Album Review: Reece Mastin

 B+

Reece Mastin is the winner of series three of The X Factor Australia, and the new heartthrob of teenage girls. His debut, self-titled album features his ‘winners single’ and ten covers of songs he performed throughout the show. If you’re not familiar with Reece Mastin, he is a 16 year old who lived in England for ten years before moving to Adelaide, and dreams of becoming a rock legend. The reality television factor and his young age may turn you off this album, but I urge you to give it a go, because Reece can actually rock.

The album starts with the winner’s single Good Night, a lightweight, pop rock tune about forgetting everything and enjoying your night out. It’s obviously written for the teenage audience, is filled with clichés, and is so catchy you’ll either be humming along or trying not to be sick. If you do find yourself feeling about sickly after hearing this, hit the next button, not the off button, because the album picks up with the covers. Reece’s voice is mature beyond his years, and both high energy songs such as Paradise City and softer, more emotional songs such as She Will Be Loved are done brilliantly. The best cover is definitely Aerosmith’s Dream On. Reece nails all the falsettos, and it sounds as haunting as the original version. It is also nice to see a nod to his English roots with a cover of Bee Gee’s Stayin’ Alive.

If you haven’t seen the show, then the album will offer some surprises, when Reece covers two songs originally by female artists. Alanis Morissette’s Ironic is turned into a full blown rock song. It jazzes up a classic without losing the original meaning to the song. Meanwhile, Katy Perry’s hit, I Kissed a Girl, becomes more edgy and offers the listener a hint of sex appeal, a move which caused Reece’s teenage fans to go mad with desire.

What lets the album down is the omission of his first audition song, Come Get Some. This was the song which wowed all four judges and ultimately gave him the boost into the competition and his career, so it is disappointing there is no version featured.

This album could have turned into karaoke like many other debut albums from reality television singing shows, or become as cheesy as the Disney Channel. However, Reece Mastin has managed to insert a bit of flair and charm into the songs with his cheekiness and English accent. There is no doubt he can sing and deserved to win the competition. If you can get over the reality television and ten covers fact, this album sure does rock. 

Album Review: Break the Spell

Rating: A- 

Break the Spell is the third studio album from American-based rock band Daughtry. The lead singer, Chris Daughtry, has come a long way since his days on American Idol, and it shows in the new album. Break the Spell has twelve great rock tracks, and together they make a one great rock album.

The album kicks off with Renegade, a gritty, hard hitting song, which gets the blood pumping straight away. It is a fantastic song and it’s no surprise it was the first single released off the album. Daughtry return to their most comfortable, pop rock style of music with the second single released, Crawling Back To You. The song starts off slower then ups the tempo during chorus, offers a bit of guitar then Chris Daughtry belts out the chorus one last time. These types of pop rock tracks have always worked well for the band and this is no exception. Most of the album continues in this style, and I would particularly recommend listening to Crazy and We’re Not Gonna Fall.  

My favourite song off Break the Spell would have to be Outta My Head. It’s slightly less gritty than Renegade, but delivers a great rhythm, and a nice change up from the rest of the pop rock tracks on the album. Daughtry pushes himself more vocally in the song and there are great guitar moments throughout the track.

All the songs on Break the Spell are written by Chris Daughtry, and his song writing has improved immensely since he began his career. This shows in Gone Too Soon, a slow, heartfelt song about a lost baby. Daughtry creates a powerful image in your mind in this song and it lingers in your mind for a few moments after the song has finished. It’s a brilliant track and a credit to the whole band.

The only reason I would not give Break the Spell a perfect rating is the lack of diversity from the previous albums. While die-hard Daughtry fans will find this pleasing, I personally would have liked to see it head in a slightly different direction from the usual pop rock which dominates nearly the whole album. I would have liked to either see more gritty songs such as Renegade and Outta My Head, or more meaningful and slower songs such as Gone Too Soon. Other than this, it is a great album, and a definite in your rock collection.