Crossing Over

It's a tricky thing - crossover.  I can't think of Broadway performers who have transitioned successfully to pop music, as much as I cannot think of Pop performers transporting successfully to The Great White Way (I still can't get over The Donny Osmond Joseph) Anyway, I had this in my mind when I was listening to Matthew Morrison's first album, "Matthew Morrison." It's smartly produced, and there are songs with great hooks. Listening to the songs separately, they stand out. "Summer Rain" is a fantastic summer song, although it does remind you of "Hey Soul Sister," or any number of Bruno Mars songs.  I like the soul inflections of "It Don't Matter To the Sun" and find myself humming it after I listen to it. Yet the album, as a whole, doesn't quite jell. The over-all tone is shizophrenic, and we kind of sense that Mr. Morrison himself is still looking for his sound. Truthfully, he does well in pop singing and theater music. You can totally sense the latter with the closing song, "It's Over," which, really could have been culled from any modern musical. He sings it with heart and pathos. And, I do understand his inclusion of the star duets with Elton John and Sting but I thought it distracted, for they felt like karaoke. Well, he is from Glee, after all, the ultimate karaoke musical show. So all in all, don't judge the album as an album, judge the songs by the songs.