#48: Andy Grammer - Andy Grammer (2011)

Andy Grammar rose from obscurity on his singles, "Fine By Me" and "Keep Your Head Up". While there's no doubting just how catchy and solid those two singles are, I was curious to hear the rest of the album. Surely there has to be more gems inside, right?

Keep Your Head Up
Despite the whoa's that start the track, I really enjoy this every time I queue it up. A decent bass line and bounce of the piano on the verse gives way to a huge chorus. The o's and ah's on the chorus keep the track feeling good with the upbeat lyrics. It is awfully catchy but what makes it such a good track is the bridge. "Only rainbows after rain, the sun will come again..." It breaks it down a bit which makes the transition back to the chorus as smooth as possible.


Fine By Me
Best track on the album. The sweet guitar keeps an almost hawaiian feel while the piano rumbles down a broken beat. I love vocals, they aren't deep but the melody and lyrics provide a good enough story line to go along with the good vibes. Of course, it's a big hit because of the big chorus - however, the more I listen to the song the more I like the verse.

Love, Love, Love (Let You Go)
This track was spotlighted because it sounds like the least like anything else on the record. However, it's not all that different. The bass carries the song and the album could use a lot more of that. Synths throw in some fills to round out the song, however, there's nothing really over special about it. It's a great song to relax to and would fit in nicely on a beach mix. It's got a backbone but everything else is loose.

All in all, I think Grammer could write a great summer album but he needs more variation. It sounds like that was his intent, all the songs are vibrant, upbeat, and catchy - but it wears you down. None of his songs are all that different from each other. Lyrically it never gets deeper than the words he sings and the phrases never require any thought. I can't tell if the poor production got in the way of good songs or if it's the other way around. The acoustic version of 'Biggest Man in Los Angeles' tends to point toward poor production but the entire album can be summed up in a word: formulaic.

Tomorrow's album: Elvis Presley's Elvis is Back!