One Call Away: Okay, I’m not gonna lie, when this song first came out, I loved it. Now, I hear it and just feel like it’s a lot less charming and a lot more soulless and generic. It’s a pity because Puth can clearly sing, but this song is just painfully boring.
Dangerously: Once again, Puth has a good voice, but this song just feels kind of boring. The hook is really boring, the instrumental feels like it’s taking too much from other songs (I’m getting flashbacks to “Set Fire To The Rain” by Adele and “Grenade” by Bruno Mars), and all in all, the song itself feels generic, and doesn’t have enough to charm to make up for its lack of originality.
Marvin Gaye (ft. Meghan Trainor): Even this more upbeat song kind of makes me want to fall asleep. Granted, Meghan Trainor’s performance on this track is not bad, but I couldn’t help but smirk throughout the song, and not because it was clever, but because it was cheesy. There’s an audience for this kind of song, and it doesn’t sound bad overall, but it’s definitely kinda cheesy. Oddly enough, though, I feel like this one could grow on me in the future if I give it a chance.
Losing My Mind: Okay, I do like the beat on this one, the verses are really fun, and the hook is really solid. Puth’s performance is also really good. I’m not gonna lie, this might actually end up being a replay-button breaker for me. I don’t know what it is but I actually like it!
We Don’t Talk Anymore (ft. Selena Gomez): The hook on this one is actually pretty catchy, and the verses are really fun. The beat is pretty catchy, too. Selena Gomez’s guest appearance is also pretty solid. Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have been ignoring this song for so long. It’s actually a pretty good song.
My Gospel: Can’t say I really love this song, but the hook is not too bad on this. My big problem is that it feels a bit too generic, and doesn’t have enough charm to make up for that. Not the worst the album has to offer, but nothing too memorable either.
Up All Night: While this one sounds kind of nice, everything about it screams “you’ve heard this before!!!!!” From the piano track to Puth’s vocals, to his performance on the verses, to the hook, it all just feels so “blah.” And, yes, it’s very sweet, but it’s not very charming or memorable overall.
Left Right Left: Another one that, despite sounding nice, is just too boring and generic overall. Even if it sounds upbeat, the hook is really boring and the song is wholly unmemorable. The song is supposed to be about “moving on,” but it doesn't feel like it’s a really accepting “move on” song.
Then There’s You: I really like the pre-chorus on this track, the hook is pretty solid, and the instrumental is not bad, either. The verses aren’t quite as strong as the hook, but overall, this one’s pretty good.
Suffer: Unfortunately, we follow up one of the album’s better songs with a laughable, cheesy, and rather boring track overall. The hook is only memorable because of Puth’s incredibly silly way of singing the word “suffer,” and everything else about the song feels boring and unremarkable.
As You Are (ft. Shy Carter): And, once again, despite having a nice sound and an upbeat feel, this song is, again, enough to put you to sleep. This feels really generic, and Puth’s performance on this track is not nearly as strong as some of his other songs. And even though Shy Carter shows that he can rap on this track, he fails to really bring much excitement overall. Another “blah” kind of song.
Some Type of Love: This one admittedly has a pretty funky beat overall, and I do like Puth’s vocals on this track. I’m not sure if it’s my favorite track on the album, but I do think it’s a decently enjoyable song overall, and a good end to the non-Deluxe Edition of this album.
River: This one is actually pretty fun. I like the hook, Puth’s performance on this one is really strong, and I like the instrumental (the snaps also work really well here). Might listen to this one a little more in the future.
Does It Feel: Really catchy beat, solid vocals by Puth (even if they are a bit overly-autotuned), and some really fun verses overall. The hook isn’t the best on the album, but it’s still pretty enjoyable. Another enjoyable bonus track.
Nothing But Trouble (Instagram Models) (Dance Remix): Unfortunately, we end off the Deluxe Edition of this album with some very generic dance music that just feels entirely at odds with the rest of this album. I’m…just gonna forget this song ever existed and move on.
Overall, I’m kind of conflicted on this one. On one hand, it does have some legitimately enjoyable, really solid songs that I might listen to long after this review. However, there are also some very forgettable, contrived, and less enjoyable tracks. It’s hard to really tell which outweighs the other on this album: I counted 9 tracks I legitimately didn’t like, and 6 that I did like, but the difference is that the six tracks I enjoyed were tracks I really enjoyed. This is gonna be a tough one for me to rate, but just know that I don’t hate this album as much as everyone else did. It’s certainly really generic and lackluster, but there are also some pretty solid takeaway tracks.
Favorite tracks: Losing My Mind, We Don't Talk Anymore, Then There's You, River, Does It Feel
Least favorite tracks: One Call Away, Marvin Gaye, Suffer, As You Are, Nothing But Trouble (Instagram Models) (Dance Remix)
Rating: Okay
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