Glee: The Music, Volume 3

New Directions has fallen on hard times and teacher Will Schuester has taken the task of restoring the glee club to its former glory. With an unlikely group of students including a couple of football players, a few cheerleaders, a male soprano, a potential diva, and the girl who believes she will be a star, the glee club works to perform at first the sectional then the regional competition. The show has included plot lines ranging from teen pregnancy, to angst over sexual orientation, to the clique driven world of high school, to the separation and divorce of Mr. Schuester.

While the story arcs and characters are well written and well acted, the real star of the show is the music. Each week, the show includes jaw dropping musical numbers ranging from Lady Gaga to KISS; from Les Miserables to Journey; from Madonna to "The Lady is a Tramp." The cast moves from song to song and from style to style with ease and continuously provides excellent music with a dramatic twist. Whether the song is classic rock, Broadway musical, funk, or modern rock, the cast shows their musical chops by performing each song in an exciting and well done manner.

The show has been a ratings success for FOX and has spawned five music CDs featuring the cast and numbers from the show. These albums have included compilation volumes from the shows, and one album dedicated to the show's "The Power of Madonna" episode. The most recent album release is "Glee: The Music, Volume 3."

This most recent release continues to feature the cast and musical numbers from the show. This CD includes "Hello, Goodbye," "The Lady is a Tramp," "One," and others focused on the cast. It also includes special appearances by Olivia Newton-John with "Physical," Kristen Chenoweth with "One Less Bell To Answer/A House Is Not A Home," and Neil Patrick Harris on "Dream On." The album does a good job including songs and talents of a wide range of cast members ranging from Lea Michael (Rachael) to Mark Salling (Puck), Amber Riley (Mercedes), and Chris Colfer (Kurt) among others.

This album is available in two different versions, the standard and deluxe edition. The deluxe edition includes six additional tracks over the standard edition.