Pop

Week 48: Take That- This Life

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Take That came to dominance in the 1990s and drove teenage girls and young women wild. The band split in late 1996 before reforming again in late 2005 without Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Robbie would rejoin the band in 2011 (I think) before once again leaving and recommencing his successful solo career. During the band’s 9-year hiatus, Mark Owen had a brief solo career. Howard Donald became a DJ after his debut album was shelved, and Gary Barlow released about four solo albums but had more success as a songwriter. The band reunited for a Channel 5 early-2000s documentary at a country manor to talk about the band without Robbie, who did leave a video message addressing each member. As we know, from there, the band reformed to release material and perform live again. The band is more democratic nowadays, with each member taking the lead vocals. 

They made their debut appearance recently on Later…with Jools Holland, where they played two songs off “This Life” and said that the album, which was recorded in Nashville, was inspired by the country scene. I will later explain what I thought it sounded like.

“This Life” comes six years after “Wonderland”. Of course, there has been a greatest hits collection, a live album of their greatest hits, and surprisingly, a musical, which became a film released in the summer starring the Irish comedian Aisling Bea. The band have already sold out a staggering six-night residence at London’s O2 in April next year for the upcoming “This Life” tour. We are currently in the era of nostalgia, so this is no surprise. Take That, as we know, has a fantastic song catalogue, making recording new material a challenge because it will always be challenging to match those world-renowned hits. 

One thing you will notice with this album is that it needs the singalong anthems we know the band for. I don’t know what chief songwriter Gary Barlow’s thinking is behind this, but he did tell Jools that this is a record that the band wanted to do rather than what the singles chart would dictate. ‘We Got All Day’ is one of the rare anthems on the album that will see the crowd waving their arms or holding their phones/lighters aloft. The final track, ‘Where We Are’, is more of the band revisiting their past glories by making this the record’s ‘Never Forget’ moment, where they sing about how far they have come over a bombastic production.

The album is quite eclectic for the band; the title track is something different. It sounds like a 1970s soap-themed tune with a jaunty piano. As you can imagine, it didn’t chart upon its release. The next track I will highlight is ‘Windows’, one of the songs featured on Later…with Jools Holland, an acoustic track more akin to their fellow Mancunians, the Smiths. They said the song is country, but I got a Smiths-esque sound instead. ‘Time and Time Again’ is the closest I came to hearing anything resembling country music with its relaxed acoustic strumming. ‘Brand New Sun’ was another song played on Later…with Jools Holland, and this one, with its electric guitar solo, reminded me of, once again, fellow Mancunians New Order. If I recall correctly, there is a Peter Hook-esque bassline. Although “This Life” differs entirely from anything they have done previously, you must feel it lacks the anthems we are accustomed to from the band. Despite that, this low-key album will not stop hardcore fans from flocking to their upcoming shows, and therefore, the band can enjoy themselves in the studio and have autonomy over what they want to record.

Song recommendations: ‘Windows’, ‘Brand New Sun, ‘We Got All Day’

7/10

Week 43: Taylor Swift- 1989 (Taylor’s Version)

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Is this the final one of Taylor’s versions? I cannot remember. I recall saying in the first instalment of Taylor’s Version how many she planned to re-record to fuck over that twat who held the original master tapes to ransom. 

“1989” was the breakthrough album for Taylor and a firm Swiftie’s favourite. Remarkably, this has inevitably been re-recorded because, as I have mentioned in the previous Taylor’s Version reviews, her vocals are mature, rather than the angry teenager from the originals, and her experience through the years has made the re-recorded songs richer in sound.

As you will recall from the originals, ‘Blank Space’ had a spring effect, which has now been rectified, and ‘Out of the Woods’ has now been beefed up with more reverb. ‘Style’ now has an altered guitar tone as well.

Of course, as mentioned several times by myself over all of these specific reviews, I have been impressed with her more measured vocals, and they particularly stand out on ‘Clean’ and ‘I Know Places’, where she uses her power. The latter, if I remember correctly, didn’t have much else going for

it. I recall repeated lyrics. Jack Antonoff, who I felt fell on “Midnights”, gets it right this time, especially on ‘I Wish You Would’, and ‘How You Get the Girl’.

