From The Vault- Voicenotes by Charlie Puth

Charles Otto Puth Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His initial exposure came through the viral success of his song videos uploaded to YouTube after which he released one of the biggest hits of this century ‘See You Again’ with Wiz Khalifa as a tribute to the late Paul Walkar. Voicenotes is Charlie Puth’s sophomore album and it comes after his first album was a disappointment for both his fans and himself. It felt rushed and incomplete and almost felt like the label was trying to cash in on the popularity of See You Again and make Charlie the perfect boy next door with cheesy love ballads.

Voicenotes is produced by Charlie Puth himself and came out after a lot of cuts and delays because he wanted to make sure that he got his sound right this time around. This album shifted to a more R&B zone with punchy base lines and Charlie’s singing style. The most commendable part of the album is Charlie’s production which he does mostly on his iPhone(reason for the name of the album being Voicenotes) and gives it an intimate vibe, which I really liked. Here are the highlights of the album according to me-

• Attention & How long– these two were the first two singles to come out from this album and is telling the same story and were very well received by the fans and the critics. These songs have a similar base line to it but Charlie still makes them sound like two different tracks and not a rip off. These tracks gave us an idea that he’s changing his music style and is going away from the things that he did in his previous album.

• Slow it Down– this songs will take you back to the 90’s disco vibe which he perfectly captures with the electronic sounding chorus and the catchy base line of the song. Charlie Puth sings his part beautifully and makes this one of the highlights of this album.

• Somebody Told Me– this song has the dance hall vibe and will make your feet tap and your head Bob when you listen to it. The song is perfectly prouduced and the vocals  give it a bouncy feel by blending in with the background music effortlessly.

• Empty Cups– this song is just a fun and bouncy track about a normal scene at a party. The highlight of this track, once again, is the catchy base line that makes your head Bob. You can sense it that Charlie Puth has just beat boxed it at a party while having a gala time with his friends and that is exactly what this song will make you do.

Why am I talking about this now?

This album is by no means one of the best albums made or lyrically impeccable. It has it’s flaws and is by no means perfect or a classic but the sheer replay value and the fun bouncy vibe that this record has makes me keep going back to it again and again. Every song in this album is good and makes you want to come back to the album again. It’s a record which you can listen to anytime of the day and it’s going to make you feel better and relaxed. It’s also a major turn for Charlie Puth as an artist and mainly as a producer. He shows brilliance with his production skills and considering that he only knows how to play one instrument (the piano) this is a gem. If you haven’t already heard this album you should definitely check it out and enjoy some fun and interesting music, do pay attention to the base lines because that’s what sets this album apart. Here’s a link to this album.