Tuesday, 14 January 2014

Gary Barlow- Since I Saw You Last Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Since I Saw You Last
Artist- Gary Barlow

As a part of the mega boy band that is Take That, Gary Barlow has always had quite the glittering career when it comes to music. However, with Barlow’s high profile role on the UK X Factor, the singer has found some renewed success as a solo artist, with Since I Saw You Last becoming a double platinum selling record that has proven that Barlow can be a successful solo artist in his own right. Yet is the singer’s fourth studio album actually good, or are people just joining the wave of Gary Barlow fandom that has risen throughout the years?  

Track 1- Requiem

Opening track Requiem was co-written by Barlow’s fellow Take That member Robbie Williams, and opens the record up with a forceful pop rock vibe led by a thumping piano bass line. The song is a lyrically intriguing piece in which Barlow seems to be waking up from this kind of dream, and he is just content with his friends and his life. The lyrics are tightly structured and complex, although some of the references just seem too strange. Barlow’s vocals are ok with the singer conveying this nice sense of feeling exuberant and joyful, whilst the blend of piano, violins and stomping guitar riffs creates this vibrant sound that opens the record with a bang, and although it does take a while to get into, by the end of the song you should be on board with the singer.

3.5/5

Track 2- Let Me Go

Lead single Let Me Go has been widely compared to the work of British music group Mumford and Sons, and indeed the song definitely has that Mumford and Sons feel with the acoustic guitar and folk influenced style of the production. Yet whilst this may be so, we can’t say that Mumford and Sons are the only people who can do folk music, and with the singers gritty but warm vocal style the more acoustic, folk driven style is very suitable. The song is in its essence a hands the air, stomping, heavy rhythm led track which will work very well for the singers live shows. The song lyrically focuses on Barlow telling this person that although it may be hard, the best thing for them and him is to just let him go. The clichéd statements are slightly annoying, and the singer has definitely composed better songs, but with the uplifting tone of the track as a whole, this is just a nice song that is a good choice for a single.

3.5/5

Track 3- Jump

The records first proper ballad offering, Jump is another song that is designed to be uplifting, as the singer tells us of how we may have doubts and fears in life, but we should just jump and go for things that we want in life, because you never know what will happen until you try. Whilst this is a nice message to convey, it is a message that feels very unoriginal, and with the array of images that Barlow employs it just feels like he has dug deep into a pool of pop clichés to make his music. The singer’s vocal performance is nice and uplifting, with the layering of his voice adding some extra warmth and passion to the song. However the build of the production with the use of a string arrangement just feels bland because it is a tailor made arrangement for this type of empowering song, and really Jump just reads as the singer trying to create an Olympic anthem and just not being that original.

2.5/5

Track 4- Face to Face (featuring Elton John)

Face to Face is a much more interesting music piece as the singer creates a guitar led track that is much more of glamorous pop affair. Described by Barlow as a ‘respect song’, the lyrics of the track find guest artist Elton John and Barlow singing of how the other person is great and how when they are face to face it is great, and they know that the other person will always be there for them. The message is powerfully simple but conveyed in this grand way that is very passionate and which feels sincere. Barlow and John are a vocally great pair that blend well together, whilst the production is a blast of lovely pop with a great mix of toe tapping piano, vibrant drum beats and an overall passionate feeling that just captures you as a listener, with the ‘oooh’ hook also being an added bonus for this song.

3.5/5

Track 5- God

With God Barlow seems to go really philosophical and tap into the idea of finding hope for yourself, as the lyrics of the song centre around Barlow asking the question of if you found God would you tell people or would you keep it a secret. The pure simplicity of the song nicely taps into that feeling of needing something to help you in life, and what is lovely about this track is the way that the singer opens up vocally and uses the full range of his voice. The way that the vocal is layered adds an extra layer of passion to the track, particularly within the bridge, whilst the production value of the track is stellar, as the twinkling piano melody and steady drum beats creates this swaying musical rhythm that brings out this feeling of passion and hope quite beautifully.

3.5/5

Track 6- Small Town Girls

After the perhaps serious nature of the previous track, Barlow changes things to more of a light acoustic pace with Small Town Girls. The song focuses on Barlow telling us of how girls from small towns stay true to themselves and how these type of girls act as the foundations of the world. The lyrics do lean towards cliché, and the problem with this song is that you can see it as sweet, but you could also see it as offensive. Aside from this the song is very nice, with the lighter sound of the track built around this jolly guitar riff allowing for the singer to show a different side of himself, whilst this simpler sound also allows for the singer’s voice to shine and sound full of warmth and joy, which is fun to listen to.

