Song Review: “Stand By You” by Rachel Platten

I’ve heard of people say that Daniel Radcliffe will always be Harry Potter, there won’t be another role that people will love more than that character. He was such a beloved character to fans of the books and movies. I always try to see actors and actresses in other roles besides the one that they’re so famous for. I have a better track record with movies than I do with music.

In the music world, there’s the thing of “one hit wonders” and I’ve always been a little afraid of getting into certain songs because once one song makes a splash and gets the world to recognize the artist or band. What happens if the second single doesn’t produce the same or maybe a milder take with audiences? When Rachel Platten released her first single “Fight Song” I thought it was amazing! A powerful message and sound; the whole thing was just prefect! The freaking song just exploded everywhere and I was actually very happy about it even though it took me like a whole month to get into it.

Rachel has released a new song called “Stand By You” and I am sad to say that it sounds like the same beat. It has the same slow introduction and climb to the chorus. The two instruments you clearly hear the most are the drums and piano, the same from the other song. I’m really disappointed. I wanted to hear something different, beat wise. I am okay with the lyrics and what kind of message she’s trying to make there, but I am really bummed! That’s now how you should follow up the first single!

Even though I clearly hate the song, I want to know your opinion on it. Do you like it or do you think it sounds like “Fight Song?”

EP Review: “Francesco Yates” by Francesco Yates

If there’s anybody out there that truly knows me then you know how much I listen to new artists or bands. It’s not a lot by any means! I try my best to stay away for one very important reason. If I find a new artist and like them right out of the gate, then I basically have to share this person with anybody that likes the genre they are categorized in. I turn myself into the biggest goofball on the planet where all I want is this person, musically of course! I’ve driven myself crazy is what I’m trying to say. Even though I try to stay clear of newer artists, it is very important to be able to listen to everything without having judgement about their music.

Now that I’ve said that, Francesco Yates has managed to barrel through the walls and grab me instantly. That seriously doesn’t happen everyday! I put on my Twitter last week of the fact how fast I’ve become a fan of his music. For a lot of people, it’ll take five months or 12 songs (depending how many albums they’ve released!) maximum for me to break. This took me an hour and only one song. After I posted my review of one of his songs earlier last week within three days later I found another song he was featured on! Everywhere I turn he’s there and I am l-o-v-i-n-g it! Robin Schultz did a remake of Baby Bash’s hit “Suga Suga” and used Francesco’s vocals on his version called “Sugar” Go listen to it after you finish reading this post!

I wasn’t going to publish this post right away as I posted that review last Tuesday, but I didn’t want to dwell on it for another week so I’m sorry if I am overwhelming you with his music, but in my defense and his too. It’s really good! Okay, let’s get this started! The EP consists of six tracks and the first is “Honey I’m Home” and oh my goodness! This one is sexy! The beat is soft, but still has a groove to it so you can dance. I love the slow strums of the strings in the background, makes it very romantic! It’s very much a sexual song but usually with these the beat itself is what makes it feel that way, but it’s more Francesco doing that instead. His vocals are just incredible. That high note alone kind of took my breath away! I have to say I don’t normally like ballad-like beginnings of albums or EPs but this is just perfect. The second one is “Something Different” and I should have expected at least one track on this to have an electronica sound to it. I thought I would hate it, but I actually surprised myself I don’t hate it. The introduction has this deep rumble and it grows into his voice with a couple of piano notes. There’s really nothing special about the beat unfortunately but I don’t disprove of it which is strange. I don’t hate the song entirely, but I also like it as much as I thought I would.

Third track is “Better To Be Loved.” I love the old school R&B vibe this one takes on. It kind of gives me a disco feeling with just the sounds that I was hearing. I love the guitars, they’re nice and smooth. The introduction of the “do-dos,” bass guitar, and drums is such a great way to begin. I would have a very difficult time keeping myself from dancing to this one! Next is “Call” and I guess this one was the first single and I missed it when it came out. I’m a little sad about that because considering how this sounds, I would have loved it! I don’t really care for the beat, it’s not interesting enough for me; It’s very soft, it’s just there. The lyrics are good though, his voice could have captured me, but I probably wouldn’t share it with anyone as I have recently. The second to last is “When I Found You” and I love the slow intro again. These slow intros are really amazing! I’ve never liked so many of these at once. Thankfully has a mysterious beat to keep it interesting for people to continue to hear it. At three minutes the beat actually picks up tempo a little more and I wish it had done that earlier in the song. It would sounded cooler. The last song is “Change The Channel” and since I’ve already talked about it I’m not going to repeat myself. So if you want to read about this track, click here.

Have you listened to Francesco Yates EP yet? If you have, which songs do you like the most?