With the recent introduction of boy bands coming out of the woodworks, one would assume it will be difficult to distinguish them from the rest. But with this relatively new act named Lawson, I saw and heard something different when I got to listen to their debut album titled “Chapman Square”. What are those differences, you ask?
Those are the craftiness behind their songs, the choice of arrangements, and the rawness that a few of their songs offer. To have all of those said characteristics together is unusual. When you hear the term boy-band, you usually think of a lot of things, a few of which not necessarily favorable. But perhaps the four boys wanted to challenge themselves and break the mold that has been set by predecessors? Much of the preconceived notions will disappear once you get to listen to their debut album from the first track to the last. But in no way is the album perfect. However, there are enough nuances that would make it stand out. Proof of this is that since Lawson released their debut album, they have already managed to get two singles in the Top 5 such as “When She Was Mine” and “Taking Over Me”.
You can say that Lawson is out to prove a point—that they are not
only a boy band, they can also play their own instruments as musicians. Lead singer Andy Brown doesn’t only sing, he also plays the acoustic guitar; Joel Peat serves as lead guitarist; Ryan Fletcher provides the rhythm section with the bass; and Adam Pitts provides the back bone of their sound with the drums.
The music of Lawson is targeted more to a mature audience consisting mainly of young adults who are beyond the One Direction adulation thing and who are still looking for more of an adult contemporary sound that dwells into the complexities of being in a relationship without the cheesiness of hearing the same “one-liners” repeated over and over again. Then, Lawson’s music is for you.
It no longer feels like these artists came from a “cookie-cutter mold” that they all sound alike and look alike. We can credit this change to the artists themselves who are now more fearless in their approach when it comes to the song-writing process and who are no longer “boxed-in” to one sound. Hence, you have a lot of numerous musical influences that show up and keep the album from becoming one-dimensional!
I recall in the year 2000 there were some pretty bad boy-bands who tried to come off as a rock band or a proper group! But their music was so horrible, to put it bluntly. It was as if the record label just threw four to five random guys together who had no chemistry whatsoever with each other, and who really had no business putting out an album in the first place. But those years are far behind us already and you can credit that much needed change to the listeners, simply because they have developed better taste in music. And no matter how much the labels promote and advertise these boy bands, if the listeners won’t buy into the music, it won’t sell. So, this development has led the labels to find more credible and fundamental boy-bands that blurred the lines of what a boy band should be, rather than to what we were accustomed seeing and hearing. This is exactly where Lawson fits the bill!
For those who are into pop music, and are searching for something new to listen to, check out the debut album of Lawson titled “Chapman Square”.