So I haven’t done an album review in a really long time, but I rather enjoyed this album so I though I would give it a go.
A Great Big World is a musical group composed of singer/songwriters Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino. This group became particularly popular starting in 2013 with their song “This Is The New Year” which was popularized by the television show “Glee”.
“Is There Anybody Out There” is their first album for this group. As a genre they are classified ad indie pop/rock, and as you will see in the review other influences pop in as well.
Debut albums can often define a group for better or worse, it is rare that a debut album will have a very clear path. “Is There Anybody Out There” seems to fall right into this area as their album has a little bit of everything, some good, some not so much.
The album features these two singer/songwriters in nearly every song, and as a group with two vocalists, their voices really shine in nearly every track. “Already Home” (Track #3) is a really strong ballad featuring both voice individually and you can really appreciate the subtle differences in their voices. “Rockstar”, “You’ll Be Okay”, “Land Of Opportunity”, and “This Is The New Year” really showcase the harmonies that these songwriters have incorporated.
While listening you will likely get vibes of Ben Folds in many of these tracks, as their is a major piano influence as well in several of these tracks.
I also enjoyed the soul/country influence of the tracks “You’ll Be Okay” and “Shorty Don’t Wait” they provided some nice diversity of sound in the album. Also this shows the depth of their writing and performance as musicians as they songs are different stylistically, not only from the accompaniment but in the vocals and overall performance.
Unfortunately their are two tracks which pull me right out of the continuity of this album. The first being “Everyone Is Gay”. I found this song to be obnoxiously campy and almost tongue and cheek about the issue. While I’m sure this song was with good intentions and to bring more awareness and call for acceptance. I felt this song from a writing and performance standpoint was just out of place. The second track being “Cheer Up!” which also was quite campy and childish sounding with no real reason. Compared to the rest of the tracks which come off as polished with a mature sound, these two tracks felt quite out of place.
Finally we have their major hit, “Say Something”. The duet with Christina Aguilera is a great piece on so many levels. The harmonies are excellent and performed well, the subtlety and minimalism of the instruments and vocal lines really contribute to the text of the song. I really enjoy this song a lot. What surprises me is that they have it on the album twice, one with and without Aguilera. I’m surprised on the one without Aguilera they did not still perform it as a duet, especially when they have two vocalists! But I suppose they must have intended this to be a male/female duet. If that was the case, they should have removed the “solo” version as it is unnecessary.
Ultimately this album is a solid first effort from this group. I believe they have found a great sound and are both really talented songwriters that can look forward to having a great career. I can’t wait to hear more in the future.
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