Kinda Review: Straight Outta Oz

Hi! I love Todrick Hall with all my soul and when Straight Outta Oz came out two years ago, I had it on repeat. I actually met him a few months before the album was released. I'll include the photo below. It'll be my one and probably only face reveal on this blog.

Todrick and I in Oct. 2015 when he performed at my former college
I no longer look like this. I got 0.02% cuter since then.

I think Todrick Hall is one of the most talented people of this era and he deserves so much more recognition than he gets. He is also really sweet and he did inspire me to come out to my parents. I don't know if I have mentioned being queer on this blog yet. Surprise! But are you REALLY that surprised? Probably not.

He is an amazing performer and if you have the chance to see him live DO IT! I saw him in 2015 and then I saw him recently again when he was in Chicago playing Billy Flynn. He is a hell of a performer.

But anyway, let's get to talking about his wonderful album Straight Outta OZ!

We're going track by track. I compiled a playlist on Spotify of songs from both the original and deluxe version of the album so I am going to be talking about every single song having to do with this album.

I will try to include videos for every song because it was released as a visual album on his YouTube channel, so every song has a video. If I can't insert the video, the song title will link to it.

Obviously, the album has a Wizard of Oz theme, which I love, because I grew up loving the original movie because it's my dad's favorite movie.

DISCLAIMER: This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Like really his and Forbidden are tied for my #1 spot.

You can watch the deluxe version of the visual album here.

1. "No Place Like Home"

This is the opening song of the album and I LOVE it. I love all of the songs on this album, but specifically, this is the song that is constantly stuck in my head. Can we appreciate the costumes in the video? You see Todrick portraying the wizard, Tin Man, and Scarecrow in this. You also get a glimpse of his version of Dorothy which is really My favorite costume for this video is his version of the wizard. The melody and lyrics are so good! The lyrics are catchy. And the way it starts with a music box playing the melody of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the original Wizard of Oz song which I love because it's beautiful, yet haunting. I am not an expert on music production or composing, but I think the music on this song is so good. This is an overview, but if you want me to get more in depth, I will do a separate post and go through lyrics. I just don't want this post to get too long.

2. "Proud"

Can I just say that I love this song? It's another catchy song. And I grew up in a Christian household so it's a song I can trick my mom into loving. Plus the kid playing young Todrick is adorable. Off topic, but it is 1am as I'm writing this and I'm singing along and clapping along to this song and I am glad I live on the third floor or I'd wake up my whole family. I really enjoy Todrick's pre and post song narrations. You can really hear his Texas accent come out a bit. This song is such a BOP and it's also a praise and worship song. I am not religious, but I really do enjoy this song so much. It's another song that's constantly stuck in my head.

3. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

A little story: When I met Todrick he was only taking photos, but I asked if he would sign my phone case. So he took me aside and I was able to tell him how he inspired me to come out to my parents and we had a really sweet moment. When I first heard this song, it broke my heart in all ways possible. And in the video, we have the amazingly talented Wayne Brady playing his father. This song hits home SO much. I won't get into it here, but if you want I am so okay with making a post just for this song. I'm actually crying listening to this now. But we'll go over that at a later date.

4. "Black & White" ft. Superfruit

First of all shot out to Mitch, Scott, and Kirsten for being in this song. I love Superfruit and I love Pentatonix and you will be seeing posts about them in the future. Especially Scott. I am in love with that man's voice. I absolutely love the black and white uniform costumes in this video. And I peep my idol, Chester Lockhart. Chester is Todrick's best friend and someone I admire and will most definitely dedicate a whole post to very soon. I love him more than I love my own life. The choreography in this video is great. The fact the Superfruit is in it makes me beyond happy and I really love this song with all my soul.

5. "Color" ft. Jay Armstrong Johnson

Hi, yes. Jay is on Broadway right now playing Raoul in Phantom of the Opera and I want to see him so badly. He is another person I will write a blog post about. I stan most of the people Todrick has worked with. He has good taste in collaborators. This song encompasses all of the GAY. Not really, but it's such a cute love song. I love it so much. Plus Jay and Todrick are so cute together and their voices compliment each other and wow I could probably write a whole essay on why I love this. Just guys being dudes. Just dudes being gay. I love how slowly everything gains color. Plus whoever was in charge of costuming did a good job picking simple but pretty colors. I love the smoke bombs. It's all so nice. Their voices are pretty. The video is pretty. They are both pretty. I can gush about this forever.

