There's little doubt that most of the people on popular television series "Glee" can sing. Lea Michelle, Matthew Morrison, and various other regular cast members have been involved in Broadway productions, while the show's prestigious list of guest stars has included everyone from Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth to Neil Patrick Harris all noted vocalists. However, whether because of weekly deadlines or because of a few actors who can't carry a tune as well as their co-stars, "Glee" recordings consistently sound as if they have been recorded in a dumpster. The instruments come across as synthetic, the production is glossy to the point of being blinding, and the voices especially those of the male stars sound stitched together from several takes and mercilessly smoothed over with auto-tune and overdubs. Ultimately, "Glee" is assembly line pop music, a computerised machine designed to sell as many singles as possible in any given week without worrying too much about quality control. As a result, most "Glee" singles have an expiration date of like, next week. But hey, who cares when you've landed over 200 entries (and counting) on the Billboard Hot 100? In comparison, Elvis has 149 and the Beatles have 71, so this one is a bit like the scenario where a computer program beats a seasoned chess pro in a match-up.
Craig is a Chicago-based freelance writer who like to talk incessantly about music on AbsolutePunk.net. He also does writing for marketing companies to "pay the bills," but his true passion lies with the pop culture sphere.
