Album Review

Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend

• 17th Aug 2009

The main problem with producing dance music that appeals to the masses is that it doesn’t have to be particularly good. Of the moment, yes. Catchy for those that are intoxicated, for sure. Lasting… maybe not. The Dumfries disco wunderkind serves up more of the same as his hugely successful debut, with a healthy helping of extra cheese.

Opener The Rain squelches and squeaks but the vocal would not sound out of place on Dare, nor would Stars Come Out before an instrumental break that could launch a thousand hand bags onto the dance floor.

But this is truly modern pop music for the reality talent show age, big, brassy, and especially in the case of every lyric in every song, stunningly vacuous.

The better moments are when some European influence comes through, Blue having the air of Daft Punk and Relax gyrating hips rather than just pumping fists in the air.

If his stated intention was to create stadium dance music, then Mr H has succeeded. If that means sacrificing writing a new chapter in the history of pop, so be it. Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La’s nonsensical simplicity at least suggests he might have a word or two in him yet.

Ready for the Weekend is an album packed with potential hit singles, making Calvin Harris a record companies dream come true, some of its material is shamelessly commercial and some of it intelligent and well thought out but one thing that remains consistent throughout is its obvious ambition and that’s something that can only be admired. But in the main, Ready For The Weekend wants you to party hard, have a good time and not really catch your breath to think about it or remember much afterwards. Like that kind of lifestyle, though, it eventually becomes tiring and not very wholesome. You’ll want to escape.