Nate Ruess - Grand Romanic

Nate Ruess

Grand Romantic

2015

Borrowing from his days in The Format and Fun! Nate Ruess has branched out on his own with the debut album Grand Romantic. The very first track actually lifts a line from a Format song "it's for th best you didn't listen/it's for the best we keep our distance". It's not that big of a deal but for anyone who is a fan of The Format it is a bit off putting. This record is much closer to what The Format were than Fun! . Minimal instrumentation, and Ruess' voice front and center on the entire album. This seems to be a bit of a shots fired situation with his band mate Jack Antonoff and creating a similar buzz with Bleachers.  By the title of the album you can tell that Ruess was going for something large scale and important on this record and that sense of needing to matter really comes across on this album. The record is begging for your approval, but it never really gets it, everything is just to contrived and managed to death. "You Light My Fire" is an attempt at an 80s style indie pop track, but it takes the worst of the 80s and it falls quite flat. 

That is kind of the ongoing theme of this record, it is trying so hard but in the end that effort feels forced and off putting. This album needs something light and effortless, but it never happens., it is just a barrage of super sappy love songs they really accomplish nothing. The only saving grace on the album is Nate's great voice. His voice is quite powerful and used well on the record, but the words coming out of his mouth are just rough. This record never comes together in a meaningful way. Hopefully Ruess reconnects with his band mates because so far his solo efforts are really missing the mark.

4 out of 10