In the season of Glee

It is the season of Glee. The popularity of the TV series has reached phenomenal proportions and I have a feeling that like Law And Order and other long-running shows, it will last forever and ever. I believe this to be so because Glee’s audience appeal is based on the old songs. So as long as there are old songs, as long as there is a young vibrant, talented cast and as evidenced by recent survey top-notchers, as long as there are big stars willing to belt out some songs and join the fun, there will always be room for Glee.

Best proof of the series’ future longevity is the number of Glee albums now available. I think they have released eight CDs in less than two years and all of them became big hits. Fans watch the show and then go out and buy the albums to relive their favorite moments. This seems illogical because the videos are also available and they can watch everything there again and again. But no, they also want to own the CDs and even complain when their favorite star or song number is not included in the released version.

The latest Glee The Music: Season Two, Volume 4 is now out and people around here are asking, “Where is Charice?” The CD is made up of highlights of season two and Charice’s guest stint in the premiere episode was certainly one of them. She did a great rendition of Beyoncé’s Listen and a powerful duet of Telephone by Beyoncé and Lady Gaga with Lea Michele. I can think of a lot of reasons why these numbers were left out, but the most probable one is contractual obligations. It would have been nice to find a Filipino artist in a Glee CD but I see no reason to feel bad about it. This can still happen for Charice or for other artists in the future. Besides, the album has other good things in it that fans will enjoy.

Well, they also decided not to include the fantastic Umbrella/Singing In The Rain Medley by Matthew Morrison who plays Mr. Will, and guest star Gwyneth Paltrow, who proved to be an amazing singer and dancer. But I would much rather have visuals with those songs anyway. Paltrow is still featured in the album. She gets to do Forget You with Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Kevin McHale (Artie). Just in case you don’t recognize it because of the jazzy arrangement, this is the much talked about F***You by Cee Lo Green.

Best of the rest is Paramore’s The Only Exception, where Lea Michele really soars. Also included are Empire State Of Mind; Billionaire; I Want To Hold Your Hand; One Of Us; River Deep, Mountain High; Lucky; One Love (People Get Ready); Teenage Dream; Marry You, Sway; Just The Way You Are; Valerie; and I’ve Had The Time Of My Life plus three songs from the high rating Britney/Brittany episode, Me Against The Music; Stronger and Toxic.

If your budget can still stand it, I also recommend that you get The Rocky Horror Glee Show: This send off of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a joy to watch and it was nice to hear the songs done Glee style. The most fun of the lot is Touch A Touch A, Touch Me by Jayme Mays, who plays Emma and whom we seldom hear singing. She is a natural comedienne and this number was one of the highlights of the Halloween presentation. Other tracks are Science Fiction, Double Feature; Damn It, Janet; Whatever Happened To Saturday Night; Sweet Transvestite; There’s A Light (Over At The Frankenstein Place); and Time Warp.

Of course no Gleek should be without Glee The Music: The Christmas Album which is made up of songs from the Christmas Episode and which is very, very sentimental. Most memorable cuts are when the divine sounding k.d.lang kicks it up with Will in You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch, Lea Michele’s classic rendition of O Holy Night and the gay take on the cute standard Baby It’s Cold Outside by Kurt and Blaine. Also included are We Need A Little Christmas; Deck The Rooftop; Merry Christmas Darling; The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year; Last Christmas; God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; O Christmas Tree; Jingle Bells; and Angels We Have Heard On High.