Disclaimer: This is a review of the first single off of Calvin Harris' upcoming debut album, "Funk Wav Bounces, Vol. 1" Everything down below are my personal opinions. I'm in no way affiliated with any corporation, especially Calvin Harris, or Sony records.
If you asked me a year ago to tell the difference between Calvin Harris and almost any other dance/electronic artist, I would have laughed at you in the face. I'm not sure exactly what's gotten into Calvin Harris lately, but whatever it is, it can get comfortable because I am living for this new music. The way he seamlessly blends elements of funk, electronic and soul into this project so far is astounding. It's just a funky good time. These four singles are incredibly strong and, hopefully, a strong indication of where the new album is heading.
"Slide" feels like it shouldn't work. From the random combination of Frank Ocean and Migos on a song together to Frank Ocean and Migos being on a Calvin Harris song together. Ocean's voice blends in almost perfectly with the disco-electronic hybrid production backing it up. Ocean would have been enough for me but Migos does add an extra layer to the tune and I love the way everything just comes together in the end.
Immediately as "Heatstroke" opens you can hear Pharrell's touch on the song, blending together with the vibrant sounds of Harris' production. Young Thug's part is a bit random in the beginning but his verse over the instrumental was actually thrilling to hear. His flow worked well transitioning into Pharrell coming in on the chorus. Ariana Grande was a breath of fresh air on the song. The freeness of her voice kind of reminds me of her feature on "My Favorite Part" by Mac Miller. Her vocals, her ad-libs and her tones added the perfect ingredient to mix the song together into a funky cake.
Who better on an '80s, electronic inspired pop/R&B hybrid than Khalid? For some strange reason, just like "Slide", "Rollin" doesn't feel like it should work on paper but it just does. Khalid's unique tone fits perfectly, while Future manages to find himself on a song I can listen to the whole way through. No disrespect to him, his voice is just not my cup of tea.
Let's get the obvious out of the way: "Feels" is an absolute jam. If you look up "a jam" in the dictionary, the album artwork for this song will pop up. The production alone will have you wanting to roll down your windows and cruise down the highway on a hot summer day. Pharrell's voice effortlessly leads the track while Katy Perry finds herself back on an extremely catchy tune. There's something about Big Sean's flow that makes him feel unquestionably at home on the song. From beginning to end the song production is a fun, catchy, potential song of the summer.
SONG GRADES:
SLIDE: B+
HEATSTROKE: A-
ROLLIN': B+
FEELS: A
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