Cassadee Pope's 'Frame by Frame' review: Hardly believable
Cassadee Pope was the first breakout star on "The Voice," but can she duplicate that success without the network TV help? Her debut, "Frame by Frame" (Republic Nashville), seems to say "not yet." Pope, who had a major-label deal before with the pop-punk band Hey Monday, may want to claim a country base, but her vocals are still closer to Avril Lavigne than Carrie Underwood.
That makes songs like the single "Wasting All These Tears" feel hollow and misplaced, especially when placed against the genuine-sounding acoustic ballad "11." Pope is likable and has a nice-enough voice. Unfortunately, she rarely sounds believable here.
Cassadee Pope - Frame By Frame Record Label: Republic Nashville/Big Machine Label Group/Universal Music Canada Release Date: October 8th, 2013 Reviewed by: Nicole
Since winning the Voice with Coach Blake Shelton, former Hey Monday front girl Cassadee Pope has been working on turning her sound into some sweet country tunes. From the first track on her new album “Frame By Frame” to the last track, Cassadee really shines!
The albums songs are in majority fun songs about loving life and being in good relationships, mixed with a little anger and revenge in the form of success. There’s a little punk kick in some of Cassadee’s riffs and vocals but, for the most part she delivers the country album she has been promised her fans.
After the first two songs being upbeat and positive, Cassadee delivers a powerful punch of emotion with her debut single that many of us have heard before, entitled “Wasting All These Tears”. The great thing about this album is that Cassadee doesn’t sugarcoat life and set out to make all the songs on her album about the joys of life. Songs like “I Wish I Could Break Your Heart” and “One Song Away” show the emotions stemming from heartbreak are part of her life, as well. If you’re wondering if Cassadee has completely dropped her punk-pop sound, you might be relieved to know she hasn’t! Songs like “Everybody Sings” on her album give a very Avril Lavigne mixed with Miranda Lambert feel, which sounds amazing with Cassadee’s tone.
The cutest song on the album? Well, I guarantee you will love “You Hear A Song” which speaks about someone loving you, even when you don’t love yourself. It is most likely dedicated to Cassadee’s boyfriend Rian, and is honestly one of the most well-written songs on the album. Songs like “This Car” and “Champagne” are your generic country love songs for the album but, the unique tone of Cassadee’s voice strengthens the meaning of these tunes and gives them greater purpose.
Rating: 4/5
Cassadee’s full length album has literally made me a fan of her, if I wasn’t one before. She has proved herself to the country music fans with her great tone. Her album is one of the best of the year in country music and I have no doubt it will succeed.