Album- Hello My Name Is…
Artist- Bridget Mendler
Okay so for those of you who don’t know, Bridget Mendler is
a Disney star, just like Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Miley Cyrus. So with
that piece of info, many will just not care about Mendler, because she is a
product of Disney, and many people think that if an artist comes from Disney,
they are a waste of time. In many cases true, but in the case of Mendler I say
to those people: You are stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if you would like
to find out why, please read the rest of my thoughts on Mendlers debut.
Track 1- Ready Or Not
The first track and first single off the album, it is so
easy to see why this is the perfect debut for Mendler. With a catchy hook that
could give Carly Rae Jepsens “Call Me Maybe” a run for its money, this is a
carefree track that is perfect for the summer.
4/5
Track 2- Forgot to Laugh
The light airy verses perfectly compliment the punchy chorus
of this song in which Mendler does a lil bit of man bashing, perfect for those
who have gone through a break up and just really don’t care about the person.
3.5/5
Track 3- Top Of The World
The album starts to dip slightly from here. Whilst not a bad
track, Top Of The World lacks the polish of the former tracks, with the chorus
seemingly stretching Mendlers vocals. It would be easy to see why someone would
skip this track.
2/5
Track 4- Hurricane
Recently announced as the second single off of the album,
Hurricane follows the same formula as the previous tracks, and because of this
the album may at this point might start to feel samey. That’s not to say it is
a bad track. A lil bit of Kesha style vocal speaking rather than singing is
employed, a punchy chorus and a bit of group chanting at the end lifts this
track beyond the trappings of Top Of The World, but if you were to only listen
to the first for tracks, you might think Mendler is a one trick pony.
3/5
Track 5-City Lights
A more down tempo song, city lights provides a bit relief
from the former tracks, with new, interesting electronic production between the
choruses and the verses, whilst still holding that pop and soul feel layered
throughout the album. The only thing about this song is that again Mendler is
perhaps vocally challenged too much, and it might have been better to
2.5/5
Track 6- All I See Is Gold
I always like to read other reviews to see what others think
and compare it with my opinion, and I distinctly remember reading one critics
opinion on the album the ballads weren’t particularly memorable. So to that person
I say: did you even listen to All I See Is Gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, so im not
saying that it’s on the scale of like Adele’s Someone Like You, but anyone who
can manage to sing a simple hook of “All I See Is Gold” many times and not make it annoying is worthy
of praise in my book, particularly as I get annoyed at over repeated lyrics.
Speaking of a relationship in which her guys like Midas, Mendler in my opinion
might be seeing a bit more gold if she gives this a single release.
4/5
Track 7- The Fall Song
Taking inspiration from nature, this cute little track
provides a nice transition from the balladry of the previous track without
being overwhelming, and the powerful chorus indeed gives that feeling of
falling in love.
3/5
Track 8- Love Will Tell Us Where To Go
Still on a mid tempo setting this simple concept of
following the power of love is another cute song, with interesting production in
the form of a whistling kind of effect employed throughout the track. Could be
better, but could be worse, another track that could easily be skipped or
easily enjoyed. One that I couldn’t really
make my mind up about, so you are just going to have to go out and listen to
it.
2.5/5
Track 9-Blonde
This is another cutesy track (yes I’ve said cute for the
past three tracks, but in this case this is not a bad thing) but with a more up
tempo pace, and is kind of irresistible due to the fact that Mendler sort of
pokes fun at herself, and takes the universal idea of what’s associated with a
Blonde and seamlessly melds them into a noteworthy song.
3.5/5
Track 10- Rocks at My Window
A track that might takes few
listens to fully enjoy. It’s a little too similar to material released by many
other artists, and one where the soul side of things is a little more
downplayed than usual, giving us a straightforward pop song. The idea of love
in throwing rocks at my window is a simple yet effective idea, and the letter
rapping bridge to the final chorus gives a nice change of pace. Indeed an
infectious song, with the slight let down of the “babababa” in chorus, which just
seems a little bit generic.
3.5/5
Track 11- 5:15
This down tempo track kind of felt
to me at first listen like it could have belonged in a gritty gangsta movie. This is entirely due to the down tempo, moody
production that makes this track one of the standouts. Not quite a ballad but
nowhere near a song to dance to, this track is superb in that for me it really
showcases Mendlers skill as a writer, purely due to the fact that she seemingly
builds a moody lovetale over the simple idea of meeting at 5:15, not a minute
more. Please just go and listen.
4/5
Track-12- Hold On For Dear Love
This simple piano driven ballad isn’t
amazing but gives a nice end to the standard version of the album, as well as
showing the delicacy which lies in Mendlers voice. One to listen to if your
just thinking about your boyfriend/girlfriend and are just sitting quietly in
your own thoughts.
3/5
Track 13- We’re Dancing
The first of three bonus tracks of
on the deluxe version of the album, this fun track, co-written by the brilliant
and legendary Billy Steinberg, borders on having a techno, dancey feel to it.
But Mendler always stays true to herself, and that soul pop vibe still remains
as the electro production is minimal. Still, an interesting track that hints
Mendler has other avenues to musically pursue in life if she ever wishes to,
and certainly a song that should get you dancing, even if just a bit.
3.5/5
Track 14- Postcard
This mid tempo bonus track again
holds a minimal techno feel, and gives off a slight feminist message with a
clever lyrical idea of reaching for the skies (and beyond). If this was in the
standard album version it might have felt disjointed, but as a bonus track it
works, and also shows how Mendler doesn’t need to make her lyric convoluted and
hard to understand to make a good song
3.5/5
Track 15- Quicksand
A final ballad to end the album,
although for me felt it was easy to see why this was a deluxe edition bonus
track- its nice but just a bit bland. And that’s all you can really say.
1.5/5
This is a clever debut album, not just because of the fact
that Mendler has a lot of creative control (she co-wrote every track) but that
this is an artist that seems to really cultivate her music and want to make it
the best that she can. Therefore I ask people to go listen to this album, cause
she’s more than a Disney actress turned singer- she is a music lover.
Album Rating- 6.5/10
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