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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