Just As I Am

I first saw Guy Sebastian on World Idol, where he sang "What a Wonderful World" and I was impressed by his terrific vocal talent and his engaging personality. This CD is not reflective of that talent. It sounds slapped together. The music background levels are so loud that at times it drowns out his voice. The percussion is downright terrible, and the background music is limp and utterly uninspiring. In my opinion,some of his songs particularly "So I", "3 Words" and "1 4 U", are just awful.I appreciate that Australian musical tastes and cultural influences are very different from American tastes, therefore it is difficult for an "outsider" to comment responsibly on those variables. My one regret is that Guy will have to live with this mistake forever. His greedy producers pushed this CD out LONG before it was ready for release and it shows. I hope his next CD will be better produced, and will have better songs to support this young man with a huge, beautiful and amazing vocal range.

Taking into consideration that this album was recorded in a week amongst all the Australian Idol excitement, Guy has done a fantastic job!The opening track and hit single, "Angels Brought Me Here" is a slow ballad with exciting vocals from Guy. Almost a comforting song, Guy manages to keep the attention of the listener through singing with such noticeable passion and really hits those high notes."All I need is you" is an awesome track that Guy co-wrote and it's also being released as single number two. It's much more upbeat than "Angels brought me here" and I believe it suits Guy's voice much more than the ballads. The smooth vocals compliment the instrumental and the lyrics are much more than predictable pop.There was always bound to be a cover or two on a "Pop Idol" winner's first album, and there are two on "Just As I Am". The first is "What A Wonderful World", the track Guy performed at the World Idol contest. The beauty with this track is that, unlike so many covers, it isn't an imitation of the song; Guy has actually made this his own. He has completely changed the composition of the song and it works wonderfully, suiting Guy's voice and personality perfectly.The second cover is "When Doves Cry" which once again, Guy makes his own to suit his voice. The introduction is moving, simply piano and Guy, a perfect opportunity to hear why Guy won the Australian Idol competition. The song then moves into full instrumental and what follows is a song very easy to listen to and hard not to get moved by."Something don't feel right" is definitely worth a mention as well. It's a very different sound to any of the other tracks and almost has a Craig David feel to it. Guy's voice, once again, eases into the song and although it's disappointing that the backing vocals seem to feature more than Guy's at some places, it's still a standout track for me. Perhaps it's because it's so different to the other tracks.Finally the title track, "Just As I Am" is a likeable ballad. The lyrics are sweet, Guy's voice spot on and the instrumentals are subtle enough to avoid taking anything away from the vocals, having an awesome impact as a song. It's just a shame that Guy's voice sounds similar in each song and the record company seems to have given him an album full of songs that he was bound to sound the same in, rather than give him a bit of a mix.Although I think this album is one Guy should be proud of, its tracks do seem to sound the same after a few listens, I say much to the record labels attempt to rush an album to fit in with a television program. It can be hard to determine when one song finishes and another begins.Full credit to Guy for having such a massive input into a first album, I think it's an indication that he will take some time to write the next album. If this is the case, and the label doesn't place him under pressure to churn album after album out, then it's something I'll be very eager to have a listen to it.

Who cares that the album was never going to match 'Angels brought me here', who cares that channel 10 might have supported Guy just a little too much. There is a subtle honesty to his message that to my mind speaks of all relationships both close and long forgotten. I think future releases will gradually show Guy moving more towards a sexy and sleazy form of music which in my eyes are not where his strength lies. This album makes me feel that things could be okay for mankind again. We are poised on the precipuce and Guy has offered a way back. I for one want to walk with him hand in hand through the Gate into the home of peace. That is just the way this album makes me feel and I not going to feel ashamed about that simply because Guy is not as vital as Bowie, Judas Priest or Coroner. Listen without prejiduce and you will hear a talent shining at it's peak.

This fella won a comp so some fans of others are still (3 years later) having problems!! Guy Sebastian's range is of about 4 octaves and on this album he's used some of that. Guess its not everyones taste BUT he does have a brilliant falsetto. With the covers on the album he does show his talent in re-arranging songs; while there are 3 of his own songs, 1 of which also went to No. 1. A friend of mine described his voice as smooth liquid toffee laced with cream in the lower register, and his higher register is liquid crystal.He's got great talent and coming into his 3rd year there's promise of another 2 albums (bringing total to 4 plus numerous tracks on other albums). Looking at the comment by the reviewer before (??) they apparently are unaware that the said Randy is a big fan of Guys and said he had his album on repeat, showing Guy off everywhere when he was in the US. There are now some pretty big and well known fans in the US. Guy's brilliant and as a respected muso reported at the time (no fan of the Idol idea) we can be grateful for one thing, and that is bringing us Guy Sebastian. 7 plat can't be wrong,

Australia's newest singing sensation, the afro-rocking Guy Sebastian delivers with his first mainstream solo album. Sebastian is a wholesome 22-year-old who has brought new light into the Australian music scene.This album was released only weeks after Guy had convincingly won Australian Idol, and went straight to No. 1. Each song features his soulful voice, and he shows versatility by recording both catchy pop songs and heartfelt ballads.The album's highlights are 'Angels Brought Me Here', Guy's first single, 'When Doves Cry', a different take on Prince's classic, and 'So I', an uptempo pop number. 'All I Need Is You', a number 1 single in Australia, is the CD's best sing-along-to track.For fans of pop music, this is a very good buy. Guy seems destined to lead a successful career, and Just As I Am is only the beginning.