As I have also mentioned, I have been a big fan of the “From the Vaults” tracks used for bonus material. I especially liked ‘Is It Over’ and ‘Now That We Don’t Talk’. Although the “From the Vaults” tracks do not seem to synchronise with any of the re-recordings, it doesn’t matter much because they indicate how far Taylor has come as an artist and songwriter.

Song recommendations: ‘Is it Over’, ‘How You Get the Girl’, ‘Clean’

8/10

Week 38: Kylie- TENSION

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What is this? Like my third review of a Kylie album? I’ve lost track. My most recent review of hers was ‘Disco’, which came out amid one of the lockdowns, and the music within made you yearn to return to the dance floor, be it at clubs, wedding receptions, bars or parties. I also enjoyed listening to it and found it the perfect tonic to escape the drab reality we were all subjected to. However, it could have gone better with the younger generation, which could mean that with streaming services widely available, they can steer clear of radio and television music channels and avoid going to shops to listen. Therefore, they can choose who they want to listen to and become trapped in that mindset. I grew up on everything mentioned in the previous sentence, so my taste has become eclectic. Listening to the radio and watching Later…with Jools Holland gave me an open mind to music. I don’t believe that on these streaming services, the algorithm would recommend Kylie Minogue to a youngster listening to BTS, so therefore, you can see why Kylie hasn’t been as popular with the younger generation (yet.)

I first heard ‘Padam Padam’ on the Graham Norton Show (I think.), which was four months ago when the track was released, and it is still as popular now as it was then. The younger generation will certainly know this one, as the staff of Hobbycraft did a dance for it on TikTok. What is refreshing about the track is that it is uplifting, fun and humourous.

The record is reminiscent of the Europop/Eurodance you would hear on Euro Trash. It may be cheesy, but it is fucking fun and uplifting. We all need to lighten up once in a while. The title track flirts with Kylie going for the Daft Punk approach of using robotic vocals; the saxophone swoons on ‘You Still Get Me High’ and ‘Vegas High’, which have that Europop sound. ‘Hands’ reminded me of Madonna’s ‘Vogue’—especially the rapping verses. 

There is no way in hell that  “Tension” is nothing more than to promote her upcoming Las Vegas residence shows; I am not having it. It is far too professional just to be regarded as a throwaway. It is Kylie at her best, touching on all sorts of emotions, and it deserves its number-one placing. I do not believe “Tension” got there by sales alone; I reckon that the younger generation heard ‘Padam Padam’, streamed her, and fell in love with the music. The TikTok video would have also drawn their attention. I also love the cover art. Nice and vibrant

Song recommendations: ‘Hands’. ‘Vegas High’, ‘Padam Padam’

8/10

Week 27: Taylor Swift- Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

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Here is another instalment of Taylor reworking her original albums after…well., you already know from the last reviews she was being held to ransom over her masters and found a way around it thanks to her solicitor and someone asking permission to use one of her songs, from the originals on television. I have enjoyed what is known as “Taylor’s Version” because everything is better. The vocals, the matured vocal delivery, the production, the professionalism, and the overall clean audio.

The opener is ‘Mine’, and immediately the album catches my ears for how much cleaner it sounds compared to the original, and I like Taylor’s more mature delivery. There is no teenage angst. The reworks stand out more because Taylor has collaborations, and Hayley Williams from Paramore is on ‘Castles Crumbling”.One of my favourites is ‘When Emma Falls in Love’- a soft piano ballad with tender but heart-aching vocals.

As you know from the originals, there was a lot of pent-up anger in her vocals. Still, on the reworks, she has changed that with tenderness and empathy, which is clearly on display in ‘Ours’, and her vocal delivery is done with more meaning now on ‘Enchanted’ as the track arrives at the bridge. There are even lyric changes, as found on another of my favourites, the full-on rock attitude of ‘Better than Revenge’ where she changes the song’s perspective to make the male the antagonist, rather than the female who originally was where she was slut-shamed. 

