Friday, 27 December 2013

Hot Chelle Rae- Whatever Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Album- Whatever
Artist- Hot Chelle Rae

Hot Chelle Rae really came into the mainstream with their hit 2011 single Tonight Tonight, and has really ridden that wave of success and delighted audiences with the exuberant personality. The groups second studio album Whatever should see them capitalise really well on the success of their singles, but is this actually a record where the title maybe sums up your feelings about the album?

Track 1- I Like It Like That (featuring New Boyz)

Opening track I Like It Like That is a simple pop rock and pop rap tune that has a preppy just living life sensibility that will appeal to a younger fan base. The song finds the group singing/rapping about what they are going to do and how they like to do things in certain fun and quite summery ways. The message is delivered in a feisty way but ultimately is just typical, clichéd content that only young music fans will find appealing. Lead singer Ryan Follese gives us a light and high octane performance that is enough to make you feel like partying, but isn’t enough to make this feel like a proper party anthem, whilst the New Boyz guest raps are bland and feel like a waste of time. The snappy guitar and electro rhythms give the song a groove that is infectious in a way, but ultimately adds to the songs lack of originality.

2.5/5

Track 2- Tonight Tonight

Becoming the group’s biggest hit to date, Tonight Tonight is an upbeat pop and pop rock tune that is a bit cheesy but ultimately just really enjoyable. The song finds the group throwing away the troubles of the week and just living life up by partying on the rooftop. The throwaway your troubles message is helped by the catchy ‘la la la’ hook and exuberant vocal performance that is given, with the song also having a slight quirky sensibility in certain sections of the lyrics and becoming even catchier because of this (i.e. the Zach Galifinakis bit). The preppy guitar riffs and funky drum beats give the song a light groove that is designed to have you bouncing around, and so whilst a bit silly, it is ridiculously infectious and was a deserved summer hit at the time of its release.

3.5/5

Track 3- Honestly

A lighter in sound musical offering than the previous songs, Honestly is another upbeat number from the group where they are seemingly speaking to us very honestly. The song is a bit of a goodbye song as the band lyrically speaks of not caring about the feelings of an ex and just partying and living life, as this girl is just wrong. The repetition of the title is annoying and the lyrics are lacking a bit, but the frivolous tone of the track is infectious and is helped by the simple, light tone of Follese’s vocal performance, as he comes across just like a guy who doesn’t care. The vibrant guitar strumming and quirky pop beats give the song a nice rhythm that is just light and fun enough to dance around to, making this a further solid pop effort from the group.

3.5/5

Track 4- Keep You with Me

The light pop sound is still kept strong, but now the emotions that the group convey are thoroughly changed, as this time the group sing of this relationship which can’t end, basically telling this girl that I’ve got to keep you with me. The strong chorus and more emotionally powerful tone of the track makes up for the use of pop clichés, and although Follese may not be the best vocalist, his vocal performance here has a slightly rough texture and feels passionate enough to make this a strong listen. The heavy bass and simple guitar riffs creates a light pop sheen that acts as a dramatic but also contrasting sound emotionally, giving us a lively but different sort of pop tune from the group.

3.5/5

Track 5- Radio (featuring Bei Maejor)

Radio is like the young cousin of Tonight Tonight in terms of its pop driven sound that also sounds quite similar to Want U Back by Cher Lloyd. The song finds lead singer Follese singing of how he is going to use his radio to express his feelings of love for this girl and how he misses her. It is a sweet concept with a cute rap from Bei Maejor, but the chorus lacks a truly great hook and feels like something that the group produced in 30 seconds, whilst the lack of an original pop sound means that the heavy bass and punchy synths extremely lack the impact that they should have. Folesse’s voice also just feels silly and bland here, creating a tune that will mostly just appeal to young listeners under the age of 13.

2/5

Track 6- Whatever

Title track Whatever is another tune that is full of pop clichés right from the beginning and creates the idea that Hot Chelle Rae are a group that don’t really have that many musical ideas. The song is about just shaking off your troubles and acting like you don’t care, just have fun. The message is wrapped in a strong pop chorus but the verses are poor in terms of the use of clichéd rhymes, whilst Follese’s rap sing style just feels a bit too childish for this song to appeal to a wider music market. The slightly heavier synths and musical intro and outro gives the production value a slightly better quality, but ultimately this is more electro pop rock designed for the kids.

