Album- Wide Awake
Artist- Joe McElderry
Winning a show like the UK X Factor seems like you should be
destined for a long career of success, but in many cases the winner has
actually had less success than the runners up. Such an example is Joe
McElderry, a young lad from Newcastle who, after winning the show, gained a
number one single, a follow up top ten single and a top three placing album.
Yet his sales were much poorer than they should have been, and as a result
McElderry was dropped from record label Syco Music. McElderry has had quite a successful
career since, with 3 more top ten placing albums under a new label Decca
Records, but his success pales in comparison to other acts like Leona Lewis,
One Direction and Cher Lloyd. But was McElderry’s debut album really all that
bad, or were people too quick to judge McElderry as actually not that worthy of
being an X Factor winner?
Track 1- Ambitions
A cover of a song originally recorded by Norwegian band
Donkeyboy, Ambitions was the records lead single and is a bouncy up tempo pop
number that is lyrically all about reaching for your dreams and how McElderry
is following his ambitions and making his life turn out the way he wants. The
message is happy and the pop chorus is good, but vocally the singer’s voice
just doesn’t fit the track, as his falsetto just makes the track sound whiny
and almost too chipper. The light synths and preppy pop production is nice but
ultimately makes this feel like a Mika reject that somebody just told McElderry
to record, and it just shouldn’t have been his post X Factor, this is my future
sound kind of single.
2.5/5
Track 2- Someone Wake
Me Up
Second single Someone Wake Me Up has a slight Wham! feel and
finds the singer taking on a mid tempo ballad which really lets his voice
shine. The song is more of a comfortable listen than the previous track, and
although the lyrics are clichéd, the sentiment of being woken up by the power
of love is sweet. The song has a dramatic, playful and passionate quality that
allows the singer’s voice to be flexed to the full, with the use of vocal
layering making the chorus more impactful and heartfelt. Keeping the production
simple with the shoe tapping percussion and strong string arrangement creates a
grand tone for the track that lifts the lyrics a little, and the only really
annoying bit is the Auto Tuned bridge, which feels very unnecessary.
3.5/5
Track 3- Superman
Superman finds the singer covering a song original by Five
for Fighting, and with this track McElderry once again gets to show off his
vocals a little more. The song focuses on the singer reflecting that life is
not easy but he has to dream and fight through life. The song finds the singer
really opening up his voice, giving us soft verses and showing the depth in his
voice before launching into the final chorus and giving the song a final,
powerful kick. In terms of the sound things are maybe a little safe with the
piano and string arrangement, but the sound suits the singer’s voice, and there
are subtle electronic elements to the production that adds an extra, vibrant layer
to the track. This would have made more sense as a single for the singer over
Ambitions.
3.5/5
Track 4- Real Late
Starter
Here McElderry gives us another cover song, this time taking
on Real Late Starter by singer songwriter Nerina Pallot. The song is a bouncy
dance and teen pop number, changing up the original tracks pop rock feel in
favour of a more synth heavy sound. The jazzy piano instrumentation is fun but
the synths are too powerful and typical of the genre. The singer vocally shows
off his range but once again comes across as a bit whiny, with the Auto Tune
being annoying, and it is another song which feels like the singer is being put
into this mould that doesn’t suit him. The song is sweet in terms of the lyrics
as McElderry reflects on his shyness and how he is late to the party, but it
still feels all-round to shiny and cheesy.
2/5
Track 5- Until the
Stars Run Out
With this track things turn a bit deeper into dance pop, and
the song has a cool euphoric essence that is quite fun to listen to. The song
has a strange sample of Wham!’s hit tune ‘Faith’ but apart from that the lyrics
are quite catchy, as the singer states that this song is for the person who
will love him for life, or at least until the stars run out. The song shows off
a different side to the singers voice a little bit and has a languid feel that
makes the tune more appealing. Furthermore, whilst other tracks have seen the
production be more annoying and out of sync with the singer, the dance rhythms
and stabbing string notes of the track creates an atmospheric feel that shows McElderry
can actually fit into the dance pop genre without sounding like a total idiot.
