KNormIndy

Whatever January 23, 2012

You know, I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy Hot Chelle Rae’s newest album (Whatever). I listened to their last album, and, like a lot of bands I casually listen to, I liked one or two songs off the whole album, and the rest of the album didn’t catch my ear and was definitely not iPod-worthy. In fact, most of my favorite bands and singers released new albums last year (2011), and to be fair, almost all were sub-par. We the Kings’ “Sunshine State of Mind,” All Time Low’s “Dirty Work,” and surprisingly even Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” only yielded 3-4 songs per album at most. It was quite disappointing. The only exception to the 2011 albums was, not surprisingly for me, Avril Lavigne’s “Goodbye Lullaby.” I loved that album and I keep a copy in my car, along with a copy of her other three albums. But back to what I was saying, when I checked out “Whatever” from the library last week, I was really expecting it to be like Yellowcard, 30 Seconds to Mars, Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, Nickelback, or Simple Plan (pre-“Jet Lag”), where I only found 1 or 2 good songs per album.  I played all of “Whatever,” and I found a more down-to-earth, quieter, emotional, upbeat, casual sound, reminiscent of Avril Lavigne’s “Let Go” back in 2003 when I first heard it. In fact, every song from Hot Chelle Rae’s “Whatever” that does not have rap (3 did) is now on my iPod. Yeah, it was THAT good.  So, in total, 8 songs are now on my iPod. I particularly like “Honestly,” “Forever Unstoppable,” and “Keep You With Me.” If you like a softer, casual, down-to-earth sound and don’t mind occasional swearing or partying references, I’d check this out.