Albums: Charlie Puth Whatever’s Clever!

Charlie Puth Whatever’s Clever!

Tracks: Changes; Beat Yourself Up; ...Cry (ft. Kenny G); Washed Up; New Jersey (ft. Ravyn Lenae); Don't Meet Your Heroes; Home (ft. Hikaru Utada); Hey Brother; Sideways (ft. Coco Jones); Love In Exhile (ft. Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins); Until It Happens (ft. Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra); I Used To Be Cringe

Label: Atlantic Records

Despite his constant visibility in mainstream pop, Charlie Puth has long struggled to recapture the overwhelming commercial dominance that defined his earliest successes. Even with major collaborations, instinctively memorable melodies, and lyrics that often reveal a thoughtful edge, he’s frequently been overshadowed by contemporaries with louder cultural moments. However, Whatever’s Clever! feels like a decisive shift. Rooted in the textures of 1980s pop, the record doesn’t come across as retro for nostalgia’s sake—it feels fresh, almost like a rediscovery of something familiar done right.

Here, Puth sounds self-assured, operating entirely on his own wavelength, and the result is one of his most compelling bodies of work.

The opening track, Changes, immediately establishes the album’s identity. Driven by glossy synth lines and a groove that feels both vintage and modern, it balances accessibility with precision. There’s a sense of movement embedded in the songwriting, reflecting the unease and inevitability of transition. Even as the production feels bright and energetic, there’s an undercurrent of uncertainty that gives it weight. It’s an introduction that captures both the sonic palette and emotional core of the project in a single sweep.

Cry takes a more restrained approach, pulling the focus inward. The arrangement is minimal, allowing Puth’s voice and the sentiment behind it to take centre stage. Inspired by a formative piece of advice from his father, the song carries a quiet sincerity that never tips into excess. Its message—centred on emotional openness—lands because of its simplicity. The inclusion of Kenny G adds a striking finishing touch; the saxophone passage doesn’t just decorate the track, it deepens its emotional resonance, acting as a kind of unspoken continuation of what the lyrics begin.

With New Jersey, the tone shifts dramatically. It’s playful, sharp, and knowingly exaggerated, built around a narrative that blends romantic frustration with tongue-in-cheek regional critique. What makes it work is its sense of character—this isn’t just a novelty concept; it feels lived-in. The interplay between Puth and Ravyn Lenae gives the track a conversational quality, as though both sides of the story are unfolding in real time. That push and pull adds energy, making it one of the album’s most distinctive moments.

Home strips things back again, focusing on absence and emotional displacement. Rather than leaning on elaborate production, it allows space to do the heavy lifting. The idea at its centre—associating a person with a sense of belonging—is explored with clarity and restraint. When that presence disappears, the void it leaves feels tangible. It’s a quiet track, but one that lingers, precisely because it avoids overstatement.

Sideways introduces a deeper, more textured sound. Drawing from soul and jazz influences, it carries a richness that sets it apart from the rest of the record. The theme revolves around connection enduring through instability, and the instrumentation reinforces that sense of tension and release. Coco Jones brings a powerful dynamic to the track, her vocal performance adding layers of intensity and nuance. The chemistry between the two artists gives the song a sense of depth that feels fully realised.

Taken as a whole, Whatever’s Clever presents Charlie Puth at his most focused and self-defined. The influences are clear, but they’re filtered through a perspective that feels personal rather than imitative. More importantly, the album demonstrates a consistency and clarity of vision that has sometimes been missing from his earlier work. It doesn’t try to chase trends or compete for attention—it simply delivers, with confidence and precision.