There is also a collaboration with Fall Out Boy on ‘Electric Touch’ where Taylor exchanges verse with Patrick Stump( Who also plays the guitar) before they sing the chorus together. There is room for the National’s Aaron Dessner to play multiple instruments across ten tracks. He also co-wrote ‘Electric Touch’ and ‘Foolish One’. The producer is, once again, Jack Antonoff, who made a mess of “Midnights” but gets the production on point this time. He plays multiple instruments on the record and even does some backing vocals.

I also enjoyed ‘Back to December’ and ‘Dear John’ simply for their vocal maturity. After all the shit she has been through with Scooter, you wouldn’t be surprised if her vocals displayed raw anger, but no, she has done these reworks like the mature songwriter she now is. Another thing worth mentioning on the above tracks is the new arrangements where Taylor can show more vocal diversity now. ‘Sparks Fly’ is the only track where Taylor could have improved. The rest of the album is brilliant, and I cannot recommend it enough. I love these “Taylor’s Version” and am only a fan of her country days. That speaks volumes to just how good they have been so far.

Song recommendations: ‘Better than Revenge’, ‘Dear John’, ‘When Emma Falls in Love’

9/10

Week 25: Maisie Peters- the Good Witch

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The first I heard of Maisie Peters was a recent segment on television about her supporting Ed Sheeran. The 23-year-old signed with Atlantic after releasing two singles independently and released two EPs under Atlantic and the soundtrack for a British comedy series titled “Trying” for its second series.

In 2021, she left Atlantic and joined Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records. This album is a joint venture with Gingerbread Man and Asylum. Her debut record was released Gingerbread Man titled “You Signed up for This”. Despite it not hitting the top spot, Ed has taken her on the road (As mentioned in the paragraph), so she is getting more exposure, and no doubt touring with Ed on his “Mathematics” tour has seen her sophomore album reach the acme. 

I listened to “the Good Witch’ via her YouTube, and I thoroughly recommend watching the lyric videos to the tracks. The lyrics are displayed on what appears to me as tarot-like cards. And fuck me; the lyrics are fucking mind-blowing. She is a phenomenal songwriter. I wonder how someone who didn’t grow up in a town or city can write so much. 

From the title track, I was immediately hooked by the absolute brilliance in her songwriting. How one talks about their rollercoaster emotions and keeps it interesting is mind-blowing. Aside from its lyrical brilliance, ‘Coming of Age’ is a three-minute pop song with panache and sets the tone for the rest of the record.

‘Watch’ is good regarding Maisie’s delivery, where she goes from melancholic to pure rage. ‘You’re Just a Boy (And I’m Kinda the Man) rips to shreds an ex, and she mocks him for good measure by professing she was “the man” in the relationship over a Katy Perry-esque dream-pop beat. Think Katy’s ‘Last Friday Night (TGIF)’. ‘Run’ is a mild drum n bass track, albeit under three minutes. I hope Hedex gets hold of it and adds a banging remix. ‘BSC’ stands for Bat Shit Crazy, and when you listen to the lyrics, it is hard not to laugh at the humour displayed by her, yet with a sincere delivery. I haven’t mentioned ‘the Band and I’ yet, which features early on in the record. Wow, oh, fucking wow. Amazing track with Ke$ha-like vocals where she tells in great detail about life on the road.

‘Two Weeks Ago’ is slightly confusing when you hear the chorus because instead of explaining her current mood, she declares, “God, I wish it was two weeks ago’. Her hooks on the album are extremely catchy, and the echoed lines will certainly be sung back at her on tour. The record ends with ‘There it Goes’, which is about letting go of love that is covered in snow. By this, she means that their love is cold and doomed to fail. I thoroughly enjoyed this record, which moves from dream-pop to ballad, to dance, to drum n bass, where she discusses relationships and breakups bluntly with the occasional sarcasm and humour. The album is also radio-friendly, with no one track over four minutes. It may be a short listen, but it works.

