If you ever wanted a perfect blend of musical theater and pop music totally separate from a musical score book from a popular broadway show then you should buy Joey Contreras’ latest album titled Young Kind of Love.
Contreras, a musical pop songwriter who attended the Tisch School of the Arts in a Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU who had a successful release to his freshman album Love Me, Love Me Not and released his sophomore album recently. His second album, Young Kind of Love quickly showed up in the iTunes pop charts.
He featured quite a few artists on his latest release such as Emma Hunton, Ben Fankhauser, Lilli Cooper and Zak Resnick. He was hailed as one of Playbill’s “Contemporary Musical Theatre Songwriters You Should Know.”
The album opens with “Love Wildly” featuring Eric Michael Krop, an anthem to living life passionately and throwing caution to the wind especially when it comes to love. The lyrics are so uplifting that you want to dance or run or yes, Love Wildly. I will have to include a link to the video for some eye candy because the visuals of the men in the video are motivating to workout, run miles, grab your lover and make crazy wild love or wake up each new day with a different perspective on life.
We move into the title track, “Young Kind of Love” which features Natalie Weiss with that upbeat feeling you get from sitting at a broadway show during an outstanding performance of a song that tells a story. Contreras tells an amazing story through the vocal stylings of Weiss. The song which follows the tone of the album set by Contreras like “Love Wildly” speaks of new love and what you feel at the onset of a new relationship or as the lyrics state, “a high school crush.”
“Better This Way” featuring Loren Allred does not happen to make you feel great about love as the song focuses on the results of a break-up. Contreras stays strong with his lyrics and the story he wants to tell rings through the song, but I feel it could be done better. The beat in the background is not the greatest as I don’t feel that Allred’s voice fits this song very well.
The addition of Emma Hunton’s voice on the track, “Show U How Love Feels” is a wise move as her voice, which reminds me of a voice from a singer on tracks of freestyle songs back in the 80’s flows so well in this song.
“Ohio” which is performed by Contreras is a whimsical love story about a young man who refers to his crush as Ohio. His story is about what Ohio does to him with his presence. Contreras cant seem to pin point exactly what is coming over him, but he is in love with the feeling that he gets around Ohio and he wants Ohio to keep doing what he is doing which is what everyone knows as falling in love. He wants his heart to pitter pat and his stomach to feel the butterflies. This is a well-done song from start to finish.
“Great, Cool” has Contreras playing the piano with the added vocals of Blake Daniel and Ben Fankhauser. The piano is brilliant and the combination of the two vocals is what makes this song stronger. One voice alone would not help this song so kudos to Contreras on the collaboration of the three talents in this song.
Have you ever felt like a rubber band or a pretzel or a “Boomerang?” Contreras says what we all want to say to that guy or gal who is mistreating us. The raspy vocals of Lolo singing his lyrics to a fast paced melody is on point.
When I heard the next track, “Constellation” performed by Adrienne Warren and Broadway Dreams Foundation I immediately thought or Irene Cara’s “FAME” in a slower pace. “Constellation” speaks of everyone being connected and everyone having a dream. We all will achieve that dream or die trying, but everyone is doing it together. It is a way of saying that we are not alone in this journey. The music and lyrics by Contreras and the combined vocals of Warren and the Foundation on this track is a home run for Contreras.
“Boy on a Billboard” is a slow ballad performed by Blake Daniel which does not seem to fit really well with the feelings I have been getting with this album. I feel it could have been on another album or scratched altogether. Even with some of the darker tracks I was able to find the positive, but with this track I just feel down and bleh.
I call “Something to Fight For” the save for the prior tracks miss on this album. “Something to Fight For” takes us back to the energetic melodies and a higher pitched vocal which just wakes you up in life's disappointments. The song’s lyrics say just that. There's a need to fight for something. Contreras pleads sternly in the lyrics without vulnerability sung through the vocals of Zak Resnick and it gives you hopes of optimism.
The next track, “Another New York Love Story” is very nostalgic and the lyrics bring me back as I think it would bring anyone back from any city to their love story. Travelling on a subway counting the stops whether you are in a rush to see your lover or you dont want this train ride to stop because it would mean it would stop the feeling you have from that certain someone. It could be a crush that you see on the train everyday that every train stop counts being next to them. Contreras’ voice is soothing with romance as he sings.
The final track, “The Beat of Love” featuring Lilli Cooper brings us full circle to the point of this album. The lyrics tell you how you feel when you are falling in love. “This must be what people talk. This must be what people search for. This must be the rhythm that we need. Like we’re living on a dance floor”. This is such a great love song that could very well be in a bride's wedding song mix.
I would recommend this album to anybody though if you are into pop and love show tunes then add Young Kind of Love to your listening pleasures because Joey Contreras does not disappoint.