Greyson Chance - portraits [Review]

After being discovered because of his cover of Lady Gaga's hit pop song "Paparazzi" going viral, Greyson Chance released his debut album (at the mere age of thirteen) Hold on 'til the Night in 2011 and, until now (eight years later), had not released a follow-up LP (just two EPs - Truth Be Told and Somewhere Over My Head - and many loose standalone singles). As a longtime fan, waiting for this album has consequently been rather painful, but what is interesting is that Greyson has said that he doesn't consider portraits to be his sophomore album but rather his debut album, and while interesting, it also makes sense. Not only has it been eight years since Hold on 'til the Night was released, he was also very young and therefore was not too heavily involved in the writing and production process, something that he discusses here in this lengthy and insightful interview. (He does not even have writing credit on approximately half of the material on Hold on 'til the Night.) It also makes sense because with his having been so young and not yet out as gay, many of the love songs on Hold on 'til the Night feature female pronouns, and Greyson now has the opportunity to express his true self through his music. Even though Hold on 'til the Night boasts some great tunes (with "Heart Like Stone" and "Summertrain" being my favorites), portraits is indisputably much more authentically Greyson Chance than Hold on 'til the Night is (which is why I probably won't ever take time to review it or the Truth Be Told EP), so, as I said, it makes perfect sense that he considers this album to be his debut. portraits has so far seen two singles released - "shut up" (which I reviewed here) and "timekeeper" (which I reviewed here), and as I expected would probably be the case (just because it usually is for me when it comes to most artists), the singles don't really do the album justice because my favorite songs on the album are ones that have not (yet) been released as singles. One aspect of the album that definitely disappoints me, however, is that at only thirty-four minutes in length, it is very short, and, in fact, while I had expected twelve songs from having seen the tracklisting, we only get ten because two of the tracks - "plains" and "lights" - are spoken interludes.

portraits opens with the aforementioned "shut up" (the album's lead single) and then moves into "bleed you still," one of the weaker tracks on the album. The song starts with a very heavy beat and glissando keyboard during Greyson's verses. It has a waltzy rhythm, and Greyson sings in his signature falsetto in the chorus. I can't explain why I don't find this one to be a highlight; I guess that I just think that there are more interesting songs on the album. "yours" is one of the most upbeat and one of the most radio friendly songs on the album, so it's not much of a surprise that the song has been selected as the album's third single. (The music video, in fact, is scheduled to drop later today - Thursday, March 21, 2019.) Even though "yours" also is not much of a highlight, it's at least more interesting than "bleed you still." It's a relatively standard love song which, although could easily be interpreted as being about a romantic partner, was actually written about Greyson's friends from back home in Oklahoma. Greyson, in the bridge, sings, "All these hours between us, they mean nothing. I'll be back to you one day, one day, and all these miles between us, they mean nothing. Oh, I promise we're okay..." This is Greyson telling his friends that he's still their friend even though he isn't home often, but it can definitely be interpreted as a love song in a romantic sense if that is more relatable to a listener. It makes sense that Greyson paired "yours" alongside "west texas" because both songs take us back to his roots - one to Oklahoma (where Greyson has spent most of his life) and the other to Texas (where Greyson was born). The interlude titled "plains" features Greyson telling a story about his mother which helps put "west texas" into context for us. "west texas" is a soulful and light pop song with a beautiful and catchy chorus in which Greyson, talking about his mother, soars in falsetto, "Boy, get the message - this ain't no New York City. Born and bred in west Texas, raised you to be different." I admit, however, that I don't like the song's insinuation that being from Texas automatically means that you're a good person (here's looking at you, George Bush) and also don't like all of the Christian references. (Greyson explained in this aforementioned interview, however, that the cross that he is wearing is a nod to his parents, so it seems like he grew up in a pretty religious household.)

"white roses" is one of my favorite songs on the album because it is one of the songs to which I relate the most. It is a breakup song that I believe is about the same ex that "timekeeper" is about, and Greyson said in that aforementioned interview that "white roses" is the first song that he wrote after the breakup. It is primarily a piano ballad with a light clapping beat and is somewhat similar to the likes of The Fray, and even though I do absolutely love the song, there is one aspect of it that disappoints me. In that interview to which I keep referring, Greyson said (unless I misunderstood him) that "white roses" would be a good song to which to run and exercise because it featured a really exciting drop. I thought to myself, "Are we getting another 'Earn It'?!" I don't really hear much of a drop, however, so maybe I have a different definition of what a drop is than he does. Like I said, as someone who went through an earth-shattering breakup that drastically changed me myself, I strongly relate to the lyrics, especially the line, "I never saw it coming; I thought we had it all. I feel you in those moments, those nights, held in your arms.""black on black" is, by far, my absolute favorite song on the album. Although I can't much relate to its playful and sexual energy (#TeamForeverAlone here), it's my favorite song on the album because it is, by far, the catchiest, and it's also, for lack of a better word, hot, especially the spoken part in which Greyson says, "California kid, you're a fucking sleaze, but damn, boy, you got me fucking on my knees." I love the playful synths in it which make it sound almost like a retro '80s track. "black on black" is definitely a memorable gem on portraits and from Greyson's entire catalogue thus far, so I definitely applaud him on this song. The album then moves into a much more upbeat version of "Seasons" (a previous standalone single) which also features new lyrics. (I discussed both the original version and this version - which is titled "seasons nineteen" - here.) "timekeeper," as previously mentioned, is the album's second single, and I have also already discussed and reviewed that.

"stand" and "lakeshore" are songs that I had already heard live versions of because Greyson Chance performed them on this Paste Magazine performance. (I prefer the more stripped back version of "lakeshore" that he did on that performance.) I really love the trilling piano on "stand," and I also love the powerful melody of the song, especially in the chorus when Greyson, with a unique strength in his vocals, sings, "I cannot move in forever; I stand on the feet of my drunkenness, I am my father's man" (a line that he said during that aforementioned performance at Paste Studios angered his father when he heard it). It's no secret that Greyson seems to drink a lot; it is something that he addresses frequently in his music (take "Twenty One" as an example), and this song seems to be lyrically addressing that. The album then closes with the previously mentioned "lakeshore," which, as I said, although a good song, is not as good as the version that he performed for Paste Magazine. Chance said in that lengthy interview that "lakeshore" is one of the oldest songs on the album, as he wrote it several years ago when he was eighteen, saying that it just seemed like the perfect song to close portraits. (I don't know if I agree because I personally feel that it does not feel like a closer. The song ends rather abruptly, and it seems like there is supposed to be more to the album, especially since, as previously mentioned, the album is very short in length.) Imagery of bodies of water and shores is imagery that Greyson seems to implement often (it can be found in songs like "Oceans" and "Lighthouse"), and he seems to be lyrically talking about being away with someone on a getaway and wishing that he didn't ever have to leave and go home. My favorite line is when, in the second verse, he sings, "Said you had your soulmate. How's that looking now?" Greyson sings the entire song in falsetto, and one thing that I do like about the version on the album is that it sort of has a tropical and summery flavor to its production which is appropriate given the song's subject matter. I overall really appreciate portraits and am so glad that Greyson Chance has finally returned with another LP, but I do wish that it were longer. It's disappointing to wait so long for an album and get thirty-four minutes, but Greyson has said that a follow-up is already in the works!