Song recommendations: ‘Run’, ‘the Band and I’, ‘You’re Just a Boy (And I’m Kinda the Man)’

9/10

Week 23: Niall Horan- the Show

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The most talented individual from One Direction, but Niall Horan is somewhat in the shade regarding former band members who have excelled. Harry Styles has had the most success as a solo artist, with Niall being the second. They always say the nice guys get overlooked, and that’s the case with Niall. He is more reserved than Harry, and even though he has got another No. 1 album under his belt, it passes without much fanfare. When Niall releases music, it flies under the radar of the media. They are more interested in the extroverted Harry Styles. Seeming to follow his every move.

Although he may not sell out stadiums, Niall is doing enough to carve out a solo career. Rather than attempt to be more rock n roll, Niall has elected to be more pop with synthesisers on this record, which, surprisingly, coming from a love of Indie, is more suited to his songwriting style.

The only time you will hear a guitar in full flow on the album is ‘You Could Start a Cult’, a song about looking through a relationship with rose-tinted glasses. It also features a harmonica solo. I don’t know if Niall is a fan of Johnny Marr (He probably is.), but it reminded me somewhat of the guitar legend. In all honesty, I wasn’t a fan of the track. I don’t know. There appears to be a sense of mediocrity to it. Save for the harmonica solo. On ‘Must be Love’, Niall discusses his insecurities about falling in love but confesses that you cannot hold back love if it feels like it, no matter how hard you try to resist

He cannot let that thought go even on the cheerful ‘Heaven’ where he is expressing feelings of being in love but also fears that everything will go pear-shaped over bouncing piano keys with sultry vocals. There is a reverb effect on ‘If You Leave’, and I was disappointed with ‘Save My Life’ because it sounds like something the 1975 would churn out.

I don’t know if I liked the record because it captures your imagination and then doesn’t. Sometimes it’s the lyrics, and sometimes it’s the instrumentation. I call the album safe and tidy. Niall is more comfortable writing these types of songs. I cannot wait to hear him write Indie to see if he can pull it off.

7/10

Song recommendations: ‘Heaven’, ‘It Must be Love’., ‘If You Leave’

Week 8: P!nk- Trustfall

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After the 2017 album, “Beautiful Trauma”, this one would always have to raise its standards. P!nk has not had much success with her critics, who have mostly given mixed reviews, saying that her records lack the Punk we were introduced to in the early 2000s. That happened quite rapidly, as the first time we heard her, she was doing RnB, which attracted a fair few Garage producers to remix her songs. She has also been criticised for having children over ten years ago, being told that would ruin her career; P!nk believes that having children has made her more tender as an individual and changed her music style somewhat. As some people within her circle told her, it certainly didn’t end her career. She said before she had children, she felt alone in an industry where you spend most of your time in your presence out with the studio and touring.

“Beautiful Trauma” was given a challenging ride by her critics for being too conscious, the production, and her all-round maturity. Her previous album, “Hurts 2B Human”, which wasn’t as good as “Beautiful Trauma, was also panned by the critics because she spoke about her life as a mother and lacked a new perspective regarding the subject matters and the wall of the sound. They felt it was a typical P!nk record back in 2019.

“Trustfall” removes the chance of the critics jumping all over it because it is pretty experimental, ranging from ballads to dance. The record is quite reflective of her life so far. The opener is a track called ‘When I Get There’, which is a piano ballad, and her reflecting on her late father. It is my personal favourite on the album. Yes, it may be melancholic, but the tender notes and her delicate vocals make this a beautifully tragic song. A term I often use to describe my favourite Smiths song, ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’. P!nk released a teaser for the record called ‘Never Gonna Not Dance Again’, which takes us into the dance with an element of pop. The critics favour it, but for me, it shows a fun side to her. It’s Katy Perry-esque. The title track sounds like a club track that will fill the floor and get a pull-up. I recently heard Noel Gallagher talking about, as you get older within music, you have to try not to do “dialling it in”. He means it gets more difficult to do the kind of music you could do when you had nothing. P!nk hasn’t “dialled it in”, and you can tell she cared about this album and was dedicated to ensuring it was more than good enough to release.

