Charlie Puth Whatever's Clever!
Consensus is still forming across 4 professional reviews. Charlie Puth's Whatever's Clever! arrives as a sunlit, self-aware statement that balances late-80s/early-90s pastiche with intimate autobiography, and critics largely find it a rewarding, well-crafted pop record. Across four professional reviews, the album earned a 78/100 consensus score, with reviewers repeatedly poin
The best song, "Changes", is best for setting the album's hopeful, life-perspective tone with gospel choir and bright piano.
“Love In Exile” is best for its heavenly guitar, propulsive beat, and standout guest contributions.
Best for listeners looking for nostalgia and parenthood, starting with Changes and New Jersey.
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Full consensus notes
Charlie Puth's Whatever's Clever! arrives as a sunlit, self-aware statement that balances late-80s/early-90s pastiche with intimate autobiography, and critics largely find it a rewarding, well-crafted pop record. Across four professional reviews, the album earned a 78/100 consensus score, with reviewers repeatedly pointing to the opener “Changes” and the warm centerpieces “New Jersey” and “Love In Exile” as proof of Puth's melodic gifts and production polish.
The critical consensus emphasizes authenticity versus image, nostalgia, and domestic themes: critics consistently praise the retro-leaning arrangements - bright synths, gospel-tinged choruses, and Toto-esque grooves - that make tunes like “Changes” and “Beat Yourself Up” earworm pop without feeling hollow. Reviewers note Puth's turn toward parenthood, marriage, and introspection, with tracks such as “Home” and “I Used To Be Cringe” adding candid, sometimes self-deprecating perspective that deepens the record's emotional stakes. Professional reviews also highlight successful collaborations, occasional flourishes that misfire, and a careful balance between sincerity and cheesiness.
While some critics flag a handful of indulgent choices and retro pastiche that doesn't always land, the overall tone is positive: the album's standout songs emerge clearly, its pop craftsmanship is consistent, and its mixture of hope, nostalgia, and self-awareness makes Whatever's Clever! worth hearing for anyone curious about the best songs on the record and what critics say about Charlie Puth's latest work. Scroll down for full reviews and track-by-track notes.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Changes
4 mentions
"Album opener "Changes" sets the tone with Charlie singing about piloting life’s inevitable directional shifts over radiant Eighties keyboard"— Rolling Stone
New Jersey
3 mentions
"The song’s hook, in which he says, "There’s nothing that fun to do in New Jersey," conveys the affection a person might have for their home"— PopMatters
Home
3 mentions
"Home", with a nice vocal assist from singer Hikaru Utada, is an intimate image of domestic bliss"— Rolling Stone
Album opener "Changes" sets the tone with Charlie singing about piloting life’s inevitable directional shifts over radiant Eighties keyboard
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Changes
Beat Yourself Up
Cry
Washed Up
New Jersey
Don’t Meet Your Heroes
Home
Hey Brother
Sideways
Love In Exile
Until It Happens To You
I Used To Be Cringe
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Charlie Puth leans into bright, dad-core pop on Whatever's Clever!, and the best tracks show why the record works: “Changes” frames impending parenthood with a lively Toto-esque beat, while “Love In Exile” is a clear highlight thanks to heavenly guitar and guest legends. The reviewer’s voice stays fondly snarky yet admiring, calling out the excellent Ravyn Lenae-featuring bop “New Jersey” and the cozy duet “Home” as moments where Puth’s production and falsetto dovetail perfectly. Even when the lyrics verge on mawkish, the irresistible grooves and sincere delivery keep the best songs — and the best tracks on Whatever's Clever! — compelling and enjoyable.
Key Points
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“Love In Exile” is best for its heavenly guitar, propulsive beat, and standout guest contributions.
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The album’s core strengths are bright, late-80s/90s-influenced production, sincere delivery, and irresistible grooves that mask cheesier lyrics.
Themes
Critic's Take
Charlie Puth sounds settled and sincere on Whatever's Clever!, and the best tracks — notably “Changes” and “Beat Yourself Up” — crystallize that warmth and clarity in hooky, '80s-tinged arrangements. Yeung's writing emphasizes how “Changes” opens the record with gospel choir and bright piano, setting a hopeful tone, while “Beat Yourself Up” keeps the momentum with funky horns and gooey bass that push its motivational core. Guest turns and tender moments, from the Kenny G solo to the acoustic closer “I Used to Be Cringe”, reinforce that Puth is making music for personal growth rather than chart disruption. The narrative is intimate and measured, and it consistently points listeners to the standout songs that best capture the album's themes of parenthood and introspection.
Key Points
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The best song, "Changes", is best for setting the album's hopeful, life-perspective tone with gospel choir and bright piano.
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The album's core strengths are its personal, introspective songwriting and warm, nostalgic production bolstered by notable collaborations.
Themes
Critic's Take
Charlie Puth sounds like a workshop boss on Whatever's Clever!, delighting in genre-mixing more than confessional stakes. The review highlights the best tracks - “Changes” and “New Jersey” - as moments where his craft and personality intersect, with “Changes” using 1980s synths and a gospel choir to show range, and “New Jersey” turning a boardwalk breakup into a warm, specific memory. The writer admires Puth's knack for making eras feel fresh while occasionally faulting choices that distract, like the Jeff Goldbloom interlude on “Until It Happens To You”.
Key Points
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“Changes” is the best track for showcasing Puth’s stylistic range and pop-purpose.
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The album’s core strength is its clever, era-mixing production and pop craftsmanship.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this review Jon Dolan finds Charlie Puth’s Whatever's Clever! as a confident reboot where the best songs - notably “Changes” and “I Used To Be Cringe” - showcase Puth’s melody gifts and personal growth. He writes with warm, music-history-laced specificity, praising the radiant Eighties keyboards on “Changes” while admiring the album-closing, self-aware candor of “I Used To Be Cringe”. Dolan also highlights intimate marriage-centered cuts like “Home” and “Sideways”, which deepen the album’s emotional core. The tone is measured but delighted: the retro moves sometimes misfire, yet the record’s bright, tight tunes ultimately carry the day.
Key Points
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The best song is "Changes" because it sets the album’s tonal and melodic ambitions with radiant Eighties keyboards.
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The album’s core strengths are strong melodies, personal lyricism, and confident retro-pop production.