Kevin McHale, Boy (EP) | Album Review 💿

Former Glee actor and pop musician Kevin McHale drops an enjoyable, well-rounded effort with his five-song, debut EP, ‘Boy.’  

Kevin McHale (NOT the legendary power forward) is probably best known for playing Artie Abrams on Glee.  Beyond that, McHale was a member of a boyband (NLT).  Ultimately, besides showing off his acting chops, McHale is a musician, hence the arrival of his EP, Boy, an independently released project. It should be mentioned that McHale is gay as sexuality plays a role on the five-song effort.

“Help Me Now” 

“I’ve got an insecure question / Do you wanna fuck?” Wow! ✓ “Help Me Now” commences with a funky groove, further fueled by a blend of soulful guitars and ripe synths.  The cherry on top is Kevin McHale himself, who delivers a strong vocal performance and brings plenty of attitude – did you see that bold, aforementioned excerpted lyric from the second verse?  Beyond that eyebrow-raising, unapologetic bullet, the chorus is quite catchy:

“Oh, can you help me now?
I’m getting caught up in 10 feet of water
Staring at the bottom, yeah
Help me now
Sorry I brought up all the shit I thought of
Please love me tomorrow, yeah
Help me now…”

“James Dean”

“I like this boy, right / I said I like this boy, right.” Romance and intimacy are the M.O. of ✓ “James Dean”, and the results are incredibly sexy.  Kevin McHale has a fantastic instrument to work with.  He is quite playful with his performance, amplifying the innuendo and comes off incredibly authentic.  Personality is one of the biggest selling points, shining throughout the song, especially on the descriptive chorus:

“Your breath smells a little bit like a cigarette
Your sin covers your sins like a silhouette
But your kiss is the softest thing I’ve ever felt before
Wearing thrift store James Dean jeans, you’re made for sex
Used to spend the nights alone on the dark internet
And now you spend the nights instead with me in bed you know.”

Adding to the excellence is a slow tempo and excellent production work in a pop/urban contemporary style. Throw in a steamy music video accompanying “James Dean,” and McHale definitely has a progressive pop hit on his hands.

“Arizona”

On “Arizona,” while McHale doesn’t sing about the southwestern state explicitly. According to an interview with Out Magazine, of “Arizona” McHale states it’s about “How I spent the entire weekend together with someone and we went to Arizona.” The sleek, electro, urban-pop ballad focuses on matters of the heart.  The lyrics are certainly clever, particularly on the second verse: “I feel myself hesitatin’ / Feel your skin on my skin / Grab your hand, we both just freeze / And I was stuck in the desert.”

“All I Want is You” 

“You used to wanna be a player boy / But now you’re just playin’ me boy… / But tonight you’re gonna stay at my place.” The song title reveals the cards on “All I Want is You,” which is further revealed with the song lyrics characterized by desire.  Adding to the spiciness, Kevin McHale places emphasis on to the fact that his male love interest will NOT be returning home to his roommate.  “Turn off the TV / Put down your phone,” he sings on the pre-chorus, continuing, “Let’s go dancing like we’re all alone / I’ll make it easy / If you sing alone / Put it on repeat and I’m taking you home.” Self-explanatory what the biz is on this groovy, lustful penultimate joint.

“Younger”

McHale closes Boy with the reflective, reminiscent “Younger.” All in all, it’s a thoughtful, well-rounded mid-tempo pop number.  Like the songs that precede, McHale shows off his beautiful tone of voice, never over-singing, but providing just the right amount of oomph.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Boy is an enjoyable debut EP from Kevin McHale.  He delivers respectable vocals throughout the course of the five-song effort, as well as delivers some interesting, worthwhile songs, particularly the opening one-two punch of “Help Me Now” and “James Dean.” Perhaps calling Boy ‘game changing’ would be an overstatement, but he deserves massive credit for continuing to expand the LGBTQIA catalogue in all its glory.

✓ Gems: “Help Me Now” & “James Dean”

Kevin McHale • Boy (EP) • Kevin McHale • Release: 6.21.19

Photo Credit: Kevin McHale