One of Glee's biggest (perhaps only) concessions to the realities of being a high-school student was the graduation of several cast members entering their final year at William McKinley High School at the end of the show's third season; many shows starring teen characters put off that fateful moment when high school ends for as long as possible. Glee: The Music - The Graduation Album focuses on performances by many of these seniors -- including Finn (Cory Monteith) Rachel (Lea Michele), Puck (Mark Salling), Mercedes (Amber Riley), Quinn (Dianna Agron), Santana (Naya Rivera), and Kurt (Chris Colfer) -- of songs that are or will be staples of the cap-and-gown set. Aside from a few rockers like the obligatory "School's Out," "We Are the Champions," and "Glory Days," the mood is fairly solemn by Glee's standards, with songs such as "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," "I'll Remember," and "Forever Young" dominating the set. As with many later albums in the Glee series, the cast's performances are decent but somewhat bland, as are the song choices, although fun.'s "We Are Young" and the New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" are too quirky to have all their personality removed by Glee's gloss. While it's not as shrill as The Music: Vol. 7 or as treacly as Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album, Vol. 2, Glee: The Music - The Graduation Album still suggests that, musically speaking anyway, Glee's glory days might be behind it.
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