Magazines or Novels Andy Grammer Artist

The sophomore full-length by {|Andy Grammer|} was produced by veteran pop producer {|Jon Levine|} and it shows. Slick and glossy, the songs on {|Magazines or Novels|} are performed and produced with a goal -- conscious or not -- to match the massive ... Read more

The sophomore full-length by {|Andy Grammer|} was produced by veteran pop producer {|Jon Levine|} and it shows. Slick and glossy, the songs on {|Magazines or Novels|} are performed and produced with a goal -- conscious or not -- to match the massive success of the hit Keep Your Head Up, from his self-titled debut -- not an easy thing to replicate, but this team gives it an honest try. As is often the case when following a successful debut, there is a bit of an identity crisis at work here: {|Grammer|} wrote or co-wrote everything here, and he seemingly did so with a careful ear to the radio. His first single, Back Home, with its anthemic, near football-chanted male backing chorus, foregrounded banjo, and enormous tom-toms and kick drums is as catchy and appealing as mainstream pop gets. The L.A.-cum-Nashville swagger in Honey I'm Good melds the backing harmonies of {|Bruno Mars|} to {|Keith Urban|}'s more easy grooving rock sensibility (though the overuse of Auto-Tune in the lead vocal was unnecessary), and could be a second single. More of {|Levine|}'s effects -- laden production and slippery hip-hop rhythms -- haunt the foreground of Masterpiece while Pushing comes dangerously close to {|One Republic|} territory in both arrangement and production. Red Eye, with its compressed loops, is offset by delicate synths in the intro and the backdrop, recalling {|Maroon 5|}, but it's bridged by an enormous backing chorus worthy of a {|Rihanna|} record. The closer, Kiss You Slow, with its fat hip-hop loops and acoustic piano, ambient textures, and layered sound effects, is almost majestic in contrast, with {|Grammer|}'s vulnerable vocal in the verse. Of course, this being a pop song, the backing singers on the refrain come across the front with enormity. On this last point, the backing choruses on virtually every song on {|Magazines or Novels|} make for excellent singalongs, perfect for the club or the car or even a sporting event. And that's on purpose. Every move here has been carefully calculated to engender fan support, sure, but to extend {|Grammer|}'s reach toward a wider audience. With his appealing voice and good-natured charm, he will likely achieve just that. ~ Thom Jurek Less