‘Feel Something’ is another highlight of the album where she questions whether she was ever ready to be married and start a family and how all your demons don’t just disappear once you do. Another of my favourites features the Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit. The track is called ‘Kids in Love’. A country ballad where P!nk does the first verse, followed by Klara in the second, with sister Johanna providing backing vocals on the chorus. The song is quite reflective as she looks back on the innocence of youth and the naïvety of falling in love. There are a few more emotional moments from P!nk with ‘Our Song’ and the ill-tempered ‘Hate Me’. The latter is just a “fuck you. I don’t care what you think. This is who I am” track. Bringing it back to the days of ‘So What’.

I also enjoyed ‘Long Way to Go’ featuring the Lumineers. Quite an unusual song for the country band, as it is entirely out of their comfort zone, but the combination works. I have seen this record getting panned (No surprise there.), but I am in utter disagreement with the critics, because the album is incredibly diverse, and not your generic P!nk record. There is a lot of maturity on display, and she has proven she isn’t just the polar opposite of her rivals in the early 2000s. She leaves you pondering about life and issues based on reality.

Song recommendations: ‘When I Get There’, ‘Kids in Love’,  ‘Long Way to Go’

8/10

Week 5: Sam Smith- Gloria

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As everyone who reads my reviews knows, I reviewed Sam’s last two albums, which were less than complimentary. Straight up, brutally honest about how they sounded the same as his debut. He left his comfort zone twice on the last record, and every song sounded like the previous. However, this time, I am pleased to inform you he has left his comfort zone when tackling new genres. He has, on the main, stuck with his usual falsetto vocals.

Sam has also changed his perspective on life since becoming happy with who he is, which is evident in the album. Yes, once again, it is conscious, but there are uplifting lyrics this time. He also has a few collaborations on the album with Ed Sheeran and Koffee, among others.

The record starts with ‘Love Me More’ delving into Sam’s love for Gospel. The lyrics themselves are pretty dark. I will now go into why the album has shown Sam a bit more diverse sound this time. First, I already mentioned the opener ‘Love Me More’. He dives into RnB with ‘Perfect’ and then into the disco-infused ‘Perfect, where he discovers how he has learnt to accept himself as whole.

The one that did take me by surprise was ‘Unholy’. It has a Grime quality to it, and to be honest, the song’s theme fits the music. Sam foretells about a family man who indulges in unprotected sex.

There are plenty of more RnB tracks or his usual piano ballads. This isn’t the best for me, but the disco floor filler ‘I’m Not Here to Make Friends’ is a standout on the record, and you can go right when you get Calvin Harris to produce the track. The great Nile Rodgers would be proud of this one.

My favourite, however, is something I wasn’t expecting as I’m not too fond of extremely short tracks. The title track is fucking excellent; Sam is accompanied by a choir, as each lyric elevates and reverberates around the church the song is performed in. The album closes with ‘Who We Love’, a soft and gentle duet with Ed Sheehan where they talk about giving you into your heart because it knows who we love.

Sam surprised me this time. I was impressed he experimented with other genres, and it made the listen fly by rather than dragging on.

Song recommendations: ‘Gloria’, ‘I’m Not Here to Make Friends’, ‘Unholy’

7/10

Week 50: Sam Ryder- There’s Nothing but Space, Man!

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Now, my family have always been one to watch Eurovision, no matter how crass the songs are. However, I became hooked in 2014. I felt the competition had upped its game. You were now getting more house and RnB-type songs. One year, there was even a drum n bass track by Austria or something like that. Anyway, Sam Ryder finished second (Should have been first.) behind Ukraine, who had a fucking awful song that wouldn’t have got a sympathy vote from the public if it wasn’t for the current situation. It would have finished last. ‘Space Man’ was by far the best song there. I don’t root for any nation, but Sam Ryder was robbed.