6. "Little People"

I love Todrick's Dorothy costume. I love the blue suit and the shorts. Plus let's take a moment to appreciate Chester's singing feature. Like I said, I love Chester more than I love my own life. And the short cameo from Pentatonix! It's all great. The choreography. The song. Everyone is dressed in colorful attire. I very much enjoy this song. I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but I like it!

7. "Expensive" (Deluxe Version)

I chose the deluxe version because it's the improved version. But both have a place in my heart. The inserted video is the original, but I linked the deluxe video in the title. First of all, let me quickly scream about how much I love his all red outfit - in deluxe not original - and let me add that all of the drag queens look amazing and I love this video. This is definitely my second favorite video in the whole visual album. And the song can get you hyped and it's another super catchy song to get stuck in your head for the rest of your life. The ruby boots are ICONIC and I want them so badly. Red is my favorite color so I loved the whole red fashion show. "But the ones who look expensive could be broke on the inside" is my favorite lyric from all of these songs. This song is just SO GOOD!

8. "Whoop That Ass" ft. Tracie Thoms

If you've been following my blog, or know me, you know I LOVE Tracie Thoms and when I learned she was going to be featured on the deluxe version of the album I was beyond ecstatic. Sadly I cannot insert the video here, but the title will link you to the video. I like this song. I think it's kind of funny and a bit relatable. Sounds a lot like my mom. But Tracie is a goddess in her own right and her voice in this song is SO GOOD! We stan a queen.

9. "Flying Monkey Lament 1" ft. Raven Symone

This was added in the deluxe version. Not my favorite, but it's a good filler. I don't have much to say about this. It's short and funny and it features Raven Symone. So that's a nice plus.

10. "Dumb"

This song is great. And the video matches it in greatness. It speaks the truth. IT SPEAKS SO MUCH TRUTH! I will write another post analyzing how good the lyrics are because they are too good to ignore. The music of this song is so good. It's another bop. I love the choreography and the Scarecrow costume. This is the first song I memorized and it's one of my favorites to perform alone in my room. I am such a nerd I learned the choreography in this video just for the hell of it. The whole concept of Todrick telling his life through the Wizard of Oz narrative is my favorite part of this whole album and it all fits so well!

11. "If I Had a Heart"

I was unable to insert this video, but the title will link you to it. This is a song about heartbreak, obviously. And Todrick is using the Tin Man to tell this story. The man is a genius. You can see a subtle hot air balloon in the background, which I love. It's simple but nice to keep with the theme of Wizard of Oz. The scene where the guy rips out his heart is pretty brutal, but it tells the narrative in the story and how he became the Tins Man.

12. "Lyin' to Myself"

This sounds like a club bop. Obviously, I've never been to a club so I could be wrong, but I love this song just for how much of a bop it is. The costumes in this video are visually stunning. At least I think so. Whether it be the "pimp" suit or the Lion costume, it's all amazing. I haven't talked much about the sets, but I love the elevator in this. I don't know why. I just think this video was well done.

13. "Lions and Tigers and Bears" original ft. Amber Riley (top), deluxe ft. Tamar Braxton (bottom)

Okay, so I am a HUGE Gleek. And I am so in love with Amber Riley's voice. I was not familiar with Tamar Braxton before this, but her VOICE! I love this song because it's from a mother's point of view and she's saying how she would do anything for her son. This song didn't really tug on my heartstrings until I watched the documentary Behind the Curtain (I think it's on Netflix and I HIGHLY recommend it). This is just a really cute song.

14. "Papi" ft. Nicole Scherzinger

I couldn't insert the video, but the link it in the title. Let me start off by saying that Nicole Scherzinger was my first girl crush and the first reason I ever thought I was queer. And because of that bias, this is my favorite video and my favorite song. I love her so much. It's like things have come full circle. Nicole is the one who awoke the small queer in me and Todrick is the one who inspired me to come out to my family and to not be ashamed. Plus Nicole looks amazing in the red dress. And the business outfit she's wearing. The woman is attractive. She could wear a paper bag and still look good. I love the line "You've never touched a boob and she's got two of them". I just always thought it was funny. I love this song. It is a bop and it's a serious song. Like woman sexually harass men too sometimes and it's not just women who can get pressured towards sex. Overall I love this song and I see that this paragraph is getting too long so I'll stop gushing.

