Not long ago, The Edge FM said they would set out to manufacture the perfect boy band. Now, they present to us a carefully selected group known as Titanium. And while it’s still to be seen whether they may have found the perfect ‘boys’, it’s fair to say they’ve definitely found the perfect voices.
Titanium’s debut album All For You is proof of such. The 11 track LP is filled to the brim with beautiful vocal harmonies reminiscent of boy band legends Boyz II Men, with each individual voice giving great performances all across the board. Singles such as Come On Home and Nothing But Love showcase the talent of the band through an endless barrage of infectious melodies in the form of great pop music. The dance hit Sky is without a doubt the standout track of this release. The chorus is incredibly catchy, surprises listeners with a decent rap verse, and features production that could easily fit into the Billboard 200 charts of today.
There is however, an aspect of the production that stops the album from standing out as something truly amazing. It’s not the mixing or the mastering, but the songwriting. The wasted potential in the songwriting aspect is most apparent in tracks such as Lies and For The First Time. Both of these songs catch the listener’s attention immediately: Lies with its groovy popstep vibe and For The First Time with its upbeat acoustic feel. However, they both fail to deliver a climax (or even a chorus) that really satisfies the listener. One might argue that it’s the voices themselves that are to blame, but closing track I Won’t Give Up, a slow and sentimental ballad featuring the group’s bare-bones vocal talent, puts those accusations to rest.
By no means does this make All For You a failure. In fact, it’s a commendable first step for the boys, who are going into what could be a very successful journey. Being the first New Zealand band to have three songs in the Top 40 Singles chart is a testament to that in itself. They’ve proven they can sing, not to mention in perfect harmony with each other. Perhaps putting a little more time into producing the next release would be worthwhile, as it’s evident that they are most definitely talented – they just need to choose their songs as wisely as the panel of judges they once faced chose them.
