CLEAR VINYL

When Benson Boone dropped out of American Idol in 2021 because he wanted to be known for his own music, it's doubtful even he imagined that his debut single, "Ghost Town" (out later the same year), would chart internationally. Two years later, with help from his strong social media base, "Beautiful Things," the lead single from his first album, topped the Billboard Global 200 chart while reaching number two on the Hot 100. That song's theatrical, rock-injected, arena-ready pop is surprisingly representative of the 15-track Fireworks & Rollerblades, an album flush with full-throated (sometimes strained) belting, earnest affirmations, self-doubt, and good relationship intentions. As foreshadowed by a credit list with 13 producers and even more co-songwriters, the debut seems to embrace "more is more" as a philosophy, with soaring melodies on even the sparest, tenderest entries ("Ghost Town," "Intro," "In the Stars," "Hello Love"). But in the tradition of one of Boone's biggest influences, Queen, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

A1        Intro
A2        Be Someone
A3        Slow It Down
A4        Beautiful Things
A5        Cry
A6        Forever And A Day
A7        In The Stars
A8        Drunk In My Mind
B1        My Greatest Fear
B2        There She Goes
B3        Hello Love
B4        Ghost Town
B5        Love Of Mine
B6        Friend
B7        What Do You Want