I was astonished to discover that “Stick Season” was released in 2022, with the latest single ‘Homesick’ released last month. The album is named after autumn before the snow arrives in New England.
In 2020, Noah teased the title track on TikTok, which inspired many covers, several reviews, and comments by the likes of Maisie Peters, who I reviewed last year.
I don’t know much about Noah, but his first two records were quite poppy, whereas his third effort is all-out folk. This album is almost certainly folk. It sounded like a combination of Mumford and Sons, Hozier, Lumineers, and Vance Joy. Noah said in an interview that this is the kind of music that he prefers to do. God knows why, then, the first two records were pop. It’s probably pressure from the label for marketing purposes.
Along with Gabe Simon, Noah himself is on production. That doesn’t particularly stand out for me because folk is easy to listen to. It’s the songwriting where this album is at. You would think, as this record was done during the midst of the lockdowns, that it would be centred around that, but no. Noah chose a more reflective album where he wants to leave home, longs for home, and deals with the unfinished business of returning.
He addresses several subjects, including mental health, such as ‘Growing Sideways’ and ‘Stick Season’ of growing tired of home. The latter sees Noah talk bluntly about hating home. The record closer, “The View Between Villages’ is about when he drove back home. He feels excitement returning, but he also knows he will start to loathe the idea. It is apt that it ends with him on a journey because the album is life’s journey. In the beginning, he is angry; during the midway point, he is feeling sad, and by the end, he has accepted life. I found it hard to pick song recommendations because I like the bulk of the album. My choice varies the more I listen to it.
Song recommendations: ‘Growing Sideways’, ‘Northern Attitude’, ‘The View Between Villages’
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’
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’
Honest Opinions 