Undoubtedly the most successful product of
the U.S. X Factor series, fierce girl-group Fifth Harmony have made a name for
themselves in recent years with their confident and ridiculously catchy club
anthems. Following on from their debut studio album, Reflection, the quintet released their sophomore album, 7/27, on the 27th May. But
how does this new album fare?
Following some similar themes of emotional vulnerability,
confidence, and empowerment from Reflection,
7/27 starts off with ‘That’s My Girl’.
Indicating that we’re still very much in the ‘Worth It’ territory, female
empowerment and strength are present lyrically, just to remind you of all the
things that this group is synonymous with. It’s powerful and prominent in both
vocal delivery and execution. ‘Work From Home’ ft. Ty Dolla $ign is perhaps one
of the most notable releases from the album, and functions as a slow-builder
that teases its climax but never actually quite happens, which in some ways is
to its advantage. Its chill and understated beat serves it well, taming down
what could be quite a riotous and perhaps overstuffed track.
Known for their effortless hit making (with
much thanks to their writers and producers), the 5-piece shine most when they are
in their element; rambunctious summer smash ‘The Life’ is no exception to this.
Drenched in feel-good vibes and tropical beats, this charismatic hit emphasises
the importance of enjoying your life and celebrating the small victories – an inspirational
message for all. ‘Write On Me’ takes the pop formula and rejigs it a bit as the
girls flex their country-dance side (can anyone say Avicii’s ‘Hey Brother’?) in
this sweet, soulful, and harmonious song. Similarly, a collab with the slurring
Fetty Wap (‘All In My Head/ Flex) goes down a treat, and is every bit as
effortless and catchy as you’d expect without sacrificing any of its substance.
Clearly trying to channel the old school
R&B vibes, the group opts for smooth, simmering songs ‘I Lied’ and ‘Gonna
Get Better’ (‘No Scrubs’ pops into mind – although this isn’t quite on that
level), which are reasonably satisfying and benefit from sultry and cool
vocals. Likewise, ‘Scared of Happy’ manages to register on the scale with its upbeat
and cheery sugar-coating melody that hides the vulnerable essence of the song;
a fitting musical composition for the nature of the track, and a surprising gem
from the 5-piece.
Whilst some tracks sky-rocket into
successful heights, some fail to make an impact such as ‘Squeeze’, ‘Dope’ and ‘No
Way’, despite not actually being “bad” tracks. The problem with these additions
relates back to Fifth Harmony’s dynamic – they’re in their element when
creating pop hits, but all of this hit-making inevitably means you’re going to
have some duds. And these are some of them. The relatively average ‘Squeeze’
seems ultimately forgettable, whilst ‘Dope’ is pristine pop at its worst, and
delves into grating territory with its cheesy ‘doo be doo’ vocal harmonies. ‘No
Way’ suffers a similar fate, this time musically as it starts off to be rather
promising but ends up more of a missed opportunity with what could have been a
soulful and smooth pop/R&B mash up.
Whilst Reflection
had a whole host of musical mixes and styles – some of which didn’t quite fit –
7/27 is a prime example of a more
cohesive album but one that works a bit too well, like it’s on auto-pilot, in
places. The consequences of this is that after a while, one track sort of
blends into the other; it lacks a distinctive ‘break’ from the breezy, tropical
blitzes that the group continually churn out on this latest album.
Despite this, 7/27 manages to redeem itself for the most part with its more
soulful additions, that illuminate the powerful dynamic between each of the 5
members, both vocally and spiritually. There’s more personality here than meets
the eye, and the group are in their zone when they are doing what they do best:
making catchy, confident anthems. Whether they decide to shy away from this in
the future and attempt for something a bit different is up to them, but it
would be interesting to see the results of this, for sure. Nevertheless, 7/27 is an infectious pop entity that benefits
from the powerhouse performances from Brooke, Kordei, Jane, Cabello and
Jauregui.
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