There has rarely been a time that a song he has wrote, produced or collaborated on is not in some chart on either side of the Atlantic in the last half a decade or so. But for his third album CHARLIE, he’s going back to basics. Using his impeccable knack for production and utilising the powers of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts to put it in front of the fans first to help him make any tweaks, Puth has created his most authentic album to date.
Pouring his heart, soul and overbearing feelings into catchy pop music has always been Puth’s forte, but with this album it really bears all in every sense. Describing his album as “sonically his personality,” CHARLIE swings between a multitude of real life emotions – from the confidence and confusion that is personified on album opener “That’s Hilarious” to the subtle vulnerability that seeps through tracks “There’s A First Time For Everything” and “Smells Like Me.” There are also some very literal emotions on display on “Loser,” with the on-the-nose lyrics “I’m such a loser / how did I lose her?”.
Each track carries a varying pop persona. Standouts “I Don’t Think I Like Her” and hit single “Light Switch” both have the irresistibility of a standard Puth track, but with added enthusiasm. There is also room for a collaboration of his own – “Left And Right” enlists the help of BTS’ Jungkook, who’s smooth vocals blend harmoniously with Puth’s.
An album that turns a sound into a physical being, CHARLIE is packed full of personality and heart. Drawing on Puth’s first-hand experience of relationship breakups in both love and life, the album delivers a rejuvenated artist, freed of the shackles of expectations and no longer trying to be the ‘cool guy’. It’s just Charlie Puth.
