The transition from child actor to full-fledged pop star can be a rough road for some, but Drake Bell is making it look easy. The former star of Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh and Zoey 101 was bitten by the music bug after The Who’s Roger Daltry gave him his first guitar lesson. Since signing with Universal Motown in 2006, he has released two studio albums and two EPs, including the recent the four-track A Reminder.
Bell lists The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and the Beach Boys among his musical influences, and the result here is energetic pop with slight tongue-in-cheek tendencies. The opening of “Terrific” features an intriguing drum and synthesizer rhythm that blends seamlessly into the vocals. “You’re Not Thinking” may lead some listeners to bust a dance move or two. The last track, “Speak My Mind” shows off the singer’s sense of humor. What could be the musings of an abandoned lover are actually the imagined thoughts of a pet left at home while its owner is at work. With such lyrical gems as, “I’ve been your pillow for an after work nap / and how many shrinks curl up in your lap?” and “Don’t worry at all / I’ve always landed on my feet”, he toes the line between cute and schmaltzy without crossing it.
Drake Bell’s musical talent shines through on every track, and each song is appealing in its own way.
Final Words: A Reminder will leave listeners wanting much more.
Great review, and I reflect your sentiments. It’s rare for an online publication to have writers who focus on “the-big-picture”. I’ve been following Bell since 2006, when I took a spontaneous chance to give his sophomore album a spin. As a music historian/musicologist, and avid Beatles listener, I was nothing short of surprised. I was a little shocked to see how little recognition Bell’s promising music has garnered, while other people (Heidi Montag, for one) have hordes of people giving their two-cents.
I have been eagerly awaiting Bell’s next effort, and his latest two EPs (Nashville Sessions, A Reminder) have blown me away in terms of growth and maturity. However, the results are so great (in Drake standards) that it just makes the wait for the next full-length to be quite dreadful.
“Energetic pop with slight tongue-in-cheek tendencies”
I couldn’t of said it better myself.
I find “Terrific” to be the most interesting cut of the EP, given the stark introspective demeanor, as well as the shift in musical palette (divided from his past efforts, and the rest of the EP). However, I find each of his songs to be of equal magnitude. “Speak My Mind” is a particular favourite, for its odd modulations, song structure, and large choruses. I wished the Queen-esque gang harmony (1:56) didn’t fade out like it did. I like my recordings to resemble live performances, so the synthetic veneer sucked life away from that component, but that’s just my preference. I understand that music writers like to add elements of fiction (as we seen in the latter half of the Beatles’ catalog) which achieves an artistic aesthetic but can cause some or all of the material to be difficult in reproducing live, I just don’t see the point on doing those things with vocals. I would definitely sacrifice the tail-end of those harmonies bleeding into Drake’s solo words, but again, that’s just me.
The only thing I can demand of Drake now is digging deeper in himself to release something a little darker. We almost got that on “It’s Only Time” with the song “Fool the World”, but not quite. His debut album, “Telegraph” had its moments, too (the song “Somehow”), but his music has been largely chipper in spirit and delivery since then (perhaps due to him surviving a car crash, so I can’t fault him in the slightest). I’m not saying to do away with his smile, but perhaps curl it wryly into a devilish smirk.
Other than that, it’s a great record to spin, and look forward to his next album.