William Beckett - Genuine & Counterfit (Album Review)

Sometimes it's really hard to have a successful solo career after you've been in a well-loved band. It's been done more than a few times successfully, but for every one success it seems like four others fail. William Beckett has recently been trying his hand at it after his well received band The Academy Is... decided to call it quits. After a few well received solo EP's and some good buzz, Beckett is back with his first official full length album post The Academy Is... Beckett's solo album titled Genuine And Counterfeit is a great step in cementing a good solo career for Beckett.

When I first heard this album I thought to myself it kind of reminds me of how Andrew McMahon was able to rise above Something Corporate and have an even more successful solo career. The album builds on some of the stuff he started with his old band while maintaining a "genuine" sense and fresh feeling to it. The writing and vocal performance on the album is really strong. Beckett's album definitely avoids the pitfalls of the last few The Academy Is... releases in that it avoids what most critics thought was some scene pandering as well as some mediocrity. (I will note I've read a lot of critics say these things, although I personally enjoyed the last couple The Academy Is... Releases. However, I will agree that in many ways they paled in comparison to the bands earlier works).

Beckett comes out full force and gives a great vocal performance. He gives it 110 percent and has no trouble taking on the reins and being a solo artist. I never once listened to this album and thought it would benefit from some of the members of his previous band writing with him. If anything it sounds more focused in songwriting and seems to cater to Beckett's abilities a little better than some of The Academy Is... songs did.

The one thing that hinders the album a little is it mostly sounds very mid-tempo in the way it was mixed and how the instruments are used. It can at times sound a little too slow for too long (especially in the middle and most of the end). Maybe the album lacks a little balance in terms of the sound from start to finish. I would have liked to have heard a few more upbeat tracks on it in the vein of "Pick Up The Phone," "In My Blood" and "Benny & Joon." The album starts a little rockier with those three songs and then slides into the more mid-tempo vibe.

"Pick Up The Phone" is a great song and showcases Beckett's swagger on the mic and is one of the more loud pop/rock tracks on the album with a lot more of a straight forward pop/rock vibe. It also possibly echoes The Academy Is... the most so it's a great start to the album that provides an interesting pathway in to some of the new ideas Beckett puts forth on the album. The album ends with "A Million People" which brings back the heavy vibe of the first three songs while marrying it to the sound of some of the more mid-tempo tracks found later on the album. It's a good way to finish the album and helps add a little of the balance I wish I would have heard on the middle of the album more.

Honestly if you were ever a fan of The Academy Is... I don't think it's a stretch to think you'd enjoy this album. I know I did. It's definitely a pretty strong release. I was and am a big The Academy Is... fan and after hearing this album I think Beckett's accomplished his goal and created a really good solo album. There are a few things he could improve on in terms of constructing a solid and balanced album all the way through. Honestly though, it would be nitpicking on my part not to accept the fact that this is a really solid solo album and definitely for the most part what I wanted it to be.