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Shawn Mendes circumvented traditional routes to a recording contract by posting short clips of himself singing other people's songs on the video-sharing service Vine. These were no more than a few seconds -- Vine's restrictions set the limit at six seconds, which is hardly enough time to cover a chorus -- but it was enough to set some teenage hearts aflutter, which led to a contract with Island, which led to an EP in 2014, which led to the full-length debut Handwritten in 2015. That was a two-year march to an album, which should've been enough time for Mendes to learn how to engage a listener for at least 60 seconds, but Handwritten is pretty thin gruel. Some of this is down to material, songs that feel like a laboratory-generated fusion of Jason Mraz's singsong loverman schtick and Ryan Tedder's icy adult contemporary. Although he has songwriting credits on two-thirds of Handwritten, he can't be blamed for the rinky-dink tunes: his producers could've sharpened the hooks so they all stuck like those on "Stitches" and "Kid in Love." What he can be blamed for is the fact that he can't hold the audience's attention for any longer than on Vine, relying on his puppy-dog eyes and croon to get him through a song. Cute he may be, but he has charisma that lasts no longer than a GIF, as Handwritten makes painfully clear.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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TONY MASERATI, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Ido Zmishlany, Producer, Drums, Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Programmer, Additional Vocals, Recording Engineer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Scott Harris, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Tyler Scott, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Allison Zmishlany, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2014 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Teddy Geiger, Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - TONY MASERATI, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Danny Parker, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Daylight, Producer - Daniel Kyriakides, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Mike Gaydusek, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tyler Scott, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, MainArtist
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Glen Scott, Piano, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Ruadhri Cushnan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Martin Terefe, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - DAVID DAVIDSON, String Arranger, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - David Angell, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony LaMarchina, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Kristoffer Sonne, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Baeho "Bobby" Shin, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Scott Harris, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - George Seara, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Elizabeth Lamb, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Sam Keyte, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Luke Leveille, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kristian Larsen, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Geoffrey Warburton, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Sam Harper, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Glen Scott, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ruadhri Cushnan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Martin Terefe, Producer, Drums, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Ido Zmishlany, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Scott Harris, ComposerLyricist - George Seara, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Keyte, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Luke Leveille, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Kristian Larsen, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Harper, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Glen Scott, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Ruadhri Cushnan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Martin Terefe, Producer, Electric Guitar, Mellotron, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - DAVID DAVIDSON, String Arranger, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - David Angell, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony LaMarchina, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Kristoffer Sonne, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - James Bryan, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Baeho "Bobby" Shin, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Scott Harris, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - George Seara, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Elizabeth Lamb, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Sam Keyte, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Luke Leveille, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, Acoustic Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kristian Larsen, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Geoffrey Warburton, ComposerLyricist - Sam Harper, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Tony Kadleck, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Andy Snitzer, Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Davis, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - TONY MASERATI, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Ido Zmishlany, Producer, Drums, Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Programmer, Additional Vocals, Recording Engineer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist, Bass (Vocal) - Scott Harris, Additional Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - George Seara, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Tyler Scott, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, Vocals, Background Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sam Watters, Producer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Louis Biancaniello, Producer - Ruadhri Cushnan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Michael Biancaniello, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Scott Harris, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Emily Warren, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Mendes, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Sam Harper, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Sam Watters, Producer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Louis Biancaniello, Producer, Keyboards, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer - Ruadhri Cushnan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Michael Biancaniello, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Scott Harris, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Emily Warren, ComposerLyricist - Shawn Mendes, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Sam Harper, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Scott Harris, Producer, ComposerLyricist - George Seara, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Emily Warren, ComposerLyricist - Luke Leveille, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, MainArtist - Astrid S, FeaturedArtist - Craven J, Producer
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Martin Terefe, ComposerLyricist - George Seara, Mixer, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Luke Leveille, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Geoffrey Warburton, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ruadhri Cushnan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Ido Zmishlany, Producer, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - George Seara, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Luke Leveille, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Sam Harper, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Glen Scott, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Ruadhri Cushnan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Martin Terefe, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Mellotron, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Ido Zmishlany, ComposerLyricist - Scott Harris, ComposerLyricist - George Seara, Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Sam Keyte, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Luke Leveille, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Shawn Mendes, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Kristian Larsen, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Geoffrey Warburton, ComposerLyricist - Sam Harper, Assistant Mixer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Shawn Mendes circumvented traditional routes to a recording contract by posting short clips of himself singing other people's songs on the video-sharing service Vine. These were no more than a few seconds -- Vine's restrictions set the limit at six seconds, which is hardly enough time to cover a chorus -- but it was enough to set some teenage hearts aflutter, which led to a contract with Island, which led to an EP in 2014, which led to the full-length debut Handwritten in 2015. That was a two-year march to an album, which should've been enough time for Mendes to learn how to engage a listener for at least 60 seconds, but Handwritten is pretty thin gruel. Some of this is down to material, songs that feel like a laboratory-generated fusion of Jason Mraz's singsong loverman schtick and Ryan Tedder's icy adult contemporary. Although he has songwriting credits on two-thirds of Handwritten, he can't be blamed for the rinky-dink tunes: his producers could've sharpened the hooks so they all stuck like those on "Stitches" and "Kid in Love." What he can be blamed for is the fact that he can't hold the audience's attention for any longer than on Vine, relying on his puppy-dog eyes and croon to get him through a song. Cute he may be, but he has charisma that lasts no longer than a GIF, as Handwritten makes painfully clear.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:39:16
- Main artists: Shawn Mendes
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Island Records (The Island Def Jam Music Group / Universal Music)
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2015 Island Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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