Album Review: Hey Monea’s “The Fifty”
“Oh Lord, please make me be filthy rich.” If Hey Monea keeps on this track with their music, I don’t think they’ll have to wait long.
The Fifty is an upbeat, peppy collection of rock and country sound that is full of catchy tunes and memorable lyrics. Your head easily bobs to the beat, and you can’t help but listen to the album over and over again.
“Filthy Rich” is a song that any struggling person can relate to: the dream of making it big and getting paid the big bucks. Lyrics like “I’m done with all the weekly rates/late model cars and paper plates” speak to the working man/woman. I think we all know what it feels like to think “I’m too old for this.”
In “Save Me,” the tone is more somber, though it still keeps the foot-tapping beat.
“Buenos Noches” has a flamenco undertone that is infectious and makes you want to move your hips (even if, like this reviewer, you can’t dance to save your life). It may be the only Spanish that Hey Monea knows, but it’s enough to have you singing along.
In keeping with the balance of the album, “Lost at Sea” once again takes the music to a more mellow place, singing about the way “you fell for me.”
The next track, “Ghetto Family,” may have a controversial title, but you quickly forget that as you listen. As Hey Monea says, “We can f*** up this song/but you can sing along/do what you gotta do,” and sing along is what you end up doing.
“Honey Do” takes on a slight country sound, but somehow it works perfectly with the rest of the album. Singing about smoking and drinking, they sing that they “wanna make a better man of me.”
“Number One” also sounds almost country, but with more of a rock beat to it. Singing about being “your number one,” Hey Monea wants to know how to keep their relationship going. They’ve found the perfect woman, and they want to be the only one for her, whether it be “slower than molasses” or “faster than a bullet from a gun.”
The beat picks up again in “Pennies.” Lyrics like “I’ve been sold for pennies on the dime/convicted of another man’s crime” stick in your head and bounce around, staying with you throughout the day.
The final track, which is the title track, brings back the slow melody, saying “Honey/thanks for rescuing me.” Though that lyric seems hopeful, the rest of the song speaks of leaving Honey behind, saying “I’ll be taking you with me/but only in soul.” Despite this, the song makes you feel happy and, like the other songs on the album, leaves you craving for more.