Rachel Platten
Wildfire
Reviewed by: Geno Thackara
Give her credit for persistence. Rachel Platten has been working hard for over a decade to get where she is, from self-releasing a debut to landing on the odd TV soundtrack to achieving her current breakout with big label support. Along the way she’s apparently gathered a fine team of industry friends and hit writers to perfectly craft an infectious chart-topper – which, for better and worse, is exactly the sound Wildfire nails with a mix of catchy pop and dance floor R&B.
This is the kind of thing that would be all over Glee if it was still on the air. You may have heard her empowering pick-me-up “Fight Song” or maybe the crowd-pleasing “Stand by You” (seemingly well on its way to becoming an inevitable karaoke staple). If so, well, you already know everything else to expect – and if not, you’ll still be hearing her somewhere you turn soon enough. The rest of the album dutifully checks all the usual boxes with the precision of well-established formula. There are club bangers, romantic ballads to be swooned over at school dances, and feel-good pop anthems just waiting for arena crowds to happily shout along. Platten is charmingly earnest and honestly sings her heart out. I say it would just come across a lot better if the recording wasn’t studio-tweaked and Autotuned to within an inch of its life.
Granted, there can be some artistry in that. It’s hard not to feel the big beats in your bones, or keep from bouncing along with the earwormy likes of “Hey Hey Hallelujah.” (That’s leaving aside Andy Grammer’s hip-hoppy guest spot and his painfully awkward reference to Jeff Buckley. No. Please, just, no.) At the same time it’s honed to such a fine point that practically each song here fits into a timeworn template, and too many end up in predictable heard-one-heard-em-all territory once they come out the other side of the mixing desk.
Among the countless things we’ll be hearing in bars and restaurants into the future, I’ll at least take this over Iggy Azalea. Wildfire isn’t quite cotton candy, even if it still often feels like Laffy Taffy. There’s enough heart and sweetness in here that the over-production can’t completely squeeze it out. I have no doubt the audiences on her upcoming tour are going to just love it.
Rating: Semi-Listenoxious
