CD Review
Fitz & The Tantrums
Fitz & The Tantrums
Elektra/Dangerbird
2016
Review: Dave Leary
✰✰✰½
The third full-length album from Fitz and the Tantrums opens with “Handclap”, which has been ubiquitous since it was released as the first single. Expect this to become a staple at sporting events just like “Crazy Train” or “Seven Nation Army”. (It’s already been used in a car commercial). It’s an appropriate choice to kick off the album, as most of what follows is full of catchy melodies but not much substance.
All 6 members of the band have writing credits on each song, with other co-writers as well. The hooks are plentiful but often in the repetitious way most modern pop is. Most of the lyrics here are just generic and bland.
Anyone who has seen this band’s live shows knows the energy that vocalists Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs bring to the stage. They also play off each other quite well. The production doesn’t allow for that here and Scaggs is underutilized.
To me, this album didn’t have anything as memorable as say, “Fool’s Gold” or “6 AM” from the last release, 2013’s More Than Just a Dream. And the retro soul vibe of 2010’s Picking Up the Pieces is long gone. The problem is not that the sound has changed, it’s that it doesn’t stand out from the pack. If you’re a fan of FATT already (like me), you’ll probably still enjoy this but be a tad disappointed. If you don’t know their music, definitely check out the other discs first.
Tracks
01. Handclap
02. Complicated
03. Burn It Down
04. Roll Up
05. Tricky
06. Fadeback
07. Run It
08. Get Right Back
09. Do What You Want
10. Walking Target
11. A Place For Us