2.5/5

Track 7- Forever Unstoppable

Beginning with an echoing vocal intro from Follese, Forever Unstoppable is less of a juvenile pop offering from the group and more of a fun, live life, youthful pop tune with a much better musical composition. The song is about this relationship where Follesse and his girl can just run away and live off their love, running away from the bad qualities of life and just living together as if they were unstoppable. The chorus is catchy and optimistic, whilst Follesse gives us a vocal that is vibrant and fun but also has an air of delicacy and sincerity about it that makes this a powerful listen. The punchy electric guitar riffs and glittering synths creates a throw yours hands in the air, euphoric energy to the track that makes this one of the finer moments of the record.

3.5/5

Track 8- Why Don’t You Love Me (featuring Demi Lovato)

A duet with American singer songwriter and teen star Demi Lovato, Why Don’t You Love Me is a touching ballad from the group where Follese and Lovato act as two people who are in this relationship where the guy wants to know why this girl doesn’t love him, as he cares so much about her, whilst the girl just can’t express that she is scared, as she has been heartbroken before. The songs twofold narrative edge makes the lyrics more potent, whilst the simple questioning tone of the chorus makes the song very catchy. Lovato’s and Follesse’s voices nicely complement each other, with both singers giving a powerful performance full of emotion, whilst the shimmering production value with the guitars and drums creates a strong pop rock sound that perfectly captures the songs lyrical intensity. It is at this point the group show a different side and go beyond childish, one tone pop.

4/5

Track 9- Downtown Girl

With the opening ‘what’s up girl shout out’, Downtown Girl seems determined to emphasise that the group are now taking you back to a clichéd, up tempo pop state. This time the group are telling us all about how this girl is this fancy type of girl from downtown who isn’t going to have her way in their affections. The idea of a downtown girl isn’t anything new, although the song is slightly better in the way that it almost pokes fun at the girly, Hollywood stereotype. Follese’s  vocals are light and fun if a bit shouty, whilst the production is preppy and upbeat with vibrant synth notes and fast paced guitar riffs, but ultimately Downtown Girl takes us back to a place of poor clichés and poor messages that won’t see the group gain a larger fan base.

3/5

Track 10- Beautiful Freaks

With a kind of mix of a circus and cheerleading feel to the electronic base of this song, Beautiful Freak is another fun loving but clichéd song that is all about the guys telling people that if they think they are freaks they should just revel in it, whilst also bringing some romantic elements to the track. The message just feels lyrically annoying and uses so many romantic comedy images it is annoying, whilst Follese’s voice lacks a charismatic appeal that would make the song sound truthful and fun. The quirky breakdown of the bridge is fun but otherwise the production value of the track is boring synthpop that only kid’s radio will play.

2/5

Track 11- The Only One

Final track The Only One almost shows a cool, more acoustically driven lane that would be great for the group to go down to, but the clichéd sentiments start to creep in and the band lyrically just prove that they are maybe destined to be forever that band just designed to make music for kids. The song focuses on Follese singing to this girl about how she is the only one who can make him see himself and life the way he should, with the message being sweet but lacking any originality. Whilst the vocals are strong and passionate some of the vocal layering highlights the weakness of Follese’s voice, whilst the pop rock production that surrounds the vocal is such a typical sound for this kind of track it wouldn’t be surprising if some other band of the past claimed that the group had ripped them off.

2/5

Final Review

Hot Chelle Rae are a fun pop band that can produce some joyful songs to dance around to, but after a short while that shtick just doesn’t work enough for this album to be any good. The production value is kind of dated and all too often melds to the point where tracks sound to similar, and whilst the exuberance of Follese is commendable, his vocals aren’t that great and he isn’t enough of a frontman to carry this band. Furthermore, the songs are really weighed down by clichéd lyrical statements that are awful to be heard, leaving us with much to be desired from the record. Aside from the lovely Demi Lovato collaboration, this is ultimately an album that parents just have to buy to shut kids up.

2/10

Best Track- Why Don’t You Love Me (featuring Demi Lovato)

Worst Track- Beautiful Freaks

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