Presidential debates, pandemics, protests, systematic racism, and insurrection: we are currently living in one of the most significant eras of U.S history that will immensely change society. Wes Hambright, a music director from Daniel Pearl High School has been a composer for over twenty years. As a response to all the dramatic world events including the rich history of reform movements, Hambright recently released his latest album “The Power.” While the album’s main focus is to empower the people of today to create change for a better future through the use of pop-rock and R&B with a funky twist. However, the album fails to personally connect and reach out to the listener as most of the songs appear to sound lazy and rushed, making the album subpar.

While most of the songs fail to connect with me on a personal level one song does stand out. The album’s introduction “Pressure on You” pleasantly surprised me. ‘

“Pressure on You” by far had the most political and social impact as the use of Martin Luther King’s speeches added a unique touch to the song. The song instantly captivates you like the funky bass and guitar give this groovy vibe that most people would typically enjoy. Throughout the song, it refers and alludes to several current events in hopes that people will lead with example and push for in the right direction. The song also capitalized on certain phrases and word choices such as peace, harmony, and common ground which creates an emphasis on the song’s message that we need to push for a better understanding so we can prevent violence together.

Being impressed by the first song of the album elevated expectations of the remaining songs left off the album. However, my expectations severely plummeted after listening to the rest of the album. It felt as if the majority of the work put in the album was concentrated on the opening track rather than implementing the same care and creativity to the other songs.

The song “Choose Love” intrigued me at first as it began with ambient music. What caught me off guard was the rap seen through the song as I expected the album to purely consist of pop-rock and R&B. Choose Love dives into topics of politics and the problems of our society but it fails to reach the level of connection that the opening track created. Using words like sinister and abuse is meant to emphasize what we are trying to change in the community and suggests a better outcome. Choose Love also includes a speech but it does not create the same effect as its significance is pushed aside from the constant repetition of the chorus making the listening experience stale.

The song Choose Love did not connect with me on a personal level as it was mediocre at best. However, there are a few completely horrendous songs. Songs such as L.G.B.T.Q., Stand Up Tall, and The Power seem to have similar flaws that create an almost repulsiveness reaction when listening to them. L.G.B.T.Q. reminds me of a cringe educational video as the song is completely in your face and obnoxious. The whole song is completely uncreative as it feels like there is a minimal connection with Hambright’s message. Other songs such as Stand up Tall and The Power also suffer from the lack of creativeness and obnoxious tone. The song Stand Up Tall, includes instruments such as the trumpet to create a jazzy effect but it just seems out of place. Similarly in the song The Power, the introduction of the song is extremely repulsive as the blend of different electronic songs and noises makes it difficult to even consider listening to the rest of the song. 

While I believe Hambright’s intentions and message of this album are innovative and inspiring, the music fails to captivate this message to its audience. I believe this album is rushed as there is a significant shift in the quality of the music from the beginning track. The repetitiveness and lack of originality along with the failure of representing a deeper message in most of the song lead to the album’s downfall.