Rank: 2/5
Riding on the success of its breakout single “7 Years,” Danish songwriter Lukas Graham released its debut album, titled “Lukas Graham” – a project that, despite a few shining moments, is all-in-all a disappointing effort.
Not surprisingly, “7 Years” is one of the aforementioned peaks from the album. The pop and R&B influenced tale of lead singer Lukas Graham’s young life, and the road ahead of him, is one of the most heartfelt and earnest tracks on the project.
There are a few songs written in the same vein as “7 Years” touching on childhood, family and Graham’s success as a performer despite all those who doubted him years ago.
Throughout the album, Graham frequently references his love for his parents, the lessons they taught him and his father’s untimely death.
The tracks that touch on these themes, like “Happy Home” and “Better Than Yourself (Criminal Mind Pt. 2),” are the best on the entire project. Unfortunately, these touching moments are hidden amongst a myriad of unimpressive cookie-cutter pop efforts, including the abysmal single “Drunk in the Morning,” the cringe-worthy stripper love story “Strip No More” and the uninspired ballad “What Happened To Perfect.”
Graham’s songwriting doesn’t offer much in the way of poetry – his biggest setback on most of these songs. All of his lyricism is very literal and straightforward, which isn’t automatically a bad thing, but his execution left me wishing he had delivered so much more.
It’s hard to deny that Graham poured his heart out on this album, but his audience will most likely be left unimpressed. His talents as a performer are obvious, but Graham has much to improve upon in terms of songwriting and overall execution.