Aliens & Rainbows

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 Lips" 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?