Review Summary: The former Nick duo of Tony Oller and Malcolm Kelly delivers a very strong, refreshing debut record that easily comes out right now as the best pop record of 2014.
Nickoledon has experienced success in the music business as of recently, with former Victorious star and Sam & Cat star Ariana Grande garnering massive success with her debut record with "Yours Truly" in 2013 and now her latest single "Problem" with Iggy Azalea raking in record-breaking sales. Disney always was known for creating future music stars, with Demi Lovato from "Camp Rock" in 2008, then Selena Gomez in 2010, and now Zendaya from 2013. Nick hasn't experienced that success like their rival has, aside from a minor hit with Big Time Rush for a few years but until now with Ariana Grande the rival kiddie network hasn't seen this form together. It may be changing now, with former stars Malcolm Kelly and Tony Oller leaving the network and teaming up to create the music duo known as MKTO. They released their self-titled record earlier in Europe this year and only a short time ago released in North America, with promotion coming from their first single "Classic" which has taken in excellent success but not to the length of singles like "Problem". With their "American Dream" tour around the US and a global tour along with that soon on the way, MKTO delivers a debut record that is refreshing and very enjoyable, blending in the elements of pop and hip-hop perfectly together which should make these guys one of the up and coming pop artists in the industry.
MKTO delivers a sound that is very distinctive, meshing in the elements of pop and hip-hop together to create up-beat and mostly lighthearted music with a California flavor to it. Add that with the fantastic vocal sets from Tony Oller and the rapping of Malcolm Kelly and you got yourselves a pop group that does things outside of the norm, including throwing in some profane lyrics which is unknown especially with guys from Nick. The California flair in the debut has been done by other pop artists, like Grande but MKTO uses this better than she did and created a different formula with that Cali-vibe embedded in. What's really great about this debut record is how consistent the duo is with their material, throwing in enjoyable tracks and not letting up. "Could Be Me" is easily their best track, with a orchestral arrangement that is quite empowering and beautiful especially with Oller's vocals and Kelly's rapping technique. Ne-Yo even lends a hand in the track, which pairs with the duo very well with his passionate vocal sets which by far are his best out of the material he's done both in his solo material or as a featured artist. If they could release another single off their debut this certainly would fit the bill, as the musical and vocal arrangements would surely appeal to many audiences. The duo's hit single "Classic" is another standout track, displaying their rhythmic and upbeat sounds along with Oller's vocals and Kelly's rapping. Tony's wide vocal range, along with a soulful voice that has some Southern fitted in is in it of itself a highlight, as well as Malcolm's raps with a raw voice that can be compared to an early B.O.B.
MKTO hardly has a track that you can skip, which is why this album is certainly one of the better pop records out on the market. "Thank You" offers up more of the witty and catchy lyricism that the duo consistently puts in their tracks, along with more fantastic rapping coming from Malcolm which gives it more of an edge. "Wasted" is the only slow part of the entire debut, starting out with a piano and later adds a string section which is arranged beautifully with Tony's heartfelt vocals. Malcolm is left absent in the track, which isn't an issue but it would be interesting to see him show us another side of him in a similar track in future material like what B.O.B did in "John Doe". "Nowhere" is really the only track of the debut that has flaws, not with the vocals or melody but by how incrediably sexist the track is. With lyrics like "You know what I like so give me what I want/And girl I'll never go nowhere", along with basically implying that the guy is just being lazy while his girl is paying for everything, the song probably won't win many people's hearts. Aside from that, the album rebounds Immediately with other standout tracks like "American Dream", which talks about how the American dream no longer exists and closes out with "Goodbye Song" which has some pretty comedic lyrics especially from Malcolm along with another up-tempo beat.
MKTO delivers easily the best pop record of 2014 so far, with their unique blend of pop and hip-hop meshing well together with many of their tracks. It was also a perfectly timed release, coming out just in time for the upcoming summer as their sounds that are used is very-summery if you can call it that. Aside from "Nowhere", the debut is very consistent on bringing light-hearted, up-beat material that in some tracks are empowering and pretty surreal. The tag-team singing and rapping between Tony and Malcolm works very well together in their material too. While Ariana Grande is trying to essentially revive '90s R&B with their material which is pretty prevalent especially with "Problem", MKTO delivers a more modern sound which comes out as refreshing and fun to listen to. A great album to blast to during the summer, MKTO gives the masses a fantastic debut that was pretty unexpected as most debuts especially from pop artists usually are average to unoriginal. Unfortunately with pop artists like Grande and Gomez bombarding Top 40 radio with their mostly generic music, MKTO likely won't get as much recognition as the other mainstream artists in the genre even with their debut but that is okay. As long as they continue to perfect and innovate in their material and not revert to a more commercialized sound, these "Misfit Kids and Total Outcasts" will earn more respect from the industry and come out winners at the end. These former kids from Nick certainly have a bright future ahead of them in the music industry especially after one of the better pop records that has come out in the last few years.
