Nine Track Mind, Charlie Puth’s 2016 album, launched him into success. And I hated it. “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” “Marvin Gaye,” and worst of all ”One Call Away” were so similar in their gushy, fuckboy–turned–spoke–word–poet vibe that they made me reject Puth altogether as an artist. Not to mention, in perhaps the greatest offense of all, Nine Track Mind had twelve tracks.
But his newest album has turned me upon my own beliefs. Voicenotes is a catchy, well–written album, at times dancey and at others experimental and retro. In it, Puth goes off, making the music he actually wants to make. On nine out of Voicenotes’ thirteen songs, he is the sole producer, and on the other four there is only one other. On Nine Track Mind, he only produced five songs single–handedly, and there are far more overall producers–per–song on the others. Voicenotes is reminiscent of the nineties, with retro baselines and less innocent lyrics than his previous album. Just compare “Now I'm all up on ya, whatchu expect // but you're not coming home with me tonight” from “Attention” with “I'm only one call away // I'll be there to save the day” from “One Call Away.”
The most notable songs are “Somebody Told Me,” “Attention,” “Boy,” “How Long,” and “Done for Me.” They all take advantage of Puth’s boy band–lead vocals and embody a singular vision. Voicenotes doesn’t go too deep into any particular theme, but the songs all have a self–awareness of their cheesy nostalgic sound that lets Puth lean into certain early–nineties elements—like the whisper of “alright” before the baseline begins in “How Long.”
The album cover also reflects that self–awareness. In it, red and yellow stage lights illuminate the cocked head of a sultry and dramatic Puth. It’s a sign of Puth’s attempt at a larger image shift. On Nine Track Mind, Puth combed his hair back and wore leather jackets. On Voicenotes, Puth experiments with hair bleach, grows out some stubble, and struts around stages shirtless. He’s doing more of what he wants, and that’s clearly beneficial to his music, as reflected in the poor reviews of Nine Track Mind which feels a lot less like Puth’s conceptual child than Voicenotes.
Voicenotes is a production–focused album, more about musical constants than lyrical ones. Even the album title and poster announce Puth’s focus on sound and musicality over a larger poetic theme. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he shows his process of coming up with the melodies for specific song sections before the lyrics. Puth’s widely advertised perfect pitch and Berklee degree no doubt contribute to that fixation with the sound over the meaning. Again, he’s aware of what he’s good at and what he wants to make, and now that he’s doing it, his music is all the better.
Charlie Puth is a true artist. His image and previous releases may not have captured that, but Voicenotes certainly does. It’s all about the sound for him, and on this album the sound is consistent, exciting, and perfectly produced. He knows how to make both types of top–selling pop albums—the cloying, painful kind and the self–aware, passion–focused kind. Voicenotes proved that, and changed my opinion of him for the better.
