The Wanted - Word Of Mouth (Review)

This is the 3rd studio album from the British boyband best known for the hits "All Time Low", "Gold Forever", and "Glad You Came." This serves as their first proper album in the U.S. as only an EP containing a selection of songs from their first two albums and a couple of brand new songs was released. "Chasing The Sun", "I Found You", "Walks Like Rihanna", and "We Own The Night" have all been singles from the album in the U.S. Only "Chasing The Sun" and "We Own The Night" have performed moderately well. The former did better on the heels of the smash that was "Glad You Came." "We Own The Night" has failed to gain traction despite hovering in the 40s on the Mediabase CHR/Pop chart. "Show Me Love (America)" is the next single. All the singles have gone top 10 in the UK though.

This album was in the works from 2012 up until just a few weeks ago. The release dates for the album were announced as early as last Fall and then moved to the Winter, and then delayed to the Spring, and now its finally here after additional pushbacks due to "We Own The Night" unexpectedly being slow to grow. "Show Me Love (America)" is the next single. A number of collaborations with Justin Bieber, LMFAO, Rihanna, and Rita Ora were announced as possibly happening for this album, but none of them came to fruition and the album has no collaborations.

The album is fairly cohesive given that there are nearly a dozen producers. It consists of some midtempos, traditional and electronic ballads, and adult contemporary Pop/Rock. The album goes back and forth between the styles without a clear sequence. The U.S. and UK editions share 15 of the main tracks, however, the U.S. one omits "Chasing The Sun", "Satellite", "Only You", and "Read My Mind", opting to include "Glad You Came" instead. It's odd that "Chasing The Sun" and "Satellite" were removed because both were on the U.S. exclusive EP last year, and the former was a moderately successful single. The group's vocals on all of the songs are great, showing some growth from their last album. The lyrics are reasonably good, however, those expecting something revolutionary will be disappointed.

"Could This Be Love", "Running Out Of Reasons", "Glow In The Dark", "If We're Alright", "Drunk On Love", "Only You", and "Satellite" are the highlights along with previous singles "Chasing The Sun", "I Found You", "We Own The Night", and "Show Me Love (America)." The weakest tracks are "Walks Like Rihanna" and "Summer Alive", with the former sticking out like a sore thumb with its juvenile and cheeky lyrics, the latter sounding like the generic EDM that is all over radio these last few years. Thankfully, the two weak tracks are the only ones and it can be forgiven due to so many of the others being so well done.

• Buy the U.S. Deluxe Edition here 
• Buy the UK Deluxe Edition here
  Please note that the U.S. and UK editions are slightly different 

Grade: A-

The Wanted - Show Me Love (America)

The UK boyband announced the followup single to "We Own The Night" which will be officially released next month. This comes on the heels of their 3rd album Word Of Mouth being pushed back to early November to allow for "We Own The Night" to complete its run and so the new single can gain traction. The new song is a dubstep influenced ballad with a cinematic "Clocks"-esque string hook during the chorus. This is their first single in this style that has been released in the U.S. Given the mid Fall/early Winter timing of the release, this one has the greatest potential to be a hit for them.

-Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

The Wanted - We Own The Night

This is the new single from the UK boyband's upcoming 3rd album Word Of Mouth. After the underperformance of "Chasing The Sun", "I Found You", and "Walks Like Rihanna" in the U.S., this is their latest attempt at stateside success. "Glad You Came" has continued to receive strong recurrent airplay in the past year, however, those other singles were met with a mixed response. "We Own The Night" ends up being a much catchier song Pop/Rock song with a hint of Electro. It immediately calls to mind last year's hit "Some Nights" by Fun and Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive". This one could very well be a big hit for them with the right promotional push.

-Listen to the stream here (Ryan Seacrest)

Grade: A

The Wanted - Walks Like Rihanna

The British boyband is back with a song that is an ode to red hot Barbadian singer Rihanna. After "I Found You" failed to launch in the U.S., they are trying something a little different. Co-written and produced by Dr. Luke, this song is tailor made for radio even though the production recalls his earlier work with other artists. Aside from the obvious gimmick of the song, it is extremely catchy and is perfect for the Summer.

-Listen to the radio rip here (YouTube)

Grade: B

Asher Monroe - Here With You

Formerly a member of the boyband V Factory, he is now trying it as a solo artist. The song was actually released as a single last year however the remixes have only been released recently. The song is cut from the same cloth as The Wanted's "Glad You Came" and "Chasing The Sun". The similarities are undeniable, but the song manages to go beyond those comparisons and is easily lyrically superior to the songs it was influenced by. The song does not try to be anything other than something fun to listen to. Asher has a really great voice and this song could help him become established as a solo artist. It has a great book and could do well on the radio with the proper push. There are several remixes by Dave Aude, Ivan Gomez & Nacho Chapado, and Sick Individuals. Dave's manages to be the best of the bunch, maintaining some of the baseline and melody of the original.

-Listen to the original here (YouTube)
-Watch the Dave Aude remix video by DJ DigiMark here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

The Wanted - I Found You

This is the lead single off of their 3rd album due out early next year. As "Chasing The Sun" completed its run on radio, this one is all set to launch their next record. The song's production calls to mind their previous hit "Glad You Came" as it has an accordion type of instrumental hook. The guys show off their falsetto vocals on the chorus, something they have only done sparingly on their other songs. It's very Bee Gees.  Overall, this is a great song and should be another hit for them.

Clips of the song (YouTube)

Grade: A-

The Wanted - Chasing The Sun

This is the new single from the UK boyband whose single "Glad You Came" finally broke them into the U.S. market. "Chasing The Sun" is a brand new song written by Example that will be released on their U.S. EP due out on April 24. Their signature harmonies and a super catchy hook are there. The melody of the chorus and post-chorus chants call to mind the 2011 Britney Spears hit "Till The World Ends." Overall, this looks to be another hit for them.

The single will be available for purchase on April 17 in the U.S.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

The Wanted - Glad You Came

Shifting gears in the U.S., the UK boyband's current UK single is now the single set to be released in the U.S. after "All Time Low" was inexplicably canceled or failed to catch on--it isn't clear which of these is the real reason. It has an adds date of September 13 in the U.S. Beginning seemingly as a ballad, it jumps into an electro-pop synthy production with hard dance beats. The group's vocals are sublime. This one is slightly stronger than "All Time Low" and may have a better chance at catching on. So far, there are remixes by Alex Gaudino. His mix just ups the energy ever so slightly, toning down the pronounced synths from the original.

-Watch the music video for the original here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Alex Gaudino mix here (YouTube)

Grade: A

The Wanted - All Time Low

The UK boyband has been signed in the U.S. They made their debut in the UK nearly a year ago with this song and now they are set to do the same here. The semi-dramatic strings based Dance/Pop song is a fun, well-sung song. The song has been slightly remixed for its U.S. release with some more prominent beats. There are some club mixes of this by Digital Dog, Frank E, and Ralphi Rosario. Digital Dog's mixes are funky house, keeping some of the feel of the original. Frank E's mix feels like a slightly dancier version of the original (or the single mix in the U.S.). Ralphi Rosario's big room-oriented mixes have a slight electro feel. Overall, all of the mixes are really well-produced.

-Watch the music video for the original UK version here (YouTube)
-Purchase the U.S. Single Mix here (iTunes)
-Purchase the remix EP (includes Ralphi Rosario, Digital Dog mixes) here (iTunes)

Grade: A