Paris Hilton's debut album is certainly what I expected - whispers and beats. It seems a little pointless to savagely attack it, as I'm sure some music writers and critics will, but there is little to defend either. The hit "Stars are Blind", unfortunately, is as good as it gets here.
Paris Hilton's Cautionary Project
As I listened to Paris Hilton's album Paris, I couldn't help but thinking it may have some connections with what I would come up with as a singer if someone put me in the studio with millions of dollars of production and songwriting talent. Those songwriters and producers would certainly come up with a catchy beat or tune here and there, but there would be little they could do about my voice. I'm sure I could stay on key with the help of auto-tune, but that doesn't mean you want to hear me sing.
Many of us should take Paris as a note of caution. There's nothing wrong with entertaining ourselves and/or relatives and friends with impromptu vocal performances and the occasional karaoke extravaganza, but studio time is not for everyone. Everyone can sing, but most of us should not sing professionally. That is a good lesson to learn.
Paris Hilton's Choice of Cover Tune
One of the positives of Paris Hilton's album is its brevity. Clocking in at approximately 40 minutes it is the length of an album back in the days when they were pressed on vinyl before CD's gave the opportunity of 30 more long minutes of less-polished music on one disc. The up side here is that after giving Scott Storch, Dr. Luke, and Kara DioGuardi their disc space, it seems there was only room for one cover tune. That tune does draw your attention. Paris Hilton crooning "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" is a bit difficult to forget.
Rod Stewart's original version "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" was savaged by the rock music press in its first incarnation. I certainly do admire Paris Hilton's chutzpah in crafting her version to close out the album. On the tune she rises out of the whisperiness of most of the album to nearly sing throughout the disco classic, but it's not a treat for the ears. For once, by comparison, you'll be happy to switch to Rod in full disco mode.
The Fate of 'Paris'
Paris should generate strong sales its first week in stores from curiosity seekers and celebrity gossip fans, but the boomlet for Paris Hilton as pop artist is unlikely to last long. I will shed no tears for Paris, as she is likely to move on to her next project with the breeziness that only billions of dollars in the bank account can support. The gift she will leave is an amusing footnote in the long history of pop music that caused no harm, but gave many of us a bemused smile or a knowing cringe as our curiosity got the best of us.
