Read Time:2 Minute, 9 Second
Lately, it seems as though a new teen pop star is born every single day. Sometimes maybe even two in a day. All you need is a pretty face, a good producer, and a talented publicist, and you’re good to go. Maybe that’s why I was—I’ll admit it—pretty skeptical about Teddy Geiger. I mean, look at this kid. He’s an adorable (my teenage friends would call him cute) 17-year-old who has a tendency to show up everywhere. He was on VH1’s In Search of the New Partridge Family. He appeared on the CBS show Love Monkey. One day, I was flipping channels and saw him getting an image makeover from the girls on MTV’s Miss Seventeen. And, frankly, as a cynical adult (one who used to work in advertising and get paid to create hype), I didn’t trust the hype.
But, as it turns out, Teddy Geiger’s publicist isn’t kidding about the talent that lies behind this kid’s pretty face. I was sold from the first song on Geiger’s new album, Underage Thinking, which mixes the smooth thoughtfulness of John Mayer with a Maroon 5 groove.
“These Walls” is the perfect way to start the album. A few bars of a dramatic piano intro leads right into a high-energy, upbeat song that you won’t be able to wrench from your head. It may have even caused me to dance in my car, once again giving the neighbors cause for concern. And the energy and emotion continues through the rest of the album.
Teddy Geiger isn’t just the latest pop pretty boy to hit the streets. He’s actually a talented musician (who plays guitar, piano, bass, and drums) and vocalist—with a range that easily moves from soft and dramatic to strong and gritty. The music is full of feeling and full of life—and it’s so catchy that I’ve woken up singing songs from the album every morning since it made its first appearance in my CD player. And while the lyrics often focus on teen themes, the overall effect is pretty universal. We can all understand the feelings of love and loss and dealing with whatever life throws at us. And if Teddy’s music can continue to grow and mature with him, this debut album will be far from his last.
So just this once, it’s okay to believe the hype.
Still don’t believe the hype? Check out tracks from Underage Thinking for free at Napster.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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