Diana Vickers – “Music To Make Boys Cry” Album Review

Published September 13th 2013 by
Filed under Reviews

Diana Vickers’ second album Music To Make Boys Cry is finally out after what feels like a life time of a wait. It’s been over three years since her debut album Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree was released.

Music To Make Boys Cry is a huge progression for Diana. Every track on the album deserves to be on it. There’s no filler. Even though some songs were recorded two years ago, it still feels very current.

MusicToMakeBoysCryMusic To Make Boys Cry, the title track, was one of the songs Diana gave away for free at the end of 2011. The updated version on the album sounds a lot more full. Its only fault is the excluded ad-lib on the final chorus.

Cinderella, while being the first single, was one of the first songs recorded for the album and definitely contains elements of different songs on the album. It’s clear that this song was a template for the direction of the album. The chorus still reminds me of the Tony Lamezma remix of Girls Aloud’s Call The Shots.

Lightning Strikes is probably the most pop song on the album. It’s full of catchy melodies and hooks. Lyrically it’s very similar to Natasha Bedingfield’s Touch. The chorus is so infectious and only gets better when the final chorus hits and the “hey, na, na, na, na, na, hey” is added which sounds like a sample of Dario G’s Sunchyme. It’s definitely a contender for the third single.

Dead Heat is a lot more laid back than the first three tracks. It’s mid-tempo dance pop. It reminds me of something that would’ve fit onto Hilary Duff’s Dignity.

Boy In Paris is one of the tracks that leaked early. Diana premiered a short clip of this song on her SoundCloud shortly after she gave away Music To Make Boys Cry. The full version subsequently leaked. This new version on the album has slight changes. The 8-bit video game intro has new production with a more subtle bass line, the second verse has added background production and the final chorus has a brand new instrumental. This is also a single contender.

Mad At Me is one of the less instant tracks on the album. The melodies aren’t as catchy. It’s like Diana tried to make her own version of the track Hit (The Sugarcubes cover) from her debut album. This is definitely a grower.

Smoke is the first slow moment on the album. It’s a heart-wrenching ballad. It’s not single material but it’s one of those album tracks that fans will wish to be a single.

Mr. Postman reminds me of an old Christmas song. It takes a while to get into it but once the first chorus hits, the song soars. Diana sounds a bit like Ashlee Simpson singing the verses. It has some funny lyrics like “you lostme.com” and “don’t mean we’re lovers just because you follow me on Twitter”.

Diana was spoiled for album titles with these songs. Love Sounds Better In French would’ve made a great title. Better In French – the shortened title, is one of the songs Diana performed at all her summer shows last year. It’s dark, electro-dance song. It’s the other less instant song on the album but seems to grow every listen.

Blame Game is one of the newer songs Diana recorded for this album. It’s very Girls Aloud and could’ve easily fit on Out of Control. It’s another track full of strong pop-hooks and melodies. It closes the album on a high.

Hopefully this album sells a decent amount so that So Recordings warrant a third album from Diana, and more singles from this one. It’s such a strong album and deserves to be a success.

Music To Make Boys Cry is out on September 15th.