Published by Mason Oldridge, 30 July 2022
Legendary record producer Calvin Harris introduces the second volume to his previous effort, yet crashes and burns with his latest funk-infused album.
Musically, it appears the Scotsman produced a piece of instrumental and reused it for every track, with the nice exception of strings on New to You. Harris attempts to blend his electronic sound with funk and had cited Jamiroquai as an influence, though where Jay Kay and his band masterfully merge the two to produce otherworldly acid jazz, Harris’ electro evaporates, resulting in a sound more acceptable in the 60s. There is no energy to the latest record and wouldn’t match a club tempo.
Harris has recruited a line-up of big names; there are strong vocals from pop superstar Dua Lipa and the talented Charlie Puth, though most of the vocals come from rappers, littering the release with R&B that ultimately poisons the album with a sound unfavourable on the ears.
Overall, the album could receive popularity due to Harris’ namesake, though we are left with a handful of tracks that would go unnoticed on the radio. The disappointment is much greater as this comes from the genius who once brought us I Created Disco.
2/10