Don't Kill the Magic - MAGIC!
July 1st
(RCA/Latium Records)
MAGIC! is one of those acts that you'll never really understand. All of a sudden, the Toronto based band popped up out of the blue with a single called "Rude" and a follow up titled "Don't Kill the Magic" (the album's title track). What's really odd, is that Americans tend to dislike Reggae themed tracks, but "Rude" instantly became a smash single. I mean of all the talents in Canada, this one seems the most unlikely to breakthrough.
MAGIC! is backed by lead vocalist Nasri Atweh, who is famous for mainly writing mediocre pop songs that never made it quite big enough (though his production on Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. resulted in a 2012 Grammy win). He has written and produced for New Kids on the Block, Cheryl Cole, Kat Deluna, David Guetta, Shakira, Cody Simpson, Vanessa Hudgens, Big Time Rush, Akon and Pitbull along with others such as Justin Bieber. That definitely worried me when I decided to go out and purchase the album. I was hesitant, but with a first week price tag of just $7, I decided to pick it up and give it a few spins. That was somewhat of a mistake.
I tend to be fairly positive when it comes to album reviews (occasionally giving artists and bands the benefit of the doubt), but this album is sadly another bust this week (Robin Thicke's Paula scored a 31/100 earlier this week).
"Rude" begins the set with finely tuned percussion and instrumentation, that really does have somewhat of a reggae vibe. While "Rude" is decently catchy, its subject matter is actually very silly and just down right stupid. Nasri Atweh (the band's lead singer) does serve up some quality vocals, but instead of dealing with his issue, he whines just like another pop star... Taylor Swift anyone? I guess that really doesn't matter, since Nasri confirmed that this track isn't even about a real life experience. I mean not all songs are about a real life experience, but if you're making people cry every time they listen to it you should at least have the decency to say: "I'm just exploiting your feelings for money". Additionally, after about 5 listens this one gets extremely dull and repetitive.
"No Evil" sounds like a slightly more focused version of "Rude" (in instrumentation and beat wise), but feels like a childish attempt at trying to be "slick" and "smooth". "Let Your Hair Down" has an nice guitar flair, but portions of it sound like they were copy and pasted from "Rude" into the track. At least the lyrics aren't unbearable on this one. "Stupid Me" at least manages to improve on the quality of the album (compared to the ridiculously goofy "No Evil" and the dried up "Let Your Hair Down"), but still struggles to create something memorable.
The album then takes a new road, twisting toward the reggae side of things on "No Way No" and "Paradise", which makes them unique but still somewhat annoying. The lyrics are limp, childish and the beats sound similar for the most part. The album's second single thankfully brings something different to the table, with the title tracking actually being one of the few standouts (it's much better than "Rude").
"One Woman One Man" is a complete waste of time, while "Little Girl Big World" borderlines on sexism and while it is somewhat catchy, the subject matter makes it a huge turn off and that beat sounds like something you'd find in a Verizon commercial. "Mama Didn't Raise No Fool" is a decent attempt, but feels like it could never work on radio or as a single. Additionally, it stays longer than it is welcome to, reprising the chorus several times in an annoying row. The lyrics on "How Do You Want To Be Remembered" don't match well with the beat, which makes it a weak album closer. Target exclusive track "I Would" is better than approximately half the album, but a weak and repetitive chorus coupled with the fact that you have to separately download it via an album insert code make it not even matter much.
While "Don't Kill the Magic", "Stupid Me" and "Rude" are pretty sweet tracks, the rest of the album feels so repetitive and limp that the entire effort ends up being a messed up waste of time that feels like it could have been a lot better. Don't Kill the Magic has too much of the same gibberish reggae sounds repeated on nearly every track, lazy songwriting and just really silly concepts all together. It's just a plain waste. On the bright side, it's at least better than Robin Thicke's Paula.
Personal note to MAGIC! as a band: "Rude" was a decent lead single (though it borders on repetitiveness), and "Don't Kill the Magic" (the single) was actually an improvement, but other than that you guys haven't got much more. Do yourself a huge favor and write high quality tracks, ditch the receptive, annoying qualities and throw the reggae in the backseat.
Rating (Out of 100)
Mixed to Negative
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