Singer/songwriter Brad Walsh further underscores his multi-dimensional artistry with new album, Right Now. By applying pop sensibilities and candid storytelling to reinvent club music, Walsh would seem poised to break out in a big way as a solo artist.
With more than 9 million downloads of his remixes alone (including Billboard Dance Chart topping "For Your Entertainment" and "Whataya Want From Me" remixed for Adam Lambert), Walsh is known for bringing the beats and turning popular hits into club staples. But Right Now does more than show off the 28 year old Walsh's mad studio skillz.
What Walsh brings to the party this time around is remarkable honesty and vulnerability, baring his soul in a few of the cuts like never before.
Walsh draws on autobiographical material for much of Right Now, letting the listener in on his private pain and personal struggles. But from wherever the inspiration springs, the sound remains completely fresh and unmistakeably Walsh: from the sometimes unvarnished and recognizable vocals to the colorful layers of sound, from the heavy club beat to sullen lyrics.
Read my recent interview with Brad Walsh on the eve of 'Right Now's release.
After talking with Brad on Monday, I wrote a track-by-track review of Right Now, excerpted here for Examiner.com readers.
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The album opens up with "Right Now (Intro)," which starts out auto-tuned to the max but warms up into lovely harmony and pulsing new wave sensibilities, like something reminiscent of '80s icons Soft Cell and Human League, with a heavy dose of synth-heavy electronica favorite Blaqk Audio. "Right Now (Intro)" is the shortest tune on the album, but the chorus is an earworm that you won't get out of your head.
In one of the most emotionally wrenching songs on the album, "Father," Walsh sings of the biological parent who basically disowned him - only to later ask (through a third party) if Walsh would be his life-giving blood donor.
You said there was no way I came from you
That was until you needed something...
Choosing to assert his hard-won personal power, Walsh declined. But the lyric might suggest that the father's lack of any emotion other than cold indifference is what forced the son's hand:
You need some of my blood
...if you made a little effort to hate me outright,
Say it to my face,
Then today I would give it away
"Heavy stuff," Walsh admits, and it's certainly not your typical dance lyric. The countdown Walsh uses to conclude the song shows no mercy to a man who was little more than a stranger.
Another stunning confessional, "D.F.W.M." (an acronym for Don't Fuck With Me), details Walsh's decision to pursue justice after being the victim of a hate crime. In my chat with Brad on Monday, he explained that the song isn't just to recount what happened to him.
"It's also about trying to warn other assholes out there that we are not going to let them get away with this like we used to. We have networks now, we have NOH8 and we have many people who care. Not just gay people. Not just gay media."
Walsh wrote and produced every song on Right Now, with the exception of the bonus track "Til You Memorize" (only available on bradwalsh.com) which he co-wrote and co-produced with Adam Bailey and Cameron Maxwell.
Overall, I'd give Right Now a solid 4 (at times edging toward 4.5) stars out of 5. Walsh's 2009 album Human Nature, put Walsh on the map as a serious solo artist beyond his remix reputation. But as accessible as Human Nature was, the songs didn't have the depth and maturity shown on Right Now.
If you're a fan of dance, electronica, house, or current pop, give Right Now a listen. There's something for everyone on this album, and will leave you wondering what Brad Walsh will come up with next.
Right Now - 4/4.5 stars out of 5, released on June 14 and available on bradwalsh.com, iTunes, Amazon, and other digital outlets.
- Right Now (Intro)
- When the Glitter Washes Away
- Secret Eater
- Father
- Til You Memorize (bonus track)
- Addicted to the Beat
- D.F.W.M.
- Cheetah
- Slow a Body Down
- Drive Into You
- Hands On
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