Album Review: Big Time Rush - Elevate

Between BTR's first and second albums, there's an obvious big transition, and there's just one thing to say... they've ELEVATED! Their first album was full of bubble gum pop songs made for the show, and as much as I love those, a lot of these new songs show a more mature Big Time Rush. Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan helped pen eight of the twelve tracks on this album, and though the album doesn't have an initial theme or sound to it, there's definitely lots of catchy beat and great lyrics, not to mention their stronger voices. Not only does this album have songs that have been previous used on the show like "If I Ruled The World" and "Superstar," but it also has a great blend of new songs and sounds. The upbeat songs tunes "Music Sounds Better With U" and "Elevate" will definitely have you dancing, while BTR also takes it down with songs like "All Over Again," "You're Not Alone" and the funky "No Idea." This album also has some electronic pop songs like "Love Me, Love Me" and "Show Me."

But for me the highlights of the album are three specific songs: "Cover Girl," "Time of Our Life" and "Invisible." Three songs all different in sound, but all equally great songs that really show off the guys' voices and bring a warm feel to their album.
"Cover Girl" is a cute, acoustic pop song about a girl who doesn't know just how beautiful she is, but to them, she's their cover girl. An adorable concept for this sweet love song, with relatable lyrics and a very laid back, enjoyable feel to it.

"Time of Our Life" is a catchy, upbeat song that shows a bit more mature voices from the guys as they sing about having the time of their life with a girl. With an intriguing mix of fun, meaningful and love-struck lyrics, this dance song is, in my opinion, one of the best on the album.

"Invisible" was written about their fans, so already, how cute is that? Written in the true perspective of fans, how they may feel invisible amongst everything else going on in the guys' lives. But in the song, the guys emphasize that they don't want their fans to feel invisible, they want them to know that they're always thinking of them and appreciate all they do. Though there's one lyric that hits me every time I listen to the song, "Do you ever think of, what you're standing at the brink of?" That lyric can really get you thinking, do the Rushers realize what they're standing at the brink of? From the very beginning with Big Time Audition to the release of their second album, it's been a successful journey for Big Time Rush, and it's only going to get better from here, and being a fan makes you just as much part of the ride as they are.

How could you be anything but proud of these four boys? This album proves how much they've matured musically, but still has that lovable Big Time Rush feel to it. With a great mix of pop dance songs and sweet, love ballads, this album definitely shows just how much BTR has elevated their music, going from a tv boy band to real music artists.