Friday, 3 January 2014

John Newman- Tribute Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Tribute
Artist- John Newman

John Newman has been one of the biggest new stars of 2013. After winning over the public in 2012 with his feature on the Rudimental hit ‘Feel the Love’, the singer has emerged as a successful solo artist in his own right, with the musician securing a number one single and a number 1 album in 2013. 2014 will likely see the musician continue to rise in his taking over of the charts, but is Tribute worthy enough, and does it have a few more hit singles? Or should Newman go back into the studio and try and make better music?

Track 1 Tribute

Title track Tribute opens the album up in quite a grand and almost cinematic way as the singer runs the listener through a long list of other artists who have influenced his music. It is quite impressive the sheer amount of people that the singer runs through, whilst the intense build-up of the strings makes this a really impressive and intriguing opening. Then the song evolves into this musky, Wild West feeling, guitar led piece that features some cool, choir like background vocals. Here the singer goes to the roots of his love of soul and sings of how he has learned to channel his passion and words into his music because of other artists, and his music is as much for other people and artists as it is for personal reasons. The lyrics are simple but effective and the singers belting, gritty vocal is just the right amount of passion. The lyrics are also very nice in the way that as a listener you can relate them to your own life in different ways, whilst the stomping drums and soul flecked rhythm of the song is just powerful enough and makes this a stellar tribute indeed, with the final slice of jaunty piano just being a fun end for the track.

3.5/5

Track 2- Love Me Again

The records lead single and Newman’s first solo number one, Love Me Again is a stomping slice of soul pop in which the singer is in an intense state of heartbreak. Here we find Newman singing of how he understands that he has done wrong, and now he simply needs to know if this girl can love him again. What is really smart and catchy about the lyrics is the way that the verses are quite layered and meaningful with an almost poetic quality, but then the chorus just takes things to a really simple level with the repetition of one line that simple shows the purity of the singers emotion. This purity can really affect you as a listener, and what makes the song more powerful is the impressive vocal performance from Newman, who sings the song with all the desperation and passion of a man who is truly in love. Producers Steve Booker and Mike Spencer also produces a great sound for the record with the bubbling piano melody, clattering drum beats and stirring strings, giving the song an extra layer of emotional intensity and craziness.

4.5/5

Track 3- Losing Sleep

Continuing with the heartbreak and emotionally intense vibe, Losing Sleep finds Newman in a state of ill feeling without his girl by his side. The song lyrically focuses on Newman asking his girl to not forget him and to continue to want and love him whilst they are away from each other. The passionate statement is made all the more powerful with the singer’s gravelly and intense vocal tone, whilst the handclapping beats and delicate soul pop piano of the production just creates this vulnerable but also slightly frenzied sound that makes you really believe that Newman is actually losing sleep over this girl.

3.5/5

Track 4- Easy

With the opening of this track things are definitely shown to be emotionally vulnerable, as we are treated to just a piano line and the delicate vocals of Newman. Then the song evolves into this bass heavy, passionate analysis of how love is a difficult thing to navigate. What is nice about Easy is that the singers range is shown off nicely and whilst he does give us a big and commanding vocal performance, he also shows a bit of control and brings out the weariness of the lyrics. The lyrics are pure and simple and tap into that feel of not being able to understand love very easily. And with the blend of a delicate piano line with heavy drum and bass and flourishes of strings, this is a simple heartbreak song that goes straight for the heart.

3.5/5

Track 5- Try

Try finds the singers sound diverting a bit to more 70’s disco inspired rhythms, but with the singers vocal tone that old school soul presence still remains. Here we find the singer simply reflecting that he will try to bring this person home and make them feel love even if it is not what they say they want. The lyrics don’t quite grab you in the way that the previous tracks have but the deep vocal performance adds gravitas to the lyrical message, whilst the use of a choir in the track gives a slight gospel feel to the song that adds more passion. The jaunty strings and snappy piano creates a bubbly dance rhythm that adds some diversity to the singer’s music and brings more influences into the record as a whole.

3.5/5

Track 6- Out of My Head

Opening with a delicate piano melody, Out of My Head marks the most simplistically composed piece on the album at this point. The song finds the singer shutting himself of from the pain of his loneliness by telling us of how he gets out of his head, and how love just ends up hurting you in the end. The song is lyrically pure and quite touching as it is intriguing to see Newman express the idea of not being consumed by loneliness by getting out of his head, yet within the track there is this overarching sense of Newman actually still wallowing in his loneliness. The emotionally wrought vocal performance is powerful and although this style of vocal could have not had the same impact on the listener at this point in the record, the songs more simplistic style with just the piano and strings makes for the songs emotional intensity to be more effective and not feel like we are listening to a typical Newman song.

3.5/5

Track 7- Cheating

Second single Cheating finds Newman finally taking a step away from being the heartbroken, intensely in love person. Instead we are treated to Newman simply telling this girl that if she wants to go and cheat on him then she should just go ahead, because she is just going to be a cheater for the rest of her life. The lyrics are sharp and cutting with the narrative style of the verses creating this really cool picture of a venomous woman, before the punchy chorus takes the song into a higher gear and shows Newman as this loving man who just can’t take this relationship anymore. The vocal performance is really great as the singer gives a commanding, snappy performance, with his gritty tone bringing out the sentiment of the song brilliantly. The addition of the gospel choir towards the end is awesome, and with the blasting horns and sassy soul rhythm of the track, this is a great song where you can finally see Newman beginning to take control of his relationship in his own way.

3.5/5

Track 8- Running

Pulsing mid tempo track Running focuses on Newman as this man who keeps running in this relationship where he keeps going away from this girl who is bad for him, but the he keeps going back to this girl. Lyrically this is one of the poorer pieces on the record as although some lines are actually really brilliant, the lyrical composition as a whole is too repetitive and borders on cliché. The vocal performance is also not as exciting or as passionate as you may want it to be, and at this point the weary, emotional style of the vocal begins to wear thin. The pulsating rhythm of the track is nice and the gospel styled backing vocals add some depth to the track, but this is not enough to make this a really worthy addition to the record.

2.5/5

Track 9- Gold Dust

Gold Dust finds the singer in a state where things are changing around him and now he can be in this state where life is good and there is no need to cry anymore. The message is sweet