Whatever
by Hot Chelle Rae
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Nov 29, 2011
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 7 out of 17
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  1. Lukemaster
    Dec 8, 2011
    10
    Ryan Follese,Jamie Follese,Ian Keaggy and Nash Overstreet are talented musicians that are no strangers to music.They each come from music-loving households and have all been long-time friends,with some brotherly between lead singer Ryan and drummer Jamie.From the get-go they've been trying to discover a sound that they'll all love to create and that'll work with them.Their first albumRyan Follese,Jamie Follese,Ian Keaggy and Nash Overstreet are talented musicians that are no strangers to music.They each come from music-loving households and have all been long-time friends,with some brotherly between lead singer Ryan and drummer Jamie.From the get-go they've been trying to discover a sound that they'll all love to create and that'll work with them.Their first album "Lovesick Electro" bordered more on rock music but the sound presented in "Whatever" leans more towards pop,just as they wanted.They wanted to create a record that you'd love to listen to on a particularly good day or cheer you up on a bad one.You can hear the perfect harmony between instruments and voice come together to create some of the catchiest pop songs you'll hear all year.It'll take the most hardcore cynic to not hum along to tracks like "Tonight Tonight" and "Beautiful Freaks"(my personal favorite).At the end of the day Hot Chelle Rae knows very well that they've created typical,simple pop music which uses as little chords as possible and is all about that catchy hit-making chorus,and they couldn't be happier with themselves.You won't find an incredible amount of originality here,instead what you'll find is incredibly fun pop music,with the occasional more serious song,pumped full of energy emanating from each band member as you realize that they absolutely love what they're doing.Well if they have all this talent then why not use it to create music that actually has longevity to it you may ask?I think their answer would go something like this,It's not like life is full of serious life-defining moments that occur on a regular basis.Sometimes life is about skipping a day at work or school,getting in your car with some freinds,turning up that radio and just yelling "Whatever" !… Expand
  2. monster-pow
    Jun 24, 2012
    7
    Whatever, an album packed with monster hooks and soaring vocals (that get annoying at some point) turns out to be a pretty smart pop album. With insanely catchy, but nonsensical, lyrics this album is great for any house party. This album showcases pure pop beautifully. This album is an example of how pop should sound. Although, the production is a little repetitive. Every song is similar.Whatever, an album packed with monster hooks and soaring vocals (that get annoying at some point) turns out to be a pretty smart pop album. With insanely catchy, but nonsensical, lyrics this album is great for any house party. This album showcases pure pop beautifully. This album is an example of how pop should sound. Although, the production is a little repetitive. Every song is similar. The same vocals are used throughout too. Ryan Follese doesn't really take the time to play around with his voice to make it sound just a little different in each song. Everything is too similar. But overall, this album turns out to be a hell of an entertaining listen.
    HIGHLIGHTS: Beautiful Freaks, Radio, Tonight Tonight    … Expand
  3. Ben-Bopper
    Jan 5, 2012
    9
    According to lead singer Ryan Follesé, for him, "It's been a really, really messed up week / 7 days of torture, 7 days of bitter." And so begins the radio-friendly adventure Whatever from the Nashville quartet Hot Chelle Rae. Whatever has songs like the title track, "I Like It Like That" (a duet with "You're a Jerk" group New Boyz), the catchy hit "Tonight Tonight", whichAccording to lead singer Ryan Follesé, for him, "It's been a really, really messed up week / 7 days of torture, 7 days of bitter." And so begins the radio-friendly adventure Whatever from the Nashville quartet Hot Chelle Rae. Whatever has songs like the title track, "I Like It Like That" (a duet with "You're a Jerk" group New Boyz), the catchy hit "Tonight Tonight", which stand out, actually. It's not a critical acclaim thing, but Whatever sounds like retro bubblegum pop that remains catchy in listener's brains. In simple words, Whatever is a charming follow-up from a nice Nashville band.… Expand
  4. octothorpes
    Jan 25, 2012
    10
    All the songs on this album are very catchy. Ryan Follese has such an amazing voice. Stand out tracks include "I Like It Like That" "Why Don't You Love Me" and "Tonight Tonight."
  5. HMW
    Mar 7, 2012
    9
    Tonight Tonight, Honestly, Whatever, I Like It Like That, and Why don't You Love me are so good, if you didn't listen to his CD yet, I would recommend you get it now! It will keep you upbeat all day long.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. Billboard.com
    Nov 29, 2011
    80
    You can hear the result of all those showbiz connections in the radio-ready economy of high-sheen hook bombs.
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  2. Los Angeles Times
    Nov 29, 2011
    25
    You have to ask if the tween sector of the 1% just found their house band.
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  3. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Nov 28, 2011
    55
    Although Hot Chelle Rae obviously aren't doing anything new here either, they've mastered the art of cheese pop and took a much more "natural" new route in sound compared to Lovesick Electric.
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