Review Summary: Deftly blending country with upbeat pop influences, Cassadee Pope has come out with a fresh and energetic debut album.
Cassadee Pope has quite the history already, jumping from being the peppy pop punk singer of “Hey Monday” to winning “The Voice” and making a name for herself in the mainstream with her newfound fame. So what did she decide to do with her seemingly overwhelming success; breathe some much needed life into mainstream country. The public received it well also; “Frame by Frame” debuted at #9 on the Billboard Top 100. Cassadee Pope’s debut album succeeds thanks to how every aspect of the music is amalgamated so well with Cassadee’s voice; which is what was clearly meant to be showcased on this album.
We open up with “Good Times” which is essentially the personification of this album, poppy melodies boosted even further by Cassadee’s charismatic vocals; she has a very airy voice, so if you don’t like that vocal style you won’t enjoy this album. For those of us who do though, you’ll enjoy the way she belts her voice out, her constant well timed breaks into falsetto and use of vibrato all help add to the experience. The production further exemplifies this by putting her voice to the front of the mix for the most exposure. The lyricism however ranges from occasionally clever to downright laughable. “You Hear a Song” has some nice uplifting metaphors while “Edge of a Thunderstorm” is almost the epitome of generic lyricism. The problem with several of the song’s lyrics is that Cassadee tries too hard to tell various stories in her writing and ends up seeming like she’s rehashing material consistently.
The music is practically designed to support the vocals. It’s a very slickly produced pop-country mix; complete with banjos, slide guitars and mid tempo pop beats. The occasional string and wind accompaniment is in the background is used just enough to not seem contrived or wasted. The types of songs on the album range from your slower, acoustic driven songs such as “You Hear a Song” and “11” to more pop oriented songs such as “Proved You Wrong” and “Good Times.” The instrumentals never really go anywhere with the exception of the occasional banjo or guitar lick or drum fill here and there, but regardless they are executed quite nicely. The production is crisp, clear and perfectly suited to the style.
In short, “Frame by Frame” is a fresh usage of stale concepts within the country genre and has just enough heart and energy to it to warrant multiple listens.
The Best:
“Wasting All These Tears”, “You Hear a Song”, “11”, “This Car.”
The Worst:
“Edge of a Thunderstorm”, “Everybody Sings.”
