Sam Tsui is a famous YouTube cover artist that has collaborated with plenty of other cover artists like Kurt Hugo Schneider, Max Schneider, Alex Goot, Alyson Stoner, Casey Breves (of whom he is married), and of course, the late, great Christina Grimmie (R.I.P.), and he has amassed quite a large following with his covers. He’s been doing this for a while now, too, I first discovered him in 2009 (nine years ago, wow!) when he and Kurt did a Michael Jackson Medley after the King of Pop’s passing, and I’ve enjoyed his covers ever since.
However, I wasn’t too sure what to expect going into this record, as I haven’t heard any of his original material, and it’s hard to know what a cover artist can do with a record when all the material you’ve previously heard from them is their versions of other people's songs. However, I was admittedly pretty excited about it, because I know that Sam can handle anything from an upbeat, fun track to a more somber, emotional ballad. On top of that, fellow YouTube cover artist Rebecca Black released an EP at the end of 2017 that I ended up really enjoying, so I’m definitely interested in checking this album out. So, let’s get going!
Impatience: The album starts off with a track that’s really bright and poppy, and while it’s certainly fun and Sam’s trademark vocal talents are on full display here, I honestly just can’t shake the feeling that I’ve heard this song a couple times over already. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely upbeat and enjoyable, but I don’t feel like I’ll be returning to it anytime soon.
Trust: This one is not as bright as the last, but honestly, you can take almost everything I said about “Impatience” and just apply it to this track. It has a pretty fun electronic beat, and Sam’s vocals are pretty and smooth, but honestly, this song just kind of feels contrived and overdone to me at this point. It’s definitely not a bad track, but I’m not all that in love with it.
Just for Tonight: On this song, Sam takes things even more fast-paced, but things turn slightly bubblegum-y, and it feels like a slightly watered-down version of a lot of “party music” that was around back in the early 2010s. Again, if you love Sam, you’ll probably find something to love here, but honestly, it kinda bores me. And I don’t want to say that because I love Sam, but I feel like this just doesn’t live up to his covers.
Cameo: With this one, things turn a bit slower and more dance-y (and maybe a little more sensual), but it still remains a bit too contrived and cliché to really be all that exciting to me. It’s got enough of a catchy beat and enough bright charm to keep it from being one of the album’s worst, but it’s honestly just not worth coming back to after one listen.
Clumsy: Sam keeps it a bit slow on this track, and moves a bit closer to making something that feels more like a ballad. And honestly, I like this track because, while it again feels like it’s been done before, I think the slower pace and the more emotional feel of it play to Sam’s vocal strengths a bit better than some of the earlier tracks. I still feel like I’ve heard better from Sam before, but this is definitely a step in the right direction after a slow start to the album.
Free: Here, things turn a bit more EDM-esque than Sam’s other tracks, but unfortunately, it again just feels like a watered-down version of quite a bit of the EDM that we hear today, complete with a kind of generic beat drop and a less-than-stellar hook (“SO BABY FOLLOW ME “CAUSE WE, ARE GONNA BE FREEEEEEEEE”). Even if it’s kind of dance-y and has some interesting sounds going on, it’s honestly one of the weaker tracks on this thing.
Second to Midnight: I feel so bad saying negative things about this album because I love Sam, but I honestly just can’t help that hardly anything thus far has left a lasting impression on me, and this track is nothing different. Sam’s vocal flow is certainly fun, but I once again can’t shake the feeling that all of this has been done before, tit for tat, and a bit better, unfortunately. And Sam has a very good voice, but these more electronic-based songs, I feel, don’t really explore his vocal potential enough, and it’s a pity. It’s not bad, it’s just not memorable.
A Million Pieces: While this track is certainly smooth and nice on the ears enough to satisfy Sam’s hardcore fans, it’s once again nothing you haven’t heard before, and it honestly feels kind of flow-chart, like it’s not really trying to do anything really all that different or exciting. It’s definitely competent, and I think Sam shows at least an understanding of how to craft pop music, but it feels like it’s just a pretty basic understanding of the genre, and not necessarily an attempt to branch out and do something exciting with it.
Guessing Game: This track in particular honestly feels like it’s stuck as a watered-down version of some early 2000s pop, and again, it feels like it doesn’t explore Sam’s vocal potential enough. There are some really nice-sounding vocal runs at the end, but other than that, it feels too stuck in his comfort zone to really leave an impact.
Carousel: Being a slower ballad, I think this track definitely plays to Sam’s vocal strengths far better, in that it’s more contained and more clear on what it’s trying to do and how it’s going to do it. It still feels like it’s not all that exciting, but it’s definitely a nice, light track with some sweet vocals from Sam. I’m not crazy about the whole “round and round and round” thing going on in the bridge, but this isn’t too bad overall.
There for You: Aww, again, it makes me so sad that I’m not digging this track. I love Sam a lot, and again, he has a clear grasp on what he wants to do, but unfortunately, this just feels like 90% of pop and electronic music watered down to a more wallpaper and by-the-numbers form to the point that, while it's certainly pleasant on the ears and nice to listen to, it just doesn’t leave a lasting impression after one listen.
Fixed: Thankfully, the album ends off solidly. One of the more light, slower songs on this thing, I definitely find that this track actually feels more emotional and interesting than the other songs here. It’s not gonna singlehandedly save the album or anything like that, and it still feels like something I’ve heard a couple times before, but it’s a nice, wonderfully delivered track that wraps the record up nicely.
Gosh, I honestly feel like I don’t want to give this album a low score, or criticize it too harshly because I love Sam: I’ve been watching his covers since 2009 and I think he’s one of the most talented YouTube cover artists I’ve seen. Unfortunately, I feel like, after listening to this record, there’s a LOT of room for improvement in his music. As I mentioned, Sam clearly has a grasp on the most basic elements of making pop music, but he doesn’t really do enough with those elements, and all of this just amounts to what feels like a less-than-enthusiastic pop record. All of the tracks feel like they’ve been done plenty of times before over the last decade and a half, and unfortunately, with the overly-electronic production, I feel like Sam’s vocal brilliance that he’s displayed during his covers isn’t explored as much on this record, and while he still has a very nice voice, it just feels like he’s not doing much with it here. Everything just feels wholly basic here, from the production, to the vocals, to the lyrics, it’s all competent but unexciting.
I can definitely say if you’re a hardcore Sam Tsui fan that loves every single thing he produces, you’ll probably fall in love with this record, and it’ll give you everything you could possibly want, but I definitely think you should keep your expectations low going into it. Given what I’ve heard from his covers, Sam has the right idea on this album, but he just doesn’t explore it enough: he goes straight pop here, but it’s very standard pop, and it’s nothing you haven’t heard from more popular, established artists. Is Sam talented? Absolutely! Was this a strong showcase of his talents? Unfortunately, no. Do I think Sam can bounce back in time? Sure. As I said, he’s got a grasp on making pop music, it’s just a matter of not settling for the most basic ideas, and experimenting a bit more. I’d definitely like to see him bounce back in the future, and I’m sure he absolutely can, but it’s definitely gonna take some work from him to get there.
Gosh, I honestly feel kinda sad about this.
Favorite tracks: Clumsy, Fixed
Least favorite tracks: Just for Tonight, Free
Rating: Bad :(
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