Charlie B’s debut EP, Dreams Come True, is a tell-tale album of what every parent wants of their son: a young male burgeoning hip hop star to rise to the sky and successfully make an album is reminiscent of the past and hopeful for the future to come.

Charlie B opens with “You Told Me,” a song in homage to his late mother with lyrics:

“You can be anything, you just have to believe...
so believe when I say in the sun when it’s raining
so believe it, because you told me
to be the best and to always give my all
never to let my head down just stand tall

Charlie B lost his mother when he was 16 and through work with his record label CMG, teamed up with A Caring Hand Foundation based in New York City, which provides education and assistance therapy to children who have lost a parent. It’s interesting to note that all proceeds from the EP will be donated to this charity and that every artist on the EP (including Bad Boy Records artist Los and The Presidentz) has experienced the loss of a parent as a youth.

Indeed, it’s a sad experience, but you can’t say Charlie B is brooding or allowing opportunities to pass him by. Watching his videos on Youtube is like witnessing a young Michael Jackson, mainly because of his ingenious dance moves (including doing three forward flip tucks) in sequence on “Made It,” which is the fourth song on the EP. Nevertheless, is the one of the weaker tracks of the EP, given its repetition and the fact that it doesn’t quite catch the rhythm.

Leading into the second track, “Make You Proud,” Charlie brings the energy and delivers. It’s optimistic, it’s catchy and it brings in a back-up vocalist. Here, he demonstrates a clear vocal range, the ability to nail some difficult notes, and furthermore holds those notes for extended periods of time. He shows he can rap well, have fun and clearly brave the elements with “Make You Proud.”

“Believe” shows definite potential for Charlie to gravitate towards the crumpers, clubbers and serious hip hop artists. With “Coast to Coast” he gets his frolic back as he talks up a crush about cruising around and going to the beach. This song is undoubtedly the strongest song on the album.

“Rock Star” is a great ending. It’s full of bass, swagger, grind and guitar. Its running time is on the short side, but it brings the EP together. One thing is clear about Dreams Come True: it does not remain in one tempo and attitude for its entirety. Instead, it contains well-adapted variables and brings freshness and ingenuity.

It would be nice to see Charlie B focus less on an ‘image’ and more on producing an album that is lyrically more powerful. Yet, at this point, it’s difficult to say what his image actually is. But as long as he stays true to himself, it’s without a doubt he will land on his feet like a proverbial cat.