From Manic Street Preachers to Richard Thompson, ADRIAN THRILLS reviews the latest albums in the world of rock and pop
Adrian Thrills reviews the newest releases in the world of rock and pop.
GEORGE EZRA: Wanted On Voyage (Columbia)
With
Ed Sheeran leading the charge, British pop is wallowing in a wave of
young men with acoustic guitars.
To a list that includes Jake Bugg and
Passenger, the name of George Ezra can now be added.
The 21-year-old
from Bristol, who plays guitar and keyboards, sings in a more rugged
style than most of his peers, and his robust approach pays off here.
There are hints of rockabilly on the forceful opener Blame It On Me, while the catchy Budapest is already a Top Five single.
Verdict: 4/5
George Ezra's Wanted On Voyage album cover
RICHARD THOMPSON: Acoustic Classics (Beeswing)
British
folk-rock figurehead Richard Thompson looks back over his four-decade
solo career on this intimate acoustic set.
Rightly acclaimed as one of
the best guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, the former
Fairport Convention member is gifted and versatile (he sings Britney’s
Oops!… I Did It Again in concert).
Here, he brings a stripped-down freshness to the classic I Want To See The Bright Lights Again, originally a duet with his ex-wife Linda.
Verdict: 4/5
LEWIS WATSON: The Morning (Warner Bros.)
In
the slipstream of Ed Sheeran, Jake Bugg and George Ezra, Oxford
singer-songwriter Lewis Watson is the latest in a lengthening line of
young men with acoustic guitars.
Two years in the making, this debut is a polished overhaul of the sensitive fare that has made the 21-year-old an Internet hit. Watson has some fine tunes – Stones Around The Sun; the Sheeran-like Windows – but he relies too often on the one-size-fits-all emotions of a typical Coldplay song.
Verdict: 3/5
JOSH RECORD: Pillars (Virgin EMI)
Having toured with Lorde and made two EPs, falsetto singer Josh Record is
aiming for the mainstream with this downbeat but atmospheric debut.
The
26-year-old from Stroud enjoys the kind of complex choral arrangements
favoured by Beach Boy Brian Wilson, although recent single For Your Love
also points to the chamber pop of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon as an
influence.
Bones is a dreamy opening track, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin would be proud of the ballad Wonder.
Verdict: 3/5
Falsetto singer Josh Record is aiming for the mainstream with this downbeat but atmospheric debut Pillars
SIA: 1000 Forms Of Fear (RCA)
A
reluctant star who refuses to show her face in public, Sia Furler
penned the power-ballad Perfume for Britney and Diamonds for Rihanna.
Here, she steps tentatively into the limelight. The Australian adopts
the Bajan inflections of Rihanna on the poppy Hostage.
But, with its
heavy orchestration and booming drums, Burn The Pages is overwrought.
Her forte is the deliciously dark ballad: Straight For The Knife and Dressed In Black are superior examples.
Verdict: 4/5
MANIC STREET PREACHERS: Futurology (Columbia)
Welsh
rockers the Manic Street Preachers play to their traditional strengths
on an album of big riffs and agile choruses.
A welcome return to form
after last year’s melancholy Rewind The Film, this 12th effort is packed
with rock songs that simmer before erupting in dramatic flourishes.
On Walk Me To The Bridge and Let’s Go To War, they also revisit a a neglected backwater of British rock — the fusion of punk and electro-disco that inspired early Eighties bands like Simple Minds.
Verdict: 3/5
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