A classically trained singer, Chris Mann came to the public's attention while appearing as a contestant on the second season of NBC's singing reality show The Voice in 2012. However, Mann had already released 2 self-titled extended plays, the first being in 2009 and the second in 2011. While auditioning for The Voice, Mann was initially chosen by judges Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green after singing Andrea Bocelli's "Because We Believe ". He chose to be part of Team Christina Aguilera, on whose team he had hoped to be selected from the start. Mann was ultimately placed fourth, behind winner Jermaine Paul, runner-up Juliet Simms, and third-place finisher Tony Lucca. However, it was enough to give him a ready fan base and a recording contract with Universal Republic, ultimately releasing his debut solo album, Roads.
Recording
Roads is a vocal pop, classical crossover and traditional pop album, featuring covers, as well as new songs. The first track and lead single is a brand new song, also called "Roads". Lyrically, it talks about staying on your own path while dealing with life’s uncertainties. Mann also received co-writing credits on some songs such as "Cuore", co-written by Savan Kotecha and Marco Marinangeli, and on "Falling", co-written by Liz Rose and Keith Thomas. Mann also covered a handful of tracks. He covered three recent hit tracks: Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now", Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter" and Coldplay's "Viva La Vida". Mann also recorded three classics: Frank Sinatra's "My Way", "Always on My Mind" and "Ave Maria".
Critical reception
Matt Collar of AllMusic gave the album 3 out of possible 5 stars, writing that Roads is "a languid, passionate, and well-produced album, and beautifully showcases Mann's Vanderbilt University-trained vocal chops. Rather than attempt to shoe horn Mann's mature vocal aesthetic into a younger, teen- or dance-oriented sound, here we get a selection of thoughtful covers and originals that straddle the line between measured, adult contemporary radio styles and more of a classical crossover approach." Collar also wrote that the covers, such as "Need You Now" and "The Blower's Daughter", "rachet up the sweeping, cinematic qualities of the songs while allowing him plenty of room to shine." By the end of the review, he concluded that "Ultimately, Roads will not disappoint fans who championed Mann on The Voice."