15. "Green" ft. Perez Hilton

Once again, Blogger won't let me insert the video but the link is there in the title. Perez Hilton is my inspiration for starting this blog. I have only been a fan of his for the past three years, but I have known of him forever. The only difference is I am not going to write posts about drama - unless I feel strongly that I have to say something about it to other fans. And I am so glad Perez is in this. He's not a performer, just the emcee, I guess. Chester is also in this. I love Chester, guys. I'm sorry. He's just an icon. This song talks about fame and in the video you see people with marking all over their face and body for plastic surgery. Also, the costumes here are STUNNING as they have been throughout the visual album.

16. "Flying Monkey Lament 2" ft. Shoshana Bean

I don't really have an opinion about this one other than it made me stan Shoshana Bean. I knew of her beforehand, but this was the first time I heard her sing and wow. We stan a QUEEN.

17. "See Your Face" ft. Amber Riley

Me, crying over this song? Yes. Of course. I mean how could you not? It's such a sad song. It's from the point of view of Todrick's mother and she just wants to see her son. If you watch Behind the Curtain you get an inside look on how and why these songs were written. You meet his mom in the documentary and I think that after I watched it, I understood these songs a lot better. Todrick and his mother didn't always see eye to eye and there was a time where he didn't see his mom for a long time. It's sad, but it happens sometimes.

18. "Wrong Bitch" ft. Bob the Drag Queen (Deluxe) (Original)

So I included both versions linked. The extended deluxe version is linked in Deluxe and the original is in Original. I love them both, but you can choose which you prefer. Todrick looks GREAT in drag. He makes a prettier girl than me. But he's also just an attractive person in general. And I can confidently say he is prettier in real life. But I love this song. Both versions of it. Todrick is portraying the Wicke Witch of the West and it ends with him getting shot by police which helps transition it to the next song. Get ready for my 5 paragraphs on that song and video. But in this one, I want to once again praise the costumes. And the sets. And the way it was shot and wow I just love all of the production that goes into Todrick's videos.

19. "Water Guns" ft. Jordin Sparks

If you're not American and not familiar with what's going on in America we have a big problem with gun violence and police brutality against people of color. This song is, in my opinion, the most powerful song - and video - of the whole visual album. I am most definitely going to be writing a separate blog post for this song because I can write an essay on why this is so important. In the video you see references to Trayvon Martin, Christina Grimme, and the Orlando Pulse Club shooting. I'm going to have to save my closer look at the lyrics in my post where I talk about this song but expect that in the near future.

20. "Blah Blah Blah" ft. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

I want to fight whatever is the reason I can't insert certain videos, but the link is in the title. In this Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the Wizzard. He basically crushes Todrick's hope and dreams. What bothers me is this was inspired by something that really happened to Todrick and I would personally like to fight the person JGL is portraying. Todrick has more talent in his pinky than most people have in their whole lives! But this is a really good song. I love JGL's outfit and I really love the monkey in it. Nice touch.

21."Home"

This song is wonderful and I love Todrick's voice. He's going home after all he's been through. And the video is amazing. It's very simple, but it's so good. He walks into what looks like his old church but now it's been vandalized with graffiti. You see people dressed in uniform - which I don't understand why but I'm here for it. You get to see him reunite with his mom played by Amber Riley. He's on a stage alone for a while but then people dressed in white join him, though their faces are in shadows. And at the very end, he clicks the heels of his ruby boots three times. And that would end the original visual album, but on the deluxe version, we have one more song.

22. "Low" ft. RuPaul

WE HAVE MAMA RU IN THE HOUSE! Okay so this is just a reworked version of one of Todrick's old songs on his YouTube video (which you can check out here) but this one has RuPaul, probably the most famous drag queen of all time. So that is epic on its own. And then you have Chester playing the scarecrow - in both. I love this so much. I actually heard "Low" for the first time when I saw Todrick live back in 2015. I was a very new fan of his and I didn't venture into his older videos until after that performance. I love this song and the new video is SO GOOD!

So that is my overall thoughts on the Straight Outta Oz album! I tried not to get into to much detail or else this post would never end.

If you want me to make posts about specific songs, I will! And I will write a post about Todrick's most recent album Forbidden. And I'll make a post just about him and another of my favorite videos off his channel.

So be prepared for a lot in the near future. I hope you enjoyed this post. Feel free to check out some of my other posts!