If there’s one thing you may know about Benson Boone, it’s that he can backflip like it’s nobody’s business.
But on his charismatic new album, American Heart (out Friday, June 20, on Warner Records’ Night Street), Boone is so much more than an acrobatics aficionado — he’s an earnest disciple of Freddie Mercury, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen who blends theatrical flair with blue-collar grit.
Take “Mr. Electric Blue” for example, a synthy ode to Boone’s father, a “good, hard-working American” with an infectious zest for life and a no-nonsense attitude. The track, a smash waiting to happen and arguably the best in the rising star’s catalog thus far, allows Boone to flex his hardwired swagger and push his vocals to the limits like a bonafide rock god.
It’s easy to forget that Boone, who turns 23 on Wednesday, June 25, only discovered his singing prowess a few years ago, as he comes across as a seasoned showman on the record’s perfectly concise 10 tracks.
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However, Boone isn’t mimicking his icons here; American Heart is undoubtedly his story and his alone.
Bolstered by a rollicking piano, the arena-ready anthem “Young American Heart” chronicles Boone’s teenage antics with his best friend (“I’d be just fine as long as I’m wherever you are,” he sings), including a terrifying car crash that “nearly killed” them both.
And on the orchestral “Momma Song,” prepare for a lump in your throat as Boone asks his mother to show him around her childhood neighborhood once he realizes she’s getting older. “‘Cause I’m gonna need this / When I’m holding pictures of you / And that’s all that I’ve got left,” he belts.
The ups and downs of Boone’s love life are also a through-line on the album. He has an awkward run-in with an ex-girlfriend while on a date at a diner in the thumping opener, “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” and mourns the person he was before a soul-sucking relationship on the tortured “Man in Me” (“You killed the only part of me I ever liked,” the Grammy nominee wails).
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Boone includes plenty of moments of levity too, though some teeter on the edge of cringey, namely that bewildering “moonbeam ice cream” lyric in his viral, love-it-or-hate-it hit “Mystical Magical.” Still, his commitment to whimsical storytelling is part of what gives his sophomore album a distinct charm.
With its unwavering confidence, American Heart proves Boone isn’t just reaching for the stars. He’s already midair — and, boy, can he stick the landing.
3 stars (out of 4)
