Lewis Capaldi

Week 31: Cian Ducrot- Victory

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I had no idea who Cian Ducrot was, but when I heard him, I thought he was a cross between Dermot Kennedy, Lewis Capaldi, and Danny O’Donoaghue. The Cork native has been around since 2018, and this is his debut album, which saw the teaser ‘All for You’ reach 5 million streams to date and ‘I’ll be Waiting’ that top inside the top 20 of the singles chart over here.

The opener is none other than the title track, which is thought-provoking, to say the least. It also leads you to the concept of the record being about strong and damaged relationships and how, in both kinds, we mature and learn from them. His vocals, not only on this but throughout, with that unmistakable Cork lilt, have a soaring ache.

This album has been eagerly awaited, and you can tell he has invested a lot of time in the studio because it has taken him since his inception to release his debut. He had even promoted this before it was even released by supporting Ed Sheeran on tour, where he garnered more fans, and doing intimate gigs at the tail-end of June. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the record takes you on a journey of how we can grow from situations, no matter how bad or good, and we can adapt to them accordingly.

Look at the lyrics to ‘I’ll be Waiting’:

If you ever wanna fall in love, if you ever wanna bet on us, if you ever wanna be my one, I’ll be waiting.

From these lyrics, you can see that Cian is talking personal where someone is hesitant about committing to a relationship with him, and even though he is doing his thing, he is open to a relationship if that specific individual is willing to commit.

‘Heaven’ is a highly emotional track, where he talks about his solid relationship with his brother. This piano ballad is accompanied by loving lyrics about how they will carry each other through thick and thin.

’Thank God You Stayed’ is another exquisite track exploring all the qualities and flaws of lovers in a relationship. There are also other highlights, which are deeply personal about his father and mother.

This album was a pleasure to listen to; I can only see him going from strength to strength. It’s going to be hard to improve on such an outstanding debut.

Song recommendations: ‘Heaven’, ’I’ll be Waiting’, ‘Victory’

9/10

Week 21: Lewis Capaldi- Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent

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Apart from working in the studio on fellow Celtic fan Paolo Nutini’s album, where has Lewis been? Well, he’s been touring his debut album since the world opened up again and has thrown a few teasers for the follow-up. It has been four years since “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent” was released. Has it? Blimey. I remember doing a track-by-track review, but it was the first month of 2020? It appears not. Anyway, in 2021, he postponed many tour dates to start work on “Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent” and, as mentioned earlier, aid Paolo Nutini with his. I don’t know if Lewis is Catholic, but he compares love and heartbreak in biblical terms, which makes this album have more of a religious slant to it.

Now, a new term of music has been created to describe some of his songs, and that’s blue-eyed soul. No idea if that is now officially a genre or if it is just one made by fans. Honestly, when he does ballads, I’d say they are more melancholic than “blue-eyed soul”. That is…I don’t know what it is, but I know the term is adopted for his ballads.

This record resembles his debut regarding the themes, instrumentation, and lyrical content. Albeit, this time, he goes deeper. ‘Heavenly Kind of State of Mind’ explores the rollercoaster ride of a growing relationship, and ‘Burning’ appears to be about his relationship with that girl off Love Island (Meg, is it?) who he wrote ‘Used to be Someone You Loved’ about, where it was never going to work out.

Despite being nothing like the late John Prime’s version, ‘ Wish You All the Best’ echoes the exact sentiment of a male wanting to let rip on his ex-girlfriend but then electing to let it go and wish her well to move on quickly.  Of course, we see the other side of his emotions, and it is explored in ‘Pointless’, where he talks about being in love but also mentions his struggles with depression.

‘Haven’t You Ever Been in Love Before’ explores the anxiety of falling in love but being afraid of letting it wash over you for fear of having your heart broken once again. We can all relate to this because we tend to be close to doing or doing sabotage. We cannot let what happened before happen again, so we panic.  So, that’s what the first half of the record explores. In the second half, we see more of his vocal ability. I especially noticed his diverse range in ‘Leave Me Slowly’, where he finds his inner Michael Bolton. When I heard it, that was the first singer that registered. There are many other comparisons, but I struggle to find a better one.

