When ex-V Factory front man and part-time actor Asher Monroe began releasing solo singles, he shot into viral fame.
With over a million views on multiple YouTube videos and songs co-written by superstars like Ryan Tedder, the actor and singer became a niche hit. Teen girls drawn to the young artist would seek to make him a household name. His friends within the music industry would as well. With artists like Sean Kingston and Chris Brown featured on his various tracks, you would think Monroe would have more mainstream attention. With the release of “One My Way Pt. 2,” Monroe attempts, yet again, to become a force in the industry.
Overall, Monroe’s sophomore follow-up to his “Pt. 1” EP will more than likely miss the mark. Its frivolous attempts at intimacy and smoothness are ruined by a constant feeling of industry-churned moments and empty satisfaction. Like a cardboard cutout of Justin Timberlake or Usher, Monroe’s latest installment is a smudged reflection of far better music.
On “Soulmate,” Monroe allows a dance-like beat to take over his vocals throughout. Perhaps the only place where his EP is able to create sustenance, “Soulmate” which is like a David Guetta song; it has little meaning but you can’t help but get up and dance to it.
The second track off of the EP featuring Sean Kingston, is titled “F****** Up.” And where hyper-auto-tuning can be seen as an entertaining and party-like addition to artists like Flo-Rida, T-Pain, and Ke$ha, Monroe’s simply does not work. With no grasping moments or pop-dance crossover, “F****** Up” won’t fulfill anyone’s wants or needs musically.
On “Bye Bye,” listeners will find a track that is as tedious as watching a toddler learn how to speak. Like a Backstreet Boys reunion, “Bye Bye” is unimpressive and annoying. Its 2006 lyrical composition and fundamentally basic elaboration fails to reach any sort of climax or any sort of dancablity. Monroe shows himself to be a hyper-produced version of a pop star. Maybe it’ll pay the rent, but it certainly won’t garner him much critical success.
For an artist who has preached in an interview with Celebuzz that he is a “real singer,” something about “On My Way Pt. 2” seems inherently false. With there being artists who are far better, and far more interesting existing already, Asher Monroe is worth the skip. While Asher Monroe’s EP may be called “On My Way” listeners will more than likely respond with “hopefully not.” Perhaps Monroe should stick to his other creative pursuits, like acting or dancing, where he doesn’t have to inundate his listeners in superfluous and overproduced pop beats.
