Carlos Vara, Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? | Album Review 💿

After dropping some dynamic singles, up and coming LGBTQ pop musician Carlos Vara shines on his debut EP, Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down.  

“You make me go numb / Hypnotized, I know it’s dangerous / Don’t speak, just make me come down.” In 2018, up-and-coming LGBTQ pop musician Carlos Vara first caught my eye, rather my ears.  Vara independently released an awesome pop-soul single, “Numb”, which was easily among the crème de la crème of 2018.  If you somehow missed that excellence, you need to totally check it out! The talented singer would go on to sign a record deal with Warner Bros. Finally, Vara releases his debut EP, comprised of five songs, Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down?

“Confident”  

“Puff, puff, pass / Puff, puff, pass / Holy shit, I’m smashed / Let’s do it again.” Carlos Vara kicks off Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? with the relatively short, but utterly confident, ✓ “Confident”. Vocally, Vara impresses, bringing fierceness to the table.  What makes this a compelling performance is how he balances that attitude, playfulness, and his overall vocal prowess.  As confident as “Confident” is, Vara reflects on a lack of confidence in the past, coming to terms with newfound confidence. Profanity adds a bit of edge, giving the singer additional feistiness, toughness, and swagger.  Following a playful pre-chorus, Carlos brings the heat, on the chorus:

“Going out tonight
I’m catchin’ everybody’s eyes
Like I’m the shit but, it’s a lie
They askin’, ‘how you so confident?’
Higher than my mind
Lifting these shots up to the sky
When I get home, I’m gonna cry
They asking, ‘How you so confident?’”

“Want Me To”

On ✓ “Want Me To”, Carlos Vara continues to show how unique his instrument is.  Who else sounds like him in the pop realm? Nobody.  He has a robust, expressive voice that can exhibit grit, play a tenderer role, or even dabble in falsetto, as he proves on the second cut from Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? “Want Me To” exhibits excellence beyond high-flying pipes, featuring delightful production courtesy of STINT and Josh Bruce Williams – big and colorful.  “Want Me To” is equally intriguing thanks to its writing, which conveys a sense of drama.  On the first verse, he sings, “Early in the morning, without cause or warning / You set fire to myself.” On the second, he’s not quite as outlandish, but clarifies that love’s got him messed up: “Thought that I was lucky, ooh, I thought you loved me / but love hurts and feelings change / … But you threw it all the way.”  The chorus that seals the deal, coupled with those soaring vocals, and the top-notch production:

“Stop dragging me around
‘Cause it’s more than I can take
Stop pushing me down
‘Cause I would never do the same
Stop bring me around
If your heart don’t feel the same
I won’t bend, I won’t tear, I won’t break
‘Less you want me, want me, want me…
Want me to, ooh.”

“Impossible”

On ✓ “Impossible,” another single released in advance of Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down?, Carlos Vara continues to do Carlos Vara things.  What does that mean? Well, from a vocal standpoint, he continues to give his all – the listener can feel that he’s infusing his heart and soul into the performance.  His best moment arguably occurs on the bridge, contrasting the verses and the chorus.  That said, like the songs that precede, the chorus remains golden, even with its repetition of the titular lyric (“Impossible, I’m so impossible / You’re so impossible, we’re so impossible / Why you gotta rain on my parade…”

Following the impossibilities of “Impossible,” relatively brief penultimate cut “Looking for Love” gives Vara a more fun, playful number.  Where the majority of Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? dwells somewhere between pop and R&B, “Looking for Love” give the singer a legit pop-rock number.  Maybe it doesn’t supplant “Confident,” “Want Me Too,” or “Impossible,” but the feistiness that Vara executes so well is in full effect.

Once more, on the closing cut, “Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down?”, Vara is able to bring more playfulness, not to mention more Grade A, top-rate vocals.  Like the rest of the 15-minute affair, Vara blesses the listener with another catchy chorus.  Also, solid production work, with mammoth drums don’t hurt the cause either.

Final Thoughts 

All in all, there’s plenty to like about Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? Throughout the EP, Carlos Vara proves he’s a skilled vocalist, and has the personality to deliver compelling, well-rounded performances.  Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? certainly provides a nice preview to what a full-length album by this awesome, youthful newcomer might sound like.  I’ll definitely be the first in line to hear it.

✓ Gems: “Confident,” “Want Me Too” & “Impossible”

Carlos Vara • Have You Ever Seen a Boy Break Down? (EP) • Warner Music • Release: 10.4.19

Photo Credit: Warner Music