Rating: ****
Calvert is a very accomplished vocalist and Broadway performer that gained a degree of notoriety as a member of The Broadway Boys. He's also been a backup singer for Mariah Carey, Harry Connick, Jr., and many other heavy hitters. That's pretty dope.
"This Beautiful Life, Vol. 1" is his debut EP and it's poised to get him some recognition as a solo performer.
I'm gonna give it a listen as I get 30 minutes of cardio in and I'm going to detail the results just below the embedded music video for "Please With a Cherry". Stick around for that, mmmkay?
Watch the music video for "Please With a Cherry" on Youtube below:
The aforementioned "Please With a Cherry" is our opener and it's super poppy. This has radio written all over it. Super racy with innuendos flying all over the place, this one is just the right mix of clever and catchy. Loved it. "Heartbeat" is next and it's not nearly as strong as track one, but it's still a solid album track. "Move On" has a hypnotic beat and is really well-sung. The chorus is great and lyrically is provides depth that the first two tunes might have lacked. "Wanna Be" is a downbeat affair that adds a nice change of pace to what has been a fairly midtempo pop album thus far. The final track of the EP is the anthemic title track "This Beautiful Life" and it's one of the strongest tracks on the record. You'll be singing along to it by the second chorus.
This is an ambitious and quite excellent debut EP from Calvert. There aren't any true soft spots on the too-short EP, and it's bookended by two really incredible tracks in "Please With a Cherry" and "This Beautiful Life". Highly recommended.