3.5/5
Track 6- Feel the
Fire
A bouncy pop number, Feel the Fire finds McElderry being
this over the top character where something is burning inside him and he just
wants to release all the energy he has. The song is very poor lyrically as the
lyrics are built on dozens of clichéd statements, whilst there also doesn’t
feel like there is any real purpose to the lyrics. McElderry’s light vocal tone
works well within the track and he has a nice personality that works well
within the context of the song. Whilst the snappy rhythm of the production is a
bit of a rip off of the sound of pop group Alphabeat, it is a fun pop sound
that still manages to work, particularly with the vocals.
2.5/5
Track 7- Fahrenheit
Farenheit keeps the happy, bright feel of the record going
but has more of an electronic feel to it. The bubbling synth base of the song
is really nice and creates a fun dance sound for the track. Here we find the
singer telling the listener of how he knows that the idea of passion is on
their mind and they should just let go. It is more solidly composed than the
previous track but the lyrics can feel a bit awkward in places, whilst the
vocal is slightly hit and miss as the verses are ok but the chorus is pitched
to high and just sounds annoying.
2.5/5
Track 8- Wide Awake
Title track Wide Awake is a good mid tempo pop ballad that
shows the singer off at his best and shows that his voice is much better suited
to ballads. McElderry sings of how he was in this relationship with this person
which was great but went a bit too quick, but now he is wide awake to the fact
that he has lost this person. The lyrics are a bit more impactful and the
chorus immediately captures your attention, whilst the singer shows off his
range to better effect within the song and shows more passion. The stomping
drums and twinkling piano melody of the song creates a strong sound that brings
out the passion of the lyrics very nicely and shows that McElderry can bring
some substance to his work.
3.5/5
Track 9- Smile
A cover of a song originally by country music artist Uncle
Kracker, Smile is a song that is lyrically pure in its intent as the singer
simply tells this person of how they make him smile and just forget his
troubles and live life. The song is an inoffensive pop number, but the vocals
don’t really grab you and the pitch is a bit annoying. Furthermore, the
acoustic production with the shiny guitar riffs just creates a nice but safe
sound that makes this song just an album filler track.
2.5/5
Track 10- Love Is War
Love Is War is a feisty pop number that has a slight George
Michael feel. The song focuses on the idea that if love is like a war then
McElderry will fight for this person, because he is only complete with them in
his life. The message is typical pop territory but the chorus is a nice pop
moment. However, the vocals are awkward throughout the song. The verses are
nice and soft but then there is an annoying pitch and layered style to the
vocals in the chorus, whilst Auto Tune also comes into play in some sections to
just make the song more annoying. The track features a funky guitar riff and a
vibrant pop sensibility that is nice to listen to but which cannot hide the
poor quality of the vocal.
2/5
Track 11- The Climb
(bonus track)
Final track The Climb was the singers X Factor winner’s
single, and is a cover of a song originally by American singer Miley Cyrus. The
song focuses on McElderry telling the listener of how he has had to overcome
obstacles and there will always be obstacles in life, but the journey is worth
it and you can get where you want to eventually. The song works well with the singer’s
journey through the X Factor talent show and his fight to win, whilst vocally
McElderry sounds passionate and comfortable within the song. Production wise
things are kept nice and simple with the arrangement of drums, strings and
piano, creating a strong power pop ballad sound that suits McElderry’s voice.
Whilst it might have been an obvious choice for a winners single, McElderry
puts his stamp on the cover and makes this just a sweet and lovely tune.
3.5/5
Final Review
Wide Awake is not a terrible album but it is not an album
that you want from an X Factor winner. There are some decent pop songs in the
set, and whilst his voice is naturally suited to ballads, he does produce some
nice up tempo pop moments for the record. However, a lot of the time the lyrics
are annoyingly clichéd, whilst the singer’s vocals suffer from going too high
into his range and using Auto Tune very poorly. The production of each song
also feels like a bit of a conglomeration of the sound of different artists,
creating a slight rushed feel to the album that makes it seem as if people
really didn’t know where to go with McElderry’s music direction. It could
definitely have been a worse album, but sadly I can definitely see why people
didn’t buy many copies and why he was dropped from his label, although it does
slightly feel like it was more the labels fault.
4.5/10
Best Track- Until the
Stars Run Out
Worst Track- Real
Late Starter
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