Calvin Harris – Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (Album Review)

Another artist that needs no introduction. One of the most popular people in EDM. I don’t really like him, but that’s mostly because of his last two albums being boring and generic. But, since 2015 (How Deep Is Your Love) and through 2016 (My Way, This Is What You Came For), I’ve started to like his music. He’s making music that suits him well now. He has managed to get me hyped up for this album, for sure.

So how did it turn out? Well, I have mixed opinions on this one.
What I do really like is that there is no generic EDM here, mostly funk, really reminding me of Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”. But there is one big problem, most of the album sounds the same and is very formulaic.

Let’s go track by track.

1. Slide (ft. Frank Ocean & Migos)

I’ll just get this out of the way: I hate Migos. I think they’re one of the dumbest and most unnecessary acts in hip hop and in music, in general. But, here they actually don’t sound bad. I like Frank Ocean, so his appearance here was pleasant. I love his voice here, and the production compliments his vocals well. This song is definitely one of those you play for the whole summer, and I’ll be sure to do that. Good one, Calvin! 8/10

1. Cash Out (ft. Schoolboy Q, PARTYNEXTDOOR, D.R.A.M.)

“You can rock it, you can suck it, you can even put on your brand new jacket!”
This song is pretty cool. Mind that I usually don’t like PND, whose appearance here was actually good. I like this one, makes me feel good. The production is better than Slide, but not as memorable. D.R.A.M. was good here, as well. Nonetheless, one of my favorites here. 8/10

1. Heatstroke (ft. Pharrell Williams, Young Thug, Ariana Grande)

This one was one of the weirder tracks in the beginning, but when the beat kicks in, it sounds similar to the first two. I like this song, still. Pharrell’s vocals sound great here, and Ariana Grande’s are super relaxing, she sounds beautiful here. I didn’t really like Young Thug’s appearance, but that didn’t change my opinion on this song, though. It makes me feel good, great song to dance to. 8/10

1. Rollin (ft. Future & Khalid)

This was the first song I didn’t like on this album. It sounds very similar to the first three, but that does matter here. Khalid’s vocals are ok, but weren’t memorable at all. The song sounds forced, nothing special. Future sounds like he always does. Boring, didn’t like this one much. 4.5/10

1. Prayers Up (ft. Travis Scott, A-Trak)

Better than Rollin, but still not good. The song actually started off great, but when the beat kicks in, it just turns into every other song on the album so far. Too much autotune for Travis. A-trak did some scratches here and there, but nothing memorable. Not a bad song, just not memorable. 5/10

1. Holiday (ft. Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Takeoff)
   This is the shortest song on the album, and maybe that’s for the best. I like the song, but I think it would be much worse if it was longer. The John Legend vocals were boring, nothing special. I like Takeoff’s verse here, and Snoop’s wasn’t bad, either. Good song, but would be really bad if it was longer. 6/10

1. Skrt On Me (ft. Nicki Minaj)

What happened to you, Nicki?
This is my least favourite song on the album. Nicki with autotune is terrible, but at least her verse was good. Still, I don’t like this one. The lyrics are bad. The production is quite boring, nothing special. Why does this exist? 3/10

1. Feels (ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Big Sean)

This is where the album picks itself up. Pharrell really sounds like he’s having fun here. Katy sounds forced, but not bad. Her hook is good. Big Sean’s verse is good, I like the beat change there. The production is similar to the rest of the album, but it is memorable. It took me a few listens to like this song, but now that I do, I like it a lot. Good song to dance to, puts me in a good mood. 7.5/10

1. Faking It (ft. Kehlani, Lil Yachty)

Here’s something different! I like this song, but it’s not that memorable. Kehlani sounds good, also I love the chorus, but the song doesn’t manage to sound anything different than what we’ve been hearing on the pop charts. I hate Lil Yachty, but his verse sounds good. The lyrics are horrible, but his flow is good. I would give this song a 7, but the end was terrible. Was the Lil Yachty mumbling necessary? 6.5/10

1. Hard To Love (ft. Jessie Reyez)

This is my favorite song on the album, so I’ll get out the bad thing out first. The ending, why, Calvin? Do you have some mumble fetish? Unnecessary. I’d give the song a 10 if it weren’t for that.
Other than that, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SONG. The vocals are great, first time hearing Jessie, and I love it. The production is fun, memorable. The song is simply chill, making me feel like I’m on the beach or something. Makes me feel great. One of my friends told me it sounds similar to Miley Cyrus’ Malibu. I don’t think so, but opinions. The lyrics are great, aswell. This is one of those songs I’ll keep playing until I get tired of it. Great closing track for the album. Great job, Calvin. 9.5/10

This album is very different from what people expected, and I think Calvin wanted that. I’ll give him an extra point just for that. The biggest problem of this album is that it is really formulaic, a lot of the songs are incredibly similar to each other. Also, the album doesn’t have any story or meaning, it’s just a couple of songs layered on top of each other. If Calvin added My Way, This Is What You Came For and How Deep Is Your Love on the album, it would have some variety, and would definitely be better.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I really do like this album, I appreciate Calvin’s approach to pop here. I just wish there was some variety, or at least a story to it, something that would connect the songs better. Nonetheless, good album. I was planning to give it a 6.5, but you know what, I changed my mind.

7/10

Favorite Tracks: Hard To Love, Slide, Heatstroke, Cash Out, Feels

Least Favorite Track: Skrt On Me