Casey Abrams | ||
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Studio album by Casey Abrams | ||
Released | June 26, 2012 | |
Genre | Jazz-pop | |
Label | Concord | |
Producer | Ian Barter, John Burk, Toby Gad, Jamie Hartman, Randy Jackson, Steve Jordan, Iain Pirie, , Martin Terefe, Rune Westberg | |
Singles from Casey Abrams | ||
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Casey Abrams is the self-titled debut album of jazz-pop artist and American Idol season ten sixth-place finalist Casey Abrams. It was released through the jazz label Concord Records on June 26, 2012, one year after Abrams competed on the Fox reality television series. The record deal was struck with the help of American Idol judge Randy Jackson, who serves as an executive producer on this album. Abrams spent six weeks recording the songs at Kensaltown Studios in London. He described this as an unusual experience, in which he often sang while sitting on a couch and recorded in an open room. Ambient noises from the city can be heard in the background of some tracks.
Abrams served as a co-writer on nine of the album's eleven tracks and, for the most part, felt that his creative vision was communicated. The album carries an upbeat tone. It predominately focuses on themes of nature and romantic yearning. Humorous subject matter is dealt with as well, such as in the songs "Wore Out My Soul", which is a double entendre about shoes, and "Stuck in London", which contains nonsense lyrics. Although Abrams had been known for jazz on American Idol, he went in a pop direction for this album, combining the two genres. "Dry Spell" has been considered the most jazz-influenced original song. However, a cover of the Ray Charles standard "Hit the Road Jack" is included as well and features a duet with fellow American Idol season 10 contestant Haley Reinhart. A deluxe version of the album, which includes covers of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", received a limited release.
Touring for the album was not extensive. However, Abrams opened a jazz festival on Penang Island, and after being dropped by Concord Records, he toured across Ethiopia. "Simple Life" and "Get Out" were released as dual singles a few weeks ahead of the album. Music videos were created for the two songs, as well as for non-singles "Stuck in London" and "Great Bright Morning". Jack Black, who had previously performed with Abrams on the American Idol season finale, appeared in a promotional comedy video that depicted Abrams as a homeless street busker.