Album Review: Will Amaze – “Better Than Life”

Will Amaze – “Better Than Life”
Released: 2011
Reviewed by: Ed Welch
Rating: 6.55 (Out of 10)
[xrr rating=6.55/10]

Will Amaze…how could I describe thee?  Let me count the ways.  Will Amaze is a music producer, rapper, and songwriter from the Bronx. But wait a second before you automatically picture some hardened battle rapper, because that is far from what he brings to the table. This album is extremely laid back with only one song that would clearly be considered a “fast” song (“Feel the Rush”). Add another 3 songs if you count the songs that are more “upbeat” but still have a moderate to slow tempo overall.  This album is what happens when Hip-Hop meets heartfelt worship.

Ironically Will Amaze didn’t call himself a singer, but he did a whole lot of singing on this project. There is only one song (the aforementioned “Feel the Rush”) that doesn’t at least have him singing a hook. But he was right for not calling himself a singer, because he’s not. The times on the album where he didn’t use the “T-pained” version of auto-tune is pretty noticeable. He can hold a note however, so it’s not horrible. His voice isn’t annoying or anything like that, so it’s ok overall.

The production is “ok”.  The melodies are catchy and the percussion is serviceable, aka it doesn’t stand out for any good or bad reasons.  Some of the production sounds seem a little dated and it can make the track sound a little corny. The overall feel of the songs and album actually have a good flow, which provoked me to sing a long anyway.

This brings me to Will Amaze’s greatest strength. Whatever he lacks in singing ability and making insanely tight beats is made up for in his songwriting ability. Add to that the pure aspect of worship and content of the album. I can’t help but sing along with him. The most important part of music is being able to feel what the artist is trying to portray musically, and it’s safe to say I felt him on this project. This is the type of album you listen to if you’re in a laid back mood and want to chill. Be careful though, you’ll find yourself in worship mode by the time the album gets into full swing.

My favorite song on the album is “What Good Is It”. It’s slow, meaningful, and mentally engaging. This album is NOT “great” from a musical standpoint. I wasn’t blown away with a bunch of songs that I would hear on the radio or rap verses that made me press rewind. But it is a “good” album. It’s an album that has good melodies and catchy lines you’ll end up singing along with. I enjoyed this album, but in order for it to go from good to great, the sound quality (and up-to-date sound selection) needs to be better and he probably needs to find some good singers to feature to help him out with some of the singing. The auto-tune did help out tremendously though. There is a ton of potential in this brother. If those things are done I have no doubt that he “Will Amaze” you. But hey, everybody is a critic.  I’m just the guy who wrote the review.  Peace and much love.

Comprehensive Ratings:

• Music                           6
• Flow                            8.5
• Lyricism                       6
• Content                        8.5
• Creativity                      6
• Credibility                     6.5
• Personality                    6
• Presentation                  4 (The album cover would make me walk away if I didn’t already know the artist)
• Overall Production        7
• Potential Impact            7