3.5/5

Track 7- 6th Avenue

Opening with a powerful piano melody, 6th Avenue is a grand ballad in which Barlow sings of how he has travelled an immense distance to see this person and how he has nothing to lose in seeing this person. The song reads as this travelling tale of a weary man who is just ready to live life to the full, and what is nice about this track is the way that the lyrics don’t necessarily have any kind of statement or message, but more prominently read as this quite pretty narrative. Barlow is vocally strong as he really knows how to use his voice and imbue the song with the right amount of passion, and although the mix of strings and drums is very much a safe sound for this kind of track, it is still an emotive sound that works well, with Barlow also managing to make the songs five minute length feel much shorter.

3.5/5

Track 8- We Like to Love

Another ballad which opens up with an emotive piano melody, We Like to Love focuses on Barlow telling this person that he cannot be without them, and how they have brought light into his life. The message is nice and some of the lyrics are intriguing with some of the images that the singer invokes (particularly in terms of the idea of dying), however for me some of the lyrics feel to reminiscent of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood track ‘The Power of Love’. What is particularly strong about this song is the way that the singer controls his voice, with the rise and fall style of his vocal performance creating this essence of purity to the track that makes the lyrics of the song more believable. The bridge perhaps does go too high vocally, but overall the singer is really strong, and the mixture of piano, guitars and drums creates this touching quality to the song that doesn’t feel bland even if it doesn’t feel completely original.

3.5/5

Track 9- Since I Saw You Last

Title track Since I Saw You Last takes the record back to more of an upbeat state and finds the singer in a retrospective state, as he sings of how these people tried to change him, but now he has taken back that essence of himself and made his peace with his past. The song feels like this strong, emotional centre piece for the record that recognises the fact that the singer hasn’t released a full solo album for 14 years, making this a grand and cathartic track that is really enjoyable to listen to, and which is just as empowering for the listener as it is for Barlow. The stuttering guitar riffs and stomping bass within the song creates this intense sound to the track that works well with the lyrics and which would make this a good song for an uplifting film soundtrack. Barlow is also vocally strong as he keeps things simple and restrained, and just feels like a man being honest with himself.

3.5/5

Track 10- This House

Taking us back to more of a Mumford and Sons esque folk sound, This House sees Barlow singing about what makes you happy in life and capturing that idea of home being where the heart is. Whilst the message is quite corny, Barlow does manage to make things feel honest and heart-warming, with the singer’s vocals being a bit grittier and intense in some places to make it seem like we are listening to Barlow looking around his home and just expressing his feelings. The only issue with the song is that the scattered folksy tone with the use of strings is a bit bland as it now feels too much of a typical Barlow song for this record.

3/5

Track 11- Dying Inside

The purest song on the album, Dying Inside finds the singer taking things to much more of a stripped back state with just a piano and some strings. The song seems to focus on the singers struggles with clinical depression after leaving Take That, and whilst the lyrics are really potent and convey an array of very emotive images and ideas, the song overall has this quality of being able to release you from your troubles for a moment and perhaps make you realise that other people hurt just like you. Keeping the production very simple allows for the heart of the song to really come through and impact the listener, whilst Barlow’s vocals are gorgeous as he truly feels invested in the song, whilst his use of his falsetto is really strong.

3.5/5

Track 12- More Than Life

Final track More Than Life is almost like the happy end to the previous track in which the singer has come out of the other side, as he sings of how this love he has with this person has become stronger over time, and he loves them more than life. It feels destined to be some peoples wedding song, and with the purity of the message, the song is truly touching, even if some of the statements used are quite clichéd. Barlow vocally just sounds nice because he keeps things simple and just seems to act his age and experience, whilst the layering of the vocals also works well. By this point you might be a bit sick of the acoustic driven folk sound, but the piano underlying the song is delicate and lovely, whilst we can allow the singer to indulge a bit and give the record a grand send off.

3/5

Final Review

What Gary Barlow shows with Since I Saw You Last is that he is still relevant within today’s music industry and deserved his place on the UK X Factor judging panel. This album is packed with a good collection of empowering musical pieces that are sometimes nicely introspective, and which at other times are just purely uplifting. The acoustic driven sound works really well with Barlow’s rich voice, and lyrically the songs are structured well and are really catchy but emotive and complex. Some clichéd statements ruin some of the compositions, and after a while the sound of each song does become a bit too familiar and boring, but on the whole Barlow delivers us a passionate record that feels like it has been worth the wait and which deserves its success.

Best Track- Since I Saw You Last

Worst Track- Jump

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