Calvin Harris, "Ready for the Weekend" Review Rewrite

Calvin Harris, “Ready for the Weekend” (Fly Eye, Columbia, 2009)

With the help of the Myspace internet community Calvin Harris has become one of the United Kingdom’s most prolific up and coming artists. After releasing a couple of demos on the website for a couple of years, Harris signed a record deal with EMI in 2006. The label decided to take a chance and release an album by Harris. Harris burst into the Electro-pop scene in 2007 with his amusingly titled debut Album “I Created Disco.” The album surpassed expectations by remaining in the top 10 UK charts for a long while. While the album wasn’t critically praised, it had attained a small following for the Scottish native in the pop/electro scene. Harris’ first album was received by most critics as a handbag electro pop debut that showed promise for Harris with the hit singles “The Girls,” “Acceptable in the 80’s,” and “Merrymaking at my Place.” Then Harris released his follow-up album “Ready for the Weekend” in 2009.
“I Created Disco” was rough in establishing it’s tone at the start, but “Ready for the Weekend” does that effectively from first track. The album has a smooth and inviting tone showing Harris’ sense of humor. With his debut album called “I Created Disco,” it’s only fitting that this album should start with a combination of electro bass keys and a saxophone solo taken out of a blues song, only to be faded out into a full electro-bit track drowning out all but Harris’ much improved vocals with the saxophone to not sound off till the very end. This opening invites the listener in with the promise of a good time if you go for the ride and for the most part, Harris delivers. Harris took the safe route with the first album being an electronically composed one, but this time he experiments with actual instruments such as the guitar rifts in “Blue” or “Worst Day.”
You can tell Harris has taken the criticism from the last album to heart. His vocals ruined the rhythms and beats of his previous album with songs like “Colours.” This time around his vocals aren’t as clunky and don’t try to upstage his own DJ work as the melodies are the driving force of the album. With the songs “Flashback” and “I’m Not Alone,” Harris is going for a different vibe by putting more of himself and baring his soul. The last album was randomly strung together beats that sounded good without a clear theme or artist intention. Harris gives more of himself in “Flashback” with the lyrics “If I could change my state of mind/then I would disappear/The love I get from you is something I can’t chance/and I can let you slip away without a second glance.” This album displays Harris’ talents in a collaborative vocal effort with Dizzie Rascal and Chrome in the fun and inspired “Dance wiv Me.” When the album works it makes you want to pump up your fist and cheer as that roller coaster is going up that hill.
While “Ready for the Weekend” is an improvement, most of the album’s later songs all feel like filler. This half of the album loses its momentum and becomes a slower and mostly non-vocal performance with “Relax,” Limits,” and “Burn Nights.” The album falls into a stump that it never quite recovers from while you wait for the real songs to come on. This last half isn’t enough to stomp the album as the last one as “Dance wiv me” swoops in to save it and leave you with a good taste in your mouth.
“Ready for the Weekend” is still an enjoyable and more mature artistic effort from Harris. Harris still listens as an artist with a lot of potential still ahead of him. His sound is a smooth transition for those otherwise not a fan of electro-pop. The album is a great next step in the right direction for Harris. He still isn’t quite there yet as an artist, but where he is now is a really fun and highly enjoyable ride for anyone looking for something new. As Harris puts it ‘These are the good times in your life, so put on a smile and it will be alright.”