Skeptics will always be skeptics and haters will always be haters. But to anyone it is obvious to see how much time and effort Avicii put into his debut album TRUE. The amount of promoting and interaction with fans for the past months has been incredible. Starting with his set at the main stage at Ultra Music Festival in Miami quickly followed with all the controversy, to Avicii releasing Wake Me Up which skyrocketed in the charts and conquered airwaves. The release of this album had been planned to a tee, and finally it’s here. 
TRUE goes where really no producer or DJ has gone before, Avicii took the risk and blended a wide array of genres, sounds and styles with our beloved EDM, truly showcasing the versatility of our music. The artists he featured on the album are not small ones, he brought on Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons, Adam Lambert, Mike Einziger the guitarist from Incubus, Nile Rodgers as well as many more. By bringing in all these vocalists, Avicii really gives each song, each beat, each melody its own unique personality and style, roping you in from the beginning, this interesting and innovative melange is very incredibly easy to take in.
While all the songs are good in their own respect, some tracks stand above the rest, showcasing the artist’s ability to create unforgettable melodies, that, for better or for worse, get stuck in your head for hours. Some of my early picks are Heart Upon My Sleeve, Dear Boy, and Avicii’s long awaited hit, Edom.
The album opens itself up to more listeners than just the EDM community, something distinctively illustrated by Wake Me Up being loved by rock radio stations across the country, bringing in a different type of listener. This is a huge step for EDM and hopefully we will see more projects similar to this one in the near future.
My personal rating for Avicii’s TRUE would be an 8.5/10
Check it out for yourself below and let us know what you think! Don’t forget to grab yourself a copy on iTunes
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At the end of the day, it would be a great album if it was focused on being good at one thing. Avicii is an extremely talented producer and is fortunate to have to the ability to pursue a passion project such as this. IMO, the album is extremely mediocre and run of the mill. In the landscape of EDM, sure it’s different, but it’s not more refreshing than other pop and folk rock albums out there. Just like RAM earlier this year, it fails to do one thing really well and instead focuses on doing too many things that are just okay. I predict Avicii will make a real dance track every now and then, but will probably focus more on producing other artists. What this album lacks is the musicians behind it to bring the music to life, that’s why rock bands enlist grade A production talent. The band can make the music, and the producer can bring it together.
It was fun while it lasted Avicii