Fall in love with “Love Me, Love Me Not”
Seldom do I come across an album where I enjoy every song from beginning to end. Especially with the creation of iTunes, I typically pick individual songs to purchase as opposed to purchasing the entire CD. However, a recent discovery, “Love Me, Love Me Not: The Music of Joey Contreras” proves to be an outstanding exception.
I stumbled across the “Love Me, Love Me Not” album one day by chance. One of the songs on the album features my favorite stage-actor, and after reading his Twitter, I was introduced to the album’s upcoming release. I immediately found myself hooked. This album is a must-listen for any students who love discovering new music, especially if it is relevant to their own lives.
The album’s artist, Joey Contreras, is an up-and-coming composer-lyricist currently earning a graduate degree at New York University in their Musical Theatre Writing Program. Contreras has managed to produce an album that is sure to resonate amongst the college demographic at an impressive young age. The album also include some of the best young talent Broadway has to offer, including Kyle Dean Massey, who is currently starring in the smash-hit “Wicked,” as well as Natalie Weiss, a semi-finalist in Season 4 of “American Idol.”
Despite the musical-theatre background of the writer and performers of “Love Me, Love Me Not,” the overall style of the album is surprisingly similar to pop-rock, rather than show tunes. Each song offers infectious melodies with even more impressionable lyrics that actually tell a story. All of the lyrics are identifiable, as Contreras has the uncanny ability to capture emotions and the human spirit in his lyrics. Impressive songs include “I Could Fall”, “Waiting for More”, and “Back in My Life.” “Ready” is also highly recommended for those approaching graduation, as it expresses hope and seizing the future. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the album is “My Simple Request,” which could easily become the anthem of Facebook-stalkers everywhere.
A review on iTunes, where the album is available for purchase, perhaps sums it up best, “Sometimes an artist comes along who knows just how to capture those small, undefined moments in life that make you take a step back and pause for a second. The words, the music, the melodies, the attitude, the heartbreak, the passion, the love, the longing, the inspiration…it is ALL here and all seeps from the depths of these songs.”
30-second clips of all of the songs on “Love Me, Love Me Not” can also be heard on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnod1JlHTgY.
Posted by Candice Mountjoy
on Feb 10 2011. Filed under Daily Stories.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