So, where did Sam come from? I didn’t know of him until he showcased his ” Space Man” song on BBC’s One Show. Friends of mine, particularly from Glasgow, filled me in on Sam and his popularity. Sam uploaded covers of popular songs to TikTok, where he gathered an off-the-scale following. I enjoyed the song, so I was looking forward to what his album would be like.

Despite his recent rise, Sam has been familiar with music. He fronted some bands, did busking and wedding receptions. He also had his own Juice bar business. 

What I liked about this record is the number of influences in his songs from Sam Fender, David Bowie, Elton John, Sum 41, AC/DC and club music. The opener is ‘Deep Blue Doubt’, and I couldn’t help but feel a Sam Fender-Esque vibe going on. The song could easily be mistaken for Geordie Sam from the instrumentation to the vocal delivery. It is my personal favourite off the album. Already a solid start and a twist of what to expect. This certainly sounds different from ‘Space Man’. The Fender horn section was missing from ‘Deep Blue Doubt’. ‘Somebody’ taps into Sam’s inspiration for funk. If I remember rightly, I thought while listening to the track; it reminded me of Nile Rodgers and Chic.

‘Tiny Riot’ is aptly named and an intriguing listen. You have the presence of Bring me the Horizon, but if they performed soul. I do not remember Bring Me the Horizon ever doing that, but this would be the result. Olly Sykes could also carry it off because of his vocal range.

‘All the Way Over’ is the first real reflective moment as he performs a piano ballad, which showcases his vast vocal range, complete with a bombastic outro featuring an orchestra. He then goes into A Day to Remember mode. Not the band at their rockiest, but more the quiet and gentle acoustic moments for his mid-tempo ‘OK’, so even though he does pick the tempo up, it is only slightly.

You may be wondering why I mentioned the late David Bowie; it’s more to do with ‘Space Man’ and Sam’s fascination with all things in the cosmos. The song is laden with space references, and David did this during his Ziggy Stardust period.

Once again, Sam has added another layer to the album. ‘Put a Light on Me’ gives you a false impression as you hear the guitar at the intro before bursting into a club dance floor filler. I, for one, was surprised to find club tracks to feature. Even if this isn’t your cup of green tea, the hook alone will suck you in.

‘Whirlwind’ wouldn’t look out of place at the Grand Ole Opry. We go from one extreme to the other as Sam brings the tempo down to a folk ballad with excellent fingerpicking on the guitar, either by him or a session musician (We will have to wait for the tour to find out.). He slightly ups the tempo with ‘Ten Tons’, where he blends funk with a piano. The vocals appear to be Sam channelling the late George Michael. The song goes in the blues direction during the guitar solo. Again, who performs that? We know Sam can play the guitar, as witnessed at Eurovision.

Sam shows even more vocal versatility as he taps into the Lumineers/Mumford and Sons/Of Monsters and Men section with the uptempo and country pop ‘More’. The tempo then drops to another folk ballad, this time with ‘Crashing Down’, which is quite apt when you consider the title, and the context. He follows that with ‘This Time’, an upbeat blues number.

I will close this review with ‘Living without You’, my second favourite, and the record closer Sam goes full-on club with this. David Guetta and Sigala feature, and I cannot see this not filling the dance floors whenever it is played. It is so uplifting—a brilliant way to end a versatile album. Sam may have been on Eurovision and a TikTok star, but he is no passing fad. Sam has proven now he is in the door; he plans to stay around for a long time.

Song recommendations: ‘Deep Blue Doubt’, ‘Living without You’, ‘More’

9/10

Week 49: Olly Murs- Marry Me

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I watched a Madness documentary while composing how to write this review. I wasn’t sure how to open it because I felt let down by Olly’s latest record. He, too, has discovered auto-tune. Why does someone with a great voice need it? What could have been a great album with thought-provoking stories and outstanding vocals was destroyed by auto-tune. I will always need to understand why anyone uses it. I will leave the introduction to the following review of Olly Murs. For now, I feel incredibly disappointed.

Song recommendations: None

No Marks