William Beckett’s Genuine and Counterfeit, out on August 20th, has a lot of buzz surrounding it and with it being his debut solo album, my high expectations simply because I know what the man is capable of were absolutely met.
Beckett said, “This album is meant to be listened to from start to finish. This album is about every relationship you ever took seriously. This album is about getting kicked around, knocked down and rising up a stronger, better person than before; about trying to make it all work. This album is about the delicate balance between what is authentic and what is false; the peaks and valleys between what is genuine and what is counterfeit. This album is the story I never told. Until now.”
That being out in the open, the first track, “Pick Up The Phone (ft. Max Bemis)” totally grabbed my attention. First off, I love Bemis and Say Anything and to know that he too appreciates Beckett is nice to see. The tune is perfect. It’s upbeat and has the classic vocals that we all have heard in The Academy Is… and even his solo EPs- the bits of more spoken-word lyrics pack a punch and prepare you for what you’re in for.
“Hanging On A Honeymoon” is pretty much the best song on the whole album. I’m a sucker for acoustic guitar light summery tunes and damn this hits the spot. The goofy love song element of it doesn’t even bother me at all because it’s so flawless with the way Beckett sings the words and I can tell just how much effort went into this song, and it makes me really happy. It shows how not only how talented he is, but how he can write a love song that doesn’t make you cringe. Beautiful.
“Time For A Sign (ft. Derek Sanders)” is chilling. Both of them are insanely talented vocalists and together? Wow. This song is absolutely gorgeous- it’s definitely a tearjerker. It has such passion and that kind of hopeful depressing feeling that you get with any good sad song. However, it doesn’t just get you down in the dumps and leave you there, because it’s also pretty uplifting. It shows off Beckett’s versatility and proves he can do everything and anything, and isn’t afraid to.
Our good friends at Alt Press are streaming Genuine and Counterfeit here.