Live My Life
Boris
January 30, 2009
Bo-Rush Records
Boris
January 30, 2009
Bo-Rush Records
Boris‘ career was a rocky road after winning the Dutch Idols competition. His jazzy, funky soul sound was something odd and while the contest had caused a good buzz and sent him into popularity, Boris has always had a lot of people to convince, not the least himself. In the meantime he arrives at the point where he releases his third album “Live My Life”. As the title kinda gives away, it’s a very intimate and personal album that will always have a special place for the musician himself. Working with accomplished professionals in the field, Boris remains true to his funky sound, just a little more raw and more spontaneous than before and it works for him. The creative freedom he enjoys on “Live My Life” cranks his level up a notch. While Boris sometimes gets a little too enthusiast, he still finds the hooks and beats that make his songs stick with you and make his unique sound come across very well.
The album starts with a very cool vibe. Boris’ capable vocals have a seasoned and lively sound and the catchy beat of the song crosses over into different genres. The man is ambitious and shows that in this song that is impressive right off the bat.
Continuing with the little more mainstream Everything About You which has a recognizable riff that shows similarities with riffs from songs all through the past 4 decades. So it’s what you do with this basis what counts. And while the funky rock & roll of this song works like a charm during live performances it lacks a little bit of fire on the album. Everything’s pretty nice and Boris is an amazing vocalist, but a little more fire would do this track real good. The lead single If You Wanna Roll With Me is next and it is probably the album’s key track, and most likely also the best track. The catchy beat and the passionate delivery make for a song that covers all the bases. Musically, lyrically and performance wise, Boris is in top form on this excellent funky pop song. From the gentle intro to the energetic chorus, the song just lends itself very well for Boris’ unique style and it’s even radio friendly. What more could one ask of a lead single?
And Boris continues really strong with what should definitely become the next radio single. Stupid Again has a very nice flow that just makes it stick in your head and no matter what you try, the melody won’t go away. “oh oh oh ooh” is what you’ll be singing all day. The title track Live My Life is a little overproduced and while it is really funky it sounds pretty much like a mix between Beyoncé’s style and Gavin DeGraw’s style. Not sure how else to find a way to describe the path Boris goes down musically on this track. It’s a very decent track that’s easy to like, but while I like it, I can’t say I love it.
One World is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Boris mixes funk with reggae and a nice dash of blues. It’s a very relaxing and summery track that is spread out (which usually turns me off but in this case just really works for the song) into a long and enjoyable festival vibe.
The next track, Loosen Up has a cool intro and is obviously quite personal if you can rely on the man’s passionate delivery. You can hear influences from Michael Jackson, especially in the varied arrangement and the performance of the song is quite solid. The parts where the song mellows out a little are not the strongest parts of the song, but where the funky, pop-sensitive feel returns the song reaches great heights.
Boris collects some interesting influences and puts them together on I’m Sorry which is a very impressive song lyrically, but musically it never really gets past the countdown into lift-off. Not quite my favorite. Leave It Alone is a bit monotonous to me, though in itself it has a nice sound to it. It’s a decent album track, but if it’s the first track of his you hear, you probably won’t be as impressed as you should be.
On The Ohhhh Song Boris reaches great heights again. The magical intro leads into a song with a very classic feel that has a bit of Prince here and there and a bit of James Morrison also, and the mezzy, soulful sound just eases your mind and lets the music take you away.
A more eclectic and ambitious sound is reached for on I Want You To Know which is again a little overproduced, which is too bad, because the song has a pretty nice 80s pop vibe laced with that squeeky soul sound that typifies Boris. And on Do You Love Me?, the album’s final track, the gentle, and passionate vocals can only leave you impressed. Do You Love Me? is a good example of saving the best for last. Boris ends with a song that shows great talent and only promises more good for the future.
At times there’s a little tweaking and hard work needed for Boris to get to his absolute top, but he shows he’s a superb vocalist and a solid songwriter who will get quite far within the genre. And because he has a good sense for pop hooks, airplay will always be in the realm of possibilities, even though his music is not what you’d expect to hear on mainstream radio that much.
The album starts with a very cool vibe. Boris’ capable vocals have a seasoned and lively sound and the catchy beat of the song crosses over into different genres. The man is ambitious and shows that in this song that is impressive right off the bat.
Continuing with the little more mainstream Everything About You which has a recognizable riff that shows similarities with riffs from songs all through the past 4 decades. So it’s what you do with this basis what counts. And while the funky rock & roll of this song works like a charm during live performances it lacks a little bit of fire on the album. Everything’s pretty nice and Boris is an amazing vocalist, but a little more fire would do this track real good. The lead single If You Wanna Roll With Me is next and it is probably the album’s key track, and most likely also the best track. The catchy beat and the passionate delivery make for a song that covers all the bases. Musically, lyrically and performance wise, Boris is in top form on this excellent funky pop song. From the gentle intro to the energetic chorus, the song just lends itself very well for Boris’ unique style and it’s even radio friendly. What more could one ask of a lead single?
And Boris continues really strong with what should definitely become the next radio single. Stupid Again has a very nice flow that just makes it stick in your head and no matter what you try, the melody won’t go away. “oh oh oh ooh” is what you’ll be singing all day. The title track Live My Life is a little overproduced and while it is really funky it sounds pretty much like a mix between Beyoncé’s style and Gavin DeGraw’s style. Not sure how else to find a way to describe the path Boris goes down musically on this track. It’s a very decent track that’s easy to like, but while I like it, I can’t say I love it.
One World is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Boris mixes funk with reggae and a nice dash of blues. It’s a very relaxing and summery track that is spread out (which usually turns me off but in this case just really works for the song) into a long and enjoyable festival vibe.
The next track, Loosen Up has a cool intro and is obviously quite personal if you can rely on the man’s passionate delivery. You can hear influences from Michael Jackson, especially in the varied arrangement and the performance of the song is quite solid. The parts where the song mellows out a little are not the strongest parts of the song, but where the funky, pop-sensitive feel returns the song reaches great heights.
Boris collects some interesting influences and puts them together on I’m Sorry which is a very impressive song lyrically, but musically it never really gets past the countdown into lift-off. Not quite my favorite. Leave It Alone is a bit monotonous to me, though in itself it has a nice sound to it. It’s a decent album track, but if it’s the first track of his you hear, you probably won’t be as impressed as you should be.
On The Ohhhh Song Boris reaches great heights again. The magical intro leads into a song with a very classic feel that has a bit of Prince here and there and a bit of James Morrison also, and the mezzy, soulful sound just eases your mind and lets the music take you away.
A more eclectic and ambitious sound is reached for on I Want You To Know which is again a little overproduced, which is too bad, because the song has a pretty nice 80s pop vibe laced with that squeeky soul sound that typifies Boris. And on Do You Love Me?, the album’s final track, the gentle, and passionate vocals can only leave you impressed. Do You Love Me? is a good example of saving the best for last. Boris ends with a song that shows great talent and only promises more good for the future.
At times there’s a little tweaking and hard work needed for Boris to get to his absolute top, but he shows he’s a superb vocalist and a solid songwriter who will get quite far within the genre. And because he has a good sense for pop hooks, airplay will always be in the realm of possibilities, even though his music is not what you’d expect to hear on mainstream radio that much.
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