Okay, I didn’t expect to be reviewing an album from last year (And the last decade, obviously.), but here we are. My first review of the new year (And decade. No idea why I even said the fucking obvious.) is the debut record of the very highly talented Glaswegian Lewis Capaldi. I will be doing a track-by-track analysis:

Grace:

This was his seventh single, released on September 21st 2018. It was the beginning of Lewis getting recognised for his talent as well. However, I didn’t hear it until the MasterCard Brit Awards Critics Choice Artists of 2019. Well, it’s called something like that. The premise is the critics choose their tip of who will shine during the year, and in 2019, one of the artists they chose happened to be Lewis and how right they were. Anyway, back to the song. A fantastic way to start the record and an insight into what the listener expects from the rest of the album. A Wonderfully written song about love and not giving a flying fuck who knows about it.

Bruises:

From the title of this piano ballad, you can tell that this song will be weighty to listen to without feeling emotional. I don’t give a fuck if you are a ‘Man’ even if you feel emotion and are excused at being affected by this song. In this song, Lewis talks about feeling lonely and craving a love that he lost. Is he speaking from personal experience? He is twenty-three, so there’s a good chance, he has been in that position. Not all young and naive lads like to play the field before finally reaching their late twenties and falling in love. You can feel through the vocal delivery and the lyrics that he is fighting with his mind, body and soul to try and forget about her and move on, but he keeps falling under when he is trying his best to get out. We have all been there; I can guarantee you that.

Hold Me While You Wait:

Well, another very emotional song that makes you sit down and listen very carefully to the lyrical content that this very talented musician and songwriter has on display. This track has multiple layers to an individual’s feeling of love. They could be in love, heading for a breakup or infatuated with their lover. But the song lives in the moment and wants to savour it, regardless of future events. Ergo, “Won’t you stay a while”.

Someone You Loved:

Despite being number one in five countries in 2018, the song was still constantly played throughout 2019. There are many formats, but nothing beats the solo vocals and the piano original. This song is the one that we all know him for—his trademark heartfelt lyrics over melancholic piano keys. The lyrics remain stuck in your head for days on end, and you seem to get the chorus stuck in there, and without even thinking about it, you’re singing or whistling it to yourself. The piano also plays over and over inside your head when you take a moment to pause or close your eyes as you head off into the dream domain. What a truly magnificent song that hits you upon the very first listen.

Maybe:

I have learned about Lewis from this record (To be honest, just listening to his interviews, I have pretty much picked up on it) that he wants to find love but seems not to let it all take its course and flow with it. Ultimately for that reason alone, he ends up getting hurt. He should learn lessons from how he does his music because he flows with that, and it all turns out to be done to perfection. Why? Because he is not rushing and remains calm. Another powerful track where he asks if we are better alone rather than staying in a relationship and destroying it by rushing in and then repenting that very fact. The track talks about the never-ending doubts plaguing our minds and whether we are cut out to be in relationships. We’ve all been there. Our minds are only apparent when we are single and advising our acquaintances who seek our answer. Because, then, we are reasoning, but like Lewis explores in this track, our minds all turn to shit when it is we who seek the answer we so confidently give to others.

Forever:

Although I haven’t cried yet listening to this album, I can relate and find it very powerful. This song is simply brilliant. Lewis says that no matter how much you love someone, sometimes it doesn’t always work out. Therefore, a relationship will inevitably end, but all the memories shared during that period will never be taken away—the quintessential track about heartbreak.

One:

In this track, Lewis is directly speaking to the ex-boyfriend of what appears to be his current girlfriend (Although, I am pretty sure he is single. Unless he did get together with Imelda May’s friend after that Later…with Jools Holland episode in November last year.) and thanking him for letting her go with the way, she was mistreated and then ended up with Lewis. Another trademark piano ballad that gets up very close and personal with someone Lewis shouldn’t even give any attention to.

Don’t Get Me Wrong:

This is Lewis wishing to escape a relationship that has run its course before things get extremely ugly, and they end up hating each other for life. Listen very carefully to the lyrics, and you can hear that they reflect our hearts in this situation, but we can’t find those words. Well, unless you partake in the expressive arts, so find it much easier to speak your mind through those means. An infectious, slow, but poppy track that will capture you.

Hollywood:

The first time I saw him play this was with the beautiful Gibson B.B. King Lucille range guitar. Anyway, he plucks the instrument gently and slowly in a way that would make the late guitar hero proud and see that his axe was not wasted on this track. Lewis talks about how he would like to fall in love, but the trials and tribulations of fame become an obstacle. Although he is constantly away from home and busy in the limelight, he wishes to try his best to get a girlfriend no matter how far away she may be. He may conceal these feelings while on the road, but he can’t deny how his heart feels.

Lost on You:

When he recalls how this track was born, I imagine he was extremely drained by the ordeal. Lewis talks about admitting defeat in a relationship he has worked so hard to maintain that he can’t go on much longer. He has reached the point of nothing left in the tank as he picks up the acoustic guitar (Quite ideal on a track like this.) and foretells the story in every frank and brutal detail. It’s also very educational, as it tells us that we shouldn’t exhaust ourselves and become ill at the expense of a relationship that just wasn’t meant to be.

Fade:

Heartbreak is not the word to describe this track, and I recommend you watch this one live to see the raw emotion etched all over his face and feel the tone of his voice. Even the body language shows the genuine emotion of the track. The original has drums on it, but I prefer the acoustic version because, as I have previously mentioned, that’s when you understand the purest meaning of a track that is so emotionally charged. On this track, he concedes that she never wanted him the way he wanted her. She was just in lust, whereas he was in love and is trying his best to hold onto that feeling as the relationship is rapidly fading away. Look out for the vocal delivery and the lyrics on this one.

Headspace:

You can tell why the record is aptly named as we enter the final track. There has been a constant theme throughout being hurt while in love or seeking love. Not all twenty-three-year-olds can go out, have fun and sleep with multiple people until they hit a certain age and look to settle down. Indeed, I could tell you a few stories about DJs and MCs well into their forties who are yet to consider settling down. Bon, Lewis explains to us how he copes with heartbreak on “Headspace” and how falling in love at an early age can have effects that will last forever on those who fall prey to it. He sends us surfing on a wave of emotions over a lightly plucked guitar, just like he has done for most of the record. Lewis has only just started. If his follow-up album is better or matches the excellence of this his debut album, I can see a very long and successful career for him. It’ll be richly deserved as well. Last year, he was only warming up, so look out for him as the year unfolds.

9/10

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