By: Skyler Johnson
Reality TV in America has provided us with many of the musicians, performers, and influencers flooding our Twitter feeds, from Jennifer Hudson to Trixie Mattel. The UK has its own reality TV shows, hence celebrities that have taken their television fame and become successful. A great example is Becky Hill, who was a semi-finalist on The Voice UK and became one of its most successful alumni, being the first and only artist to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart for a song she was featured in by Oliver Heldens, “Gecko”. She just released her debut album, Only Honest on the Weekend, which I had the privilege of listening to.
This record is dance pop, utilizing the retro ‘80s sound that has become popular within the past few years. This is music to hear at the club, at least for the most part, though there are a few exceptions, including “Perfect People” and “Distance,” which both offer refreshing, emotional ballads. The album has fifteen tracks, four of which have been already released: “Better off Without You,” “Heaven on My Mind,” “Last Time” and “Remember.” The latter two were collaborations with DJ David Guetta. She enlisted the help of producers such as Lostboy, Billen Ted and 220 Kid. Lostboy has worked with artists such as Anne-Marie, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha and Zedd while Billen Ted and 220 Kid are most known for their remix of a sea shanty turned viral TikTok song, “Wellerman.” It’s clear Hill shares production teams with Dua Lipa and Anne-Marie, and at times it’s hard to tell Hill apart from Dua Lipa as they have similar vocal ranges, though Hill’s range is arguably better.
The album starts off with five average tracks: “I Got You,” “Last Time,” “Make it Hard to Love,” “Better to Love” and “Remember.” They aren’t necessarily boring or skippable, but they aren’t the catchiest. “Perfect People” shows off Hill’s decent vocal range pretty well.
The next tracks, “My Heart Goes (LaDiDa),” “Could Be My Somebody” and “Business” are the best of the record. They’re the first to instantly catch the listener’s attention from the opening verse. “My Heart Goes (LaDiDa)” is particularly excellent because it’s able to utilize gibberish (LaDiDa) in a way that works perfectly with the song, in a way that very few other artists can.
The last six tracks aren’t able to live up to the high standards of 7-9 but are still solid headbangers nonetheless. “Heaven on My Mind” stands above the rest for it’s chorus and “Through the Night” provides a great end to the album.
Overall, Only Honest on the Weekend is very tight with no song being unlistenable. While some may not be satisfactory, none are inadequate for the dance pop music listener. And if nothing else, check out tracks 7-9. A-.
