“Motions” by Calvin Harris Offers Nothing New

Calvin Harris was born Adam Richard Wiles and is known most widely for his electro-house and electro pop beats in the music industry. Harris is classified as a DJ, singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been prevalent since 2006 after being discovered on Facebook.

Harris immediately signed contracts with EMI publishing and Sony BMG.  From there, he released a few demos, including his popular remix of All Saints hit single “Rock Steady,” gaining him positive recognition. At only 23, Harris released his first album “I Created Disco” in June 2007.  His electro-house sound was born in this album, which debuted at number eight on the UK charts before making its way onto the American charts. Top hits from that album include the 80s-inspired “The Girls” and the rhythmic “Vegas.”

Harris’s third studio album, “18 Months,” featured a much bigger sound as well as partnerships with other hot artists. Harris stole the airways with his hit singles “We Found Love” featuring Rihanna and “Sweet Nothing” featuring the sweet yet powerful vocals of Florence and the Machine’s Florence Welch.  “We Found Love” was featured on the top 100 charts for eight weeks straight and “Sweet Nothing” was one of the album’s most sought after and popular tracks. Unfortunately, his recent album, “Motions,” released on Nov. 4, 2014, doesn’t seem to be his best work. Some of the standout tracks on the album include “Blame” featuring vocals from newcomer John Newman and the wildly popular summertime anthem, fittingly titled “Summer.”

However, while the album has some exciting new artists added to Harris’s track list, from big artists like Big Sean and Gwen Stefani, it seems that the album falls short in some areas. There doesn’t seem to be a distinction between the songs on this album; each track sounds like a variation of the others. There are definitely fresher collaborations on this album; however, the melody organization could have been improved.  Most of the tracks on “Motions” feel similar, almost like we have heard them before.