Chris August - Talent Overpowered by Overproduction

     I got a chance to see and actually meet this artist, Chris August, at a concert at Stubb's about a month ago.  I had never heard of him before and immediately fell in love.  His voice was one of the best I've ever heard live and his lyrics were so relatable.  Though I didn't understand why, nor was I disappointed, he had two sets and came up on stage twice, just him and his guitar.  I was more than impressed by his wide range and soulful vocals.  A big and raw R&B voice came out of this little, white, hipster looking guy.  Literally every single one of his songs gave me goosebumps and his randomly inspiring add-libs were even more attractive.  I was just completely captivated by his voice, so much so that I started downloading his songs off iTunes onto my phone while he was still performing.
      My friend that I was at the show with bought August's album from the merch table, and on the way home we immediately played it in his car.  Such a fricken disappointment!  We of course expected the amazing live Chris August voice to come through the speakers, but what we heard instead was an overly-contrived generic pop artist.  Everything was so polished and computer generated.  You could even hear the auto-tune.  There was nothing special about Chris August that you could hear in the album.  All I can say is that I wish I could have just taken his live performance home with me instead of this silly CD that made him sound like anyone else I could hear on the radio.
      This was honestly so upsetting to me.  I really wanted to love Chris August.  On top of his amazing talent, he also seemed completely down to earth.  He walked around the venue after the show meeting and talking with fans, cracking jokes with everyone as though he had always been your best friend.  I don't want to dislike him, but I can't help but wish I never would have listened to his album.  It made him lose so much appeal.  All I can do is hope that his next album is more raw and less produced.  Or maybe he can release a live album.  I will however recommend that you don't listen to his album, but do watch some of his live performances on YouTube if you can't see one of his shows.  Also, check this out:

Vocals (not on album): 10
Album: 1.5