When Chris Hardman appeared on Gene Simmons ‘Rock School’ earlier this year it was obvious that he was set to become somewhat of a celebrity. Although only 15 at the time, the little guy in the Hoax skate shop cap had charisma in abundance and was thirsty for musical success. Out of all the people in the class, it seemed that it was he that wanted it most and so it’s only fair that he be the one that has had the most success out of the TV show. At the end of the final programme, Chris Hardman, or Lil Chris as he wass often nicknamed and which has now become his musical alias was shown recording the track ‘Checkin It Out’ and since then I have truly been looking forward to it’s release.
‘Checkin It Out’ is a fun pop rock song seemingly bringing in a number of popular songs into the mix, with a drum beat comparable to that used in ‘Song 2’ by Blur, and a guitar breakdown halfway through reminiscent of that of The Dandy Warhols ‘Bohemian Like You’, it was obvious that this track was going to be a success. Having entered the charts at number 3, Lil Chris may well go down as just another one hit wonder as ‘Checkin It Out’ is a cleverly written, catchy pop song and I think he’ll struggle to follow it up with anything anyway near as catchy as this. With great pop sensibilities and a driving guitar riff, it is hard to forget this one once you’ve heard it and already in it’s fourth week in the top ten, I think that ‘Checkin It Out’ will be sticking around for a lot longer yet.
B-Side ‘Me and My Life (Acoustic)’ however doesn’t fair quite as well as the A-Side, in fact it’s a complete disappointment really. Rhythmically kicking off in a similar fashion to the version he played to Gene Simmons on Rock School, ‘Me and My Life (Acoustic)’ soon turns ugly and is really all a bit embarrassing. If he had stuck to the original formula then this could have been a good little B-Side, however through entirely changing the feel of the track he seems to have ruined it a bit really and listening to it makes for a painful experience.
So, a decent first release from the recently turned 16 year old, and with an album to back it up, Lil Chris could well fill the void that was left when Busted went their separate ways. Whether or not Lil Chris will stand the test of time and release another successful track remains to be seen, however for the moment his music is fun to listen to and is good catchy music that will get stuck in your head for weeks whether you like it or not.
Label: RCA
Release Date: 25th September 2006
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
