Review: Once the Musical Cast Album

I was hesitant to approach Once because as an Official Unofficial Theatre Blogger there is a clause in my contract that says- "Thou shalt not enjoy jukebox musicals, or musicals with songs unrelated to the plot." But, I overcame these hesitations and gave Once a try, with mixed results.
Let me start by praising the fantastic voice of Steve Kazee. He makes otherwise useless and emotionless songs like "Leave" and "Say It To Me Now" relevant just because of the sheer power and rawness of his voice. He is definitely deserving of the Tony he won based on his vocal performance.

Cristin Milioti's songs on the other hand come off as boring and uninspired. Her songs really put a damper on the entire affair. "If You Want Me" may contend on my list of worst show tunes ever written. But to her credit her voice has a bit of a haunting quality that fits well with Kazee. Though, to be fair, one would be hard-pressed to find a voice that doesn't sound good with the rapturous Kazee.
There is evidence of good song-writing throughout Once, but not necessarily effective show tune writing. There is (count it) one song with relevance to the plot. Grade: C+

Below is my song breakdown:
CAST ALBUM REVIEW
+ means a song helps the show, = means a song does not hurt a show, - means a song hurts a show.
+Falling Slowly, Leave, Say It to me Now, Gold
=Sleeping, When Your Mind Is Made Up
-The Moon, Ej Pada Pada Rosicka, If You Want Me, Broken-Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy, Abandoned in Bandon, Sleeping, The Hill, It Cannot Be About That