Beautiful strings can be heard on ‘How This Ends’ to combat his rich yet melancholic vocals. Honestly, what else would they be on? Besides, a song about a relationship meeting its end? The final track is quite apt and quite insightful regarding his struggles with depression. The title is taken from his Amazon Prime (Might be Netflix.) documentary ‘How I’m Feeling Now’. You may recall from my previous review that Ed Sheeran had a song where the instrumentation was uplifting in contrast to his lyrics to represent hiding behind a mask, and this track works on the same level. However, rather than putting on a brave face after a personal tragedy, Lewis is putting on a brave face when the depression controls his outlook on every aspect of his life. He isn’t alone in this. Several other musicians have admitted their struggles with mental health, one of them recently being George Ezra, which he documented in End to End.

As I mentioned, this is a continuation of the debut record regarding melodies and the constant use of a piano. Still, as I also said earlier, the lyrics go deeper than last time, but there is also now maturity within those lyrics. For example, he laid bare his hurt on the debut album and expressed anger. This time, he appears to move forward and forgive her for hurting him while trying to battle depression, fame, touring, and giving love a chance. I love seeing this guy perform these songs live, so that is when I will appreciate this record a lot more.

Song recommendations: ‘How I’m Feeling Now’, ‘Have You Ever Been in Love Before’, ‘Leave Me Slowly’

8/10

Week 27: Paolo Nutini- Last Night in the Bittersweet

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Paolo Nutini is like buses. Two come along at once. What do I mean by this? Since 2019, Celtic Twitter has enquired about where he was (Lewis Capaldi revealed late last year that they were in the studio working on Paolo's new album, which I am currently reviewing). Then, three years later, "Last Night in the Bittersweet" announcements were revealed, and a tour was announced. I wondered where he was, but I surmised he was busy recording new material. Hence, he is like buses. 

I have been a fan of Paolo's since his debut album, "These Streets". He was offering something different at the turn of the 2000s. No one appeared to make music like that, and it was only as we entered the 2010s that someone had a similar vocal style in Maverick Sabre. His debut was followed by "Sunny Side up" in 2009, where his fan base snowballed, which spawned the hits, 'Candy', 'Pencil Full of Lead' (Adopted by fellow Celtic fan and snooker player John Higgins up until 2020 as his walk-on song.), 'Coming up Easy', and the reggae-inspired '10/10'. My fondness for his music grew stronger after an appearance on Jools Holland's Hootenanny, where he performed '10/10' (among others.), and his falsetto vocals echoed those of the late Bob Marley. 

Funnily enough, I thought it was a cover of a reggae song, but to my amazement, it was written by Paolo. However, it sounds like a typical timeless reggae track. 

He followed up the highly successful "Sunny Side up" with 'Caustic Love' in 2014. Despite hitting the top spot, the album had mixed reviews and spawned fewer hits or accolades than its predecessor. 

Amazingly, "Caustic Love" is the predecessor to "Last Night in the Bittersweet". He was still touring until 2018, but that is some gap to wait for the fans to hear new material. That's a gap of eight years. You can understand why his fellow Celtic fans were asking where he was. This record also makes that eight-year wait worthwhile. Paolo is back with the drum banging loudly. It shows his versatility in turning his hand to anything from ska, reggae, country, indie, RnB and soul. His vocals vary across the sixteen tracks, so you get more than just that deep falsetto. 

For example, 'Through the Echoes' sounds like something you would have heard on his previous album, but 'Lose it' is a cross between Fontaines DC and the late Lou Reed. On quite a fair chunk of the album, many Lou Reed-esque songs are complete with spoken word, which Lou was known for. 

I first heard Paolo's new song in the recent series of Later…with Jools Holland, but I, unfortunately, cannot remember when writing what songs they were. However, they sounded different from what I had heard him do—Lou Reed-esque and with plenty of attitude. Seeing him with an electric guitar over his shoulder was also refreshing.

