Single Review – James Maslow: “Lies”

Remember that Nickelodeon show about four hockey players turned boy band called Big Time Rush? If you’ve never heard of it you probably didn’t realize that the band was an actual thing and released not one, not two, but three full length albums throughout the duration of the tv show’s four season run. While the group has since disbanded, BTR’s resident pretty boy James Maslow is determined to make a name for himself in his first original single “Lies.”

Maslow takes after Jesse McCartney‘s “Leavin'” days with that ‘electro pop&B’ instrumentation style that’s been extremely popular for radio-friendly singles lately. His choice to go in that particular direction musically is not necessarily surprising, but the biting and accusatory lyrics absolutely show his growth as an artist and kind of makes him sexy with all that pent up aggression. I’ve always been a fan of bubblegum artists trying their hand at producing an angst-y track for the listeners and Maslow had an eerily smooth transition into that realm of music.

“Lies” is actually one of those songs that plays into two different scenarios. You’ve got the James Maslow who’s completely in denial of the “rumors flying around” that his girl’s “been sleeping in another bed. In fact, he practically begs her to tell him that none of those rumors are true (“tell me it ain’t nothing (console me)/show me baby I’m still the only” and “no way, could you be playing me behind my back”). Then there’s the James Maslow that’s conflicted about whether he should feel betrayed (“got me thinking about this love/got me wondering about us” and “tell me why I’m feeling so lonely now”) or if he wants to just forget all about the sh*t swirling about because he loves her (“even if what they say it’s true/let’s pretend that it wasn’t you”). In a way, he perfectly captures every possible emotion that runs through a person’s mind when they find out their significant other has cheated on them.

I’ve got to give James Maslow some credit, because it’s pretty tough to go from a boy band setting to a solo career, especially when it was a manufactured band for a children’s television show. “Lies” proves that the pretty boy can actually sing, but there’s still a hint of his past BTR history lingering in his vocals and musicality. However, if/when he decides to leave that past behind him he’s seriously going to be some serious competition for the male pop vocalists of today. With the right exposure he can easily be the next big thing to happen in the boy band community since Justin Timberlake went solo, and who wouldn’t want that?

Make sure to keep up with James Maslow on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram, and pick up their music via Soundcloud, or iTunes!

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