I’m sure I’m not the only one with complicated feelings about the music of “Glee.” Although the show’s actual plot was often melodramatic when it first started, it was worth watching for the music—the creative mashups, the emotional performances of Broadway standards, the pop music sung better than the original singers. Somewhere around the end of the first season, however, there was a shift. These days, the focus is on autotuned versions of Top 40 hits that don’t sound all that different from the originals.

The slight exception to this rule is the music of The Warblers, the a cappella group at Kurt’s new school. It’s still mostly Top 40 tunes, but they are rewritten for a cappella, which at least gives you a reason to buy a “Glee” soundtrack instead of just turning on the radio. Darren Criss (who plays Blaine) has the perfect voice for the front man of an a cappella group—he has a great range, he’s fairly expressive and he sounds about the same on every song he sings. Most of the songs he leads are the same kinds of songs covered by a cappella groups everywhere, including right here at Wash. U. The main difference is in production values – the cast of Glee presumably has a lot more time and money to create the arrangements and practice and record the songs—not to mention the star power of the singers.

The best are the songs that feature Chris Colfer as Kurt. Colfer has a sweetness to his voice that’s well suited to ballads like “Blackbird,” a standout on both the show and the CD. Overall, the CD is worth a listen, but if you like what you hear, consider hitting a Wash. U. a cappella concert sometime for some less famous but equally talented vocalists.