The same goes for 'Acid Eyes', another song wedded to rock, sitting nicely with Paolo's vocals over bombastic drums. I look forward to seeing some rockier songs added to his setlist on the current tour.

I told many of my peers to listen when I heard the album because it isn't your typical Paolo record. This album has attitude, punk spirit and rock n roll lashings. Even fleeting moments resemble the sounds of the Stone Roses, so Paolo returned to his musical influences as a teenager. 

It doesn't get much recognition because of his vocals, songwriting and mellow acoustic playing. Still, he is a good guitarist with the electric guitar and can match any lead guitarists who play to an excellent level (We are excluding the late Jimi Hendrix here), which is no more evident than on this record.

It has been worthwhile waiting for Paolo to release the successor to "Caustic Love". Sometimes, such a long wait leads to an anti-climax, but he has returned, and don't you know it? The songwriting, guitar solos, spoken word, vocals, topics, and instrumentation are fabulous. It is going to be extremely exciting to hear these songs performed live. I doff my cap to you, Paolo. It is an outstanding record, and if you produce the next one like this, you can release that in eight years, too.


Song recommendations: 'Lose it', 'Through the Echoes', 'Heart Filled up'

9/10

Week Twelve: Niall Horan- Heartbreak Weather

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Of course, the lad from An Muileann gCearr (Mullingar) found fame after appearing on the X-Factor in 2010, where the band One Direction was put together (they finished third in that series.) and rapidly rose to be a world-renowned boy band. The band is no more at the moment, but that is a very grey area as the members are embarking on solo careers. Niall has remained grounded by all the success One Direction had and would prefer playing Oasis songs on his acoustic guitar and playing golf when taking a break from recording and touring.

If we are all being honest (Well, the Directioners, anyway.), no one was making any fuss about Niall’s solo career. The focus seemed to be on Harry Styles and initially Zayn Malik as well, but through this lack of expectation, Niall has been free from having a monkey on his back, and it seems to have worked as he is having a better solo career than the rest of his band mates. His debut album “Flicker” in 2017 went to the summit in three countries, including his native Ireland. 

As I listened to the opening track, which happens to be the album track, I was unsure if I could endure the ensuing forty-three minutes. It reminded me of the 1975, and if you know me well, I cannot stand that band. Despite the opener, you do have a range of tracks. “Black and White” sounds like One Direction, “Dear Patience,” and the closer “Still” are like ballads over acoustic guitars. “Arms of a Stranger” feels like a Lewis Capaldi piano ballad, and funnily enough, Lewis will be one of the support acts when the “Heartbreak Weather” tour begins in October (Well, maybe. With what’s going on in the world

at the moment, who knows?).

“Cross Your Mind” is a blend of the old with the new. I say this because the acoustic guitar reminds me of something Johnny Marr would have played in the Smiths. It probably is a sample of a Smiths song or a Johnny Marr song. When I heard it, it did sound very familiar. I was very excited to listen to the track after hearing that Johnny-esque intro, but then it went all modern and sounded like a typical pop song of late. It’s an utter shame, really, because a Johnny Marr-style song is what this record needed. Yes, Niall was trying to appeal to the Directioners as much as possible, but this lad is an indie rock fan. “Nice to Meet Ya” is where Niall chose to go all indie rock, though. Sounds very much like Arctic Monkeys infused with Kasabian. However, I think Niall is going to go down the synth route. 

I would like him to release something more to his taste as it’s risky and shows that he is not afraid to cause shock waves. The loudest ones in One Direction have had moderate solo success, but as they say, the quiet ones are to be watched. Even though Niall was quiet in the band, his actions speak louder than his words. I don’t mind listening to a whole One Direction album, but once a day is enough. The same goes for this record. If I was young enough to be in that generation, I might have got it more and be listening to it more than once a day. That being said, I like Niall and wish him every success. Why? Because he isn’t a dickhead and is more talented than the rest of the band. 7/10

Week One: Lewis Capaldi- Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent

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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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