I have the impression that for a long time Charlie Puth has been associated more as an influencer with perfect pitch than a full-fledged artist. Sure, he’s not an anonymous figure – co-produced and sung by him “See You Again” promoting the seventh part “Fast and Furious” It is still one of the most frequently played songs and music videos in the history of YouTube. “Attention” Whether “We Don’t Talk Anymore” With Selena Gomez probably heard by most of the world. And yet, despite the huge wave that carried him, it is the context of social media that is the one in which the creator can most often be seen in recent years. “Whatever’s Clever!” is definitely a reason to return to the purely musical discussion.
How Charlie Puth did on “Whatever’s Clever!”
I would like to tell you right away that here we have an amazing pop revelation, a new full-fledged king of pop and we are going with the topic. But no – in fact, “Whatever’s Clever!” is quite a disappointing album, with much less to remember than you might initially think. And this despite the fact that Charlie Puth proposes a position that has a very distinctive idea.
This is already visible in the entire graphic design accompanying the album and in the music video promoting the song “Changes”. If you like the visual style of the late eighties – especially “Big” With Tom Hanks starring and early seasons “Seinfeld” then you will find your place perfectly here. What makes me even more happy is the fact that this is not just a shell. Sonically, it was decided to authentically refer to the sound of the 80s – in places too saturated with reverb and overcompressed for modern standards, driven by the plastic, yet very specific sounds of Yamaha DX-7 and KORG M1 digital synthesizers, which set the standard for the era.
Charlie Puth’s suggestions on “Whatever’s Clever!” however, they are not an attempt at epigonistic creation of hits that you would experience every day on radio stations of that time. The creator decided to take a very specific fragment, which I would like to describe as… sitcom music. Seriously – I was wondering whether, for the purposes of this review, I should take a few openings from TV series from the late 1980s and replace the original sound layer with songs from this album.
There’s a bit of a campiness to it. Finally, that saxophone solo in “Cry” it’s even a parallel of the opening “Fashion for success”. The bass parts, however, are clearly moved forward, as when, in the blaze of glory, the songs passed from the disco era to more classically understood pop. And this sound idea ultimately makes “Whatever’s Clever!” it’s adorable. Even if it’s not an outstanding or even very good album.
Sure, Charlie has definitely matured – he sings about becoming a parent, about life stability, overcoming his weaknesses and fighting for what is most important. He comes to terms with the past, but looks back with a smile. This, combined with the sound, gives the album a very warm, even cuddly feel. But it’s also nothing we haven’t heard before. In fact, I will even go as far as to say that if we stripped this album of its production layer, we would get a painfully standard pop album that we wouldn’t remember a moment after listening to it. Especially since Charlie Puth’s vocals themselves are clearly conducted in a modern style and have little in common with the way phrases were conducted in the times he wants to refer to.
In fact, apart from very neat “I Used to Be Cringe”“Cry”, which is a strange combination of creative aesthetics The Weeknd and Ricky Martin “Sideways” and “Don’t Meet Your Heroes” (which also sounds like a lost song by The Weeknd) there’s a lack of moments that could work more than just a background of everyday activities.
So I have a complicated relationship with this album. Yes, I uncritically love the idea behind its sound, because it makes it stand out even among retrospective albums. However, I would dream that the songs would live up to this idea. And these – as it turns out – are the weakest element of the album.
Charlie Puth, “Whatever’s Clever!”, Warner Music Poland