - "You Stand Watching", the title to singer/songwriter/guitarist/ex-heart-throb Ryan Cabrera's sophomore album, has a good side and a bad side. The bad - the small percentage of the world that bothered to recognize this album's existence seemed to be watching without listening.

Without a doubt, this album is much better than his Platinum-selling debut album "Take It All Away", using elements of Jazz, Latin & R&B in his usually-vapid brand of radio-friendly Pop-Rock. No, he's not exactly breaking musical boundaries or fully delving into any new genres by any means, because this album remains to essentially be a Pop album. However, Ryan Cabrera has taken a much more mature approach with this album, co-writing and co-producing almost every track on the album - something I can't say for some of his other peers.

Running slightly below 40 minutes at 11 tracks, "You Stand Watching" lacks filler tracks and is infested with much more highlights than his previous outing. "Hit Me With Your Light" is a vulnerable power ballad where Ryan's vulnerable vocals sing about seeking help and guidance from God amidst the darkness over your typical arrangements of powerful guitar riffs and random tinges of percussion; "Photo" employs the use of Ryan Cabrera's soft vocals and smooth piano-violin background music for a song based on the importance of old photos and the longing memories they hold (in order words, reminiscent heartbreak); "Last Night", complete with obligatory guitar strings and a satisfying vocal performance, interestingly tells the story of a man wanting to leave behind his "fast" (a. k. a. lusty / woman-eating / sexual / etc. ) side behind with his lady; and on the touching piano ballad (and personal album favourite) "Fall Baby Fall", Ryan soulfully (yes, I said soulfully) croons about encouraging his girl to embrace her tears if they'll make her stronger.

Now then, what about that filler I was talking about? Despite a sweet dash of Latin guitar, "Our Story" comes off as a rather boring ballad about promising commitment if his woman of desire can "roll with it"; his occasional rise over soft singing/whispering results in an occasionally whiney sound on piano-driven ballad/album closer "It's You" (think of it as a less appealing, earlier, half-a**ed alternative to Ne-Yo's "So Sick", since "It's You" also talks about being unable to escape a lost love); and "Shine On", a breezy, radio-friendly acoustic guitar ballad about wishing the best to an ex-lover (in his case, Ashlee Simpson), is ultimately forgettable when you focus more on the sometimes-confusing verses instead of the way this single was craftily marketed.

For those of you who misunderstand what I mean by "Shine On" being craftily marketed, let me break it down for you for a minute. The song is simplistic Pop fluff that'll win over any underage female with Ryan's sweet vocals and sympathetic lyrical content, meaning it's perfect for radio. Then there's the fact that it's sympathetic, which means he might gain some respect from individuals who might discard him as a personality-lacking, crude has-been. THEN there's the fact that the song capitalizing on his crumbled relationship with singer/actress Ashlee Simpson, equalling temporary media exposure and a slight bit of interest for the fan-bases of both artists.

Whether that made sense or not to you is your business, but if you wish to listen to a mellow album (meaning it's extremely ballad-heavy) from the likes of a talented, respectable individual, definitely buy this album! For those of you who are either unfamiliar with his music or simply hate on male Teen Pop for obvious reasons, give this album a listen anyway and judge for yourselves whether this album is good or not. 4 stars!
.

A pleasant album, a few flaws though.
Ryan's a great young talent who is obviously at times trying to break out of the bubblegum pop genre of music. It's hard to say why I give this album 3 stars and not 4. This album does show off a lot of fine jazzy alternative musicianship, the only problem is, it's underdone to the point it sounds like average pop. Basically, I could have taken this album as a rock album if he'd just turned up the distortion a little bit on some tracks, and spent a little bit more time writing some of the lyrics. His voice has matured a lot since the first album, but the only way he chose to show that was to hit a lot of high notes when it wasn't really necessary. The production is a bit off at times (specifically, the way the violins were recorded in track 11). The album is a nice departure from the normal pop scene, it's pretty upbeat, and has earned plenty of repeat listenings from me. I think if he puts a little more work into his next album it should be a 4 or 5 star release, sadly, You Stand Watching only gets three.

I'd give him some credit
I loved the seeing the music video to "Shine On" and loved it on the radio. I am 15 years old right now and I bought this CD like within a week right after it came out. I didnt think the song was alright before, but the song started to get stuck in my head. So Im like, "I gotta get the CD!". So I went ahead and bought it. Even though there were a few songs I loved the most that is why I rate this a 4 stars and not a 3. Because of the song "Find Your Way" and "From the start". Those are my two favorite songs and those songs are why it made 4 stars on my vote. The other songs arent really that good but "Shine On" and "Fall baby fall" are okay.

I wont say I love this CD he could have done better but he is a talented singer. But I prefer you guys buy the songs on iTunes or Napster or something. Anyway 4 stars becuz hes cool and stuff. . . I suggest everyone listen to "Find Your Way" ITS SOOOOO AMAZING. ~tony, 15, maryand.

You can see a complete list of all Ryan Cabrera discography, or go back to the Ryan Cabrera tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.