Claire Kane posted on August 05, 2010 19:00
A review of the album Liquor Store by Teron Beal.
Review Snapshot: Songwriter to the stars certainly doesn’t keep the best for himself as Teron Beal releases his debut solo effort.
The Cluas Verdict? 2 out of 10
Full Review: Teron Beal is a little celebrated American singer-songwriter who has spent the last 20 years in the shadows writing songs for the likes of Pink and impressively, Michael Jackson. Quite an achievement for someone who was born when the king of pop still had an afro. Not many people have achieved such things in such a young life, however he has still gone relatively unnoticed by the wider public, and the question is; will his debut album, “Liquor Store”, change this?
The album is heavily influenced by Prince, with many of the tracks featuring a similar vocal style to the tiny purple one, as well as comparable rhythmic structure. The most obvious song to compare to Prince is debut single, “New Girl.” The melody is very 1986 and the Prince inspiration goes right down to a high-octave wail towards the end of the song. Unfortunately Beal’s song writing track record, which is indeed remarkable, is not reflected in the quality of his first solo outing. Even the Prince-like “New Girl” fails to strike the listener (a 35 year old man singing about the new hot student at his high school?Perhaps it is a Beiber reject?)
Another song that could be pulled in to question is the more modern sounding “Gone Now”. If the song is meant to be somewhat of a parody, it is quite likeable. However if the song (which basically depicts a cheating man who is unable to understand why his girlfriend left him for sleeping with another woman, mainly because he gives her money and never tries to hit her) is intended as a serious one would doubt Beal’s emotional intelligence, in addition to his songwriting abilities.
Commentary on this album cannot go without mention of the Stone Roses cover that somehow found its way on to the track list. It is just about bearable, perhaps because Beal didn’t differentiate from the original too drastically. One song that isn’t completely disconcerting, although it does not save the album, is “Break my Fall”, the only truly listenable track on the album. It is The Script meets Ne-Yo and its mid-chart worthiness cannot be denied. If released as a single it is likely to make a minor stir in the pop world.
Overall the album is poor, lacking any pizzazz or striking lyricism and will no doubt, in time, find its way to the bargain bin at Tesco.
Claire Kane
Teron Beal - New Girl by Playground Music
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