Album Review: Hot Chelle Rae - Whatever (2011)

Okay, so Friday's Chill Pick was clearly not working out well, so I'm gonna discard that feature in favor of album reviews! I'm not gonna set any schedule for them because that would ruin the fun of making them imo. So let's start with the first one...

Hot Chelle Rae - Whatever (2011)

Oh, remember these guys? Yeah, they had that one big hit in 2011 called "Tonight Tonight" and they would've gotten a second hit with "I Like It Like That" had that not been caught between years. I'll admit, I fully expected to go into this album and strongly hate it, especially considering that Hot Chelle Rae have gotten a reputation of being a predecessor to AJR, but you know what, I called "Tonight Tonight" one of the best hit songs of the 2010s and I'll die on this hill with that assertion, so I decided to check this out. That said...what did we get?

Well, this album is honestly quite enjoyable.

Let's start with the lyrics. Most of them are definitely nonsensical and make no sense - that second verse in "Tonight Tonight" still throws me off. None of this album is really trying to make any sort of statement or anything, it's kinda just saying "whatever" and having fun. And Hot Chelle Rae sound like they're having a great time throughout this album, so that plays into the fun atmosphere that this album creates. They aren't complex lyrics by any means, but I won't say that they are bad either. Again, Hot Chelle Rae's personality is what carries this album heavily. The reason why AJR's songwriting makes them a big punching bag for many critics is that they try to make a statement every time. Which means that their serious tone seriously gets undermined by the lyrics that want to explode with fun and joy. Hot Chelle Rae are clearly not taking themselves seriously, they're just having fun and bringing in everybody for the ride.

The flow is really what knocks my score back quite a bit. There's very little cohesion on this album. The first two tracks are all about partying, and then we get a sudden shift to a break up song that is "Keep You With Me" and it's kinda jarring. There are a few songs that shouldn't be where they are either, mainly "Tonight Tonight" being placed so early on in the album with "The Only One" being the closing track. If I were Hot Chelle Rae, I would've probably put "I Like It Like That" with the New Boyz as the opener and "Tonight Tonight" or "Why Don't You Love Me" with Demi Lovato as the closer.

Okay, now onto the production. I do have a soft spot for the early 2010s production here, and this album does hit my weak spots. I like the synth-work on these songs. Yeah, the guitars definitely give this project the feel of a Radio Disney leftover, but it's a formula that I have a big nostalgic soft spot for. And you can definitely see that on "Forever Unstoppable". Hell, even "Why Don't You Love Me" with Demi Lovato. Yes, that song is very High School Musical-core, but both Ryan Follese and Demi Lovato have good chemistry with each other. It's a vibe of adolescence that is pretty charming, helped by, dare I say, a beautiful melody from the guitars and the piano. And the chorus really has a lot of power behind it, and it's probably the most mature songwriting that Hot Chelle Rae confronts on this entire album. I honestly think that it's one of the best tracks here. Hot Chelle Rae also have a knack for making very catchy choruses, like in "Tonight Tonight" and "I Like It Like That". That said, songs like "Whatever" do sound like songs that AJR would create if they made music in 2011, though again, Hot Chelle Rae's personality tremendously saves those songs. As a final note on the production, sometimes they can slip into slightly generic territory. And while I do still like "Beautiful Freaks", it's definitely the biggest example of such and makes it one of the weaker songs on this album.

So my final thoughts...yeah, I liked this album way more than I was expecting to. If it weren't for its choppy flow, I'd rate this a lot higher. Additionally, few of the tracks definitely tend to lean towards the more generic side, so I don't think this is a perfect album, but it's still really enjoyable regardless. I guess I'll give the "worst" to "Beautiful Freaks" with dishonorable mention going to the title track "Whatever". Both are still good, but they are pretty weaker in comparison to the rest of this album. Now on the flip side, you know what, I'll actually give "Forever Unstoppable" the honorable mention, and make it a tie for the best between "Tonight Tonight" and "Why Don't You Love Me" with Demi Lovato. And my rating for this is an 8/10, again, aside from a pretty awkward flow and some production that is a tad too generic, this is a really damn good album. Pleasantly surprised by this. Definitely recommend this, even if you don't like the singles.

So that's that, the year-end lists are starting to come around, so my best and worst lists for 2021 should be right around the corner, stay tuned for that! Until then, you've been reading Fire's Flaming Hot Takes, and I'll see you next time.