Written By: Nekia Fondren
Whether you like it or not, Charlie Puth has been around for about the past five years. He broke out with his song “Marvin Gaye” featuring Meghan Trainor and released “See You Again” exactly one month later which both served as two of 2015’s most memorable anthems.
Fast forward a few years and now we have Voicenotes, Charlie’s sophomore album. Now a full year after its release, I can fully appreciate every song on this album – yes, even the ones that weren’t listed were amazing! (This was hard okay.)
10. ‘Change’ feat. James Taylor
Released during a March for Our Lives rally in dedication to Marjory Stoneman Douglas students, ‘Change’ contrasts the romantic tension the rest of the album holds and steers into a political space. This song gives a nice tie to the album overall and delivers a surprising duet between Puth and one of his music idols, James Taylor.
9. ‘Dangerously’ & ‘My Gospel’
So, I realize that choosing two songs is technically cheating but hear me out – we don’t give Nine Track Mind enough credit! Both songs showcase the capability of his range not only vocally but lyrically. As someone who’s gone on record saying that he has a hard time expressing himself [outside of music], Puth showcases vulnerability without desperation – even if the entirety of ‘My Gospel’ is a wanting letter. In both ‘My Gospel’ and ‘Dangerously’ he uses clever lines such as “Say this whole world can know you're all I need/ 'Cause baby someday I'll drop and hit one knee and tell you”.There are a few others from the Nine Track Mine album that deserve their spotlight, so we’re dedicating number 9 to the entirety of Nine Track Mind. (And yes I know where this album is ranked.)
8. ‘Patient’
The apology letter and official ending to the four-part story consisting of “Attention”, “How Long”, and “Done for Me”, is all in the hook. Reminding fans (me) of similar refrain from ‘Suffer’ from Nine Track Mind, both tracks carry an emotional crutch. On top of an emotional track, there’s so much to find in the production of this song including a cowbell, it’s “out of place” key change towards the hook, and an alien bass synth?
7. ‘Boy’
Based off of a friend’s relationship, “Boy” glosses over the relationship between a “boy” and their older counterpart. This is probably one of the most understated beats in Charlie’s archive as its simple piano notes layered with a hi-hat. Regardless, this song is one of his more upbeat and funky songs that captures the audience with an unexpected jazz solo right in the middle.
6. ‘Slow It Down’
The first few times I listened to this song the melody – especially behind the first verse – really stuck out. I then got confirmation that it was sampled from the Hall & Oates song “I Can’t Go for That”. Unlike Hall & Oates, Puth uses the melody to express his thoughts about wanting to dig deeper into a person and “slow[ing] it down” before going there. The writers for this song include Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub, both of which whom have a laundry list of high-profile clients including Ariana Grande, One Direction, and now Charlie Puth.
5. ‘Empty Cups’
Empty cups is unlike any other song (that I can think of) that Charlie has written/produced. Setting the scene of a party, it’s lyrically the most “relaxed” songs on the album. If we were delving out superlatives this song would be voted “Most Likely to Get Stuck in your Head”. Side note: I’m sure this was intentional given the artist, but at the two minute mark I always feel the need to cut into the part of the apology letter “Patient” when Puth sings “Oh, you don’t wanna wait another minute /You don’t wanna wait another night”. Just me? Okay moving on.
4. ‘Done for Me’ feat. Kehlani
The biggest draw from this song is not only it’s pop-jazz-R&B infused melody but being able to hear the conversation between the parties in “Attention” and “How Long”. In the second verse when Kehlani sings “I won't beg for your love/ Won't say please (oh no, won't say please) / I won't fall to the ground on my knees (on my knees)”, Puth’s echo/background vocals bring a different life to the song. Ten additional points to the lime green shoes in the music video.
3. ‘Attention’
The single plucked “sneaky” cords that open the song are just one of its many assets. Attention is the first of many sonically consistent songs for Charlie and set the tone for the entire Voicenotes album. Featuring his “anti-drop” right before the chorus hits, this is definitely one of the catchiest songs to come from the artist. With a great bass line, up-tempo, and catchy “relatable” lyrics, it’s not hard to see why ‘Attention’ topped the charts for four weeks. I consider this as Charlie’s real “breakout” song.
2. ‘If You Leave Me Now’ feat. Boys II Men
This is probably one of the most iconic songs to come out of this decade. Not only does Puth already present his music as a nod to jazz, disco, soul and early R&B, but now he has a group of pioneers whose voices shaped the better part of a decade. This is exactly the sort of thing I wasn’t expecting from this album but glad I was able to experience. The layering of the voices also brings a choral sound to the track once again drawing in a hint of soul to his music.
1. ‘I Warned Myself’
112 layers of vocals and one choke later, we come to ‘I Warned Myself’- the newest released song from Charlie Puth. There’s this great evolution of sound every time he releases music that gets closer and closer to the perfect sound that he’s chasing. Voicenotes, named after the voice memos app from iPhone, serves as the artists first “real” showcase of self and step towards a more mature sound, but this feels like a giant step leading a new era for him.
Upcoming Music?
Today, September 12th, Charlie is releasing the second out of a trio of songs to be in the running as his new single. This new single titled ‘Mother’ has already compared to Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’. You can expect to hear the last song in three weeks on October 1st so stay tuned!
Be sure to check out the new video for ‘Mother’ as well the entire Voicenotes album on iTunes and Spotify.
Photo retrieved from WMG (on behalf of Atlantic Records) 'I Warned Myself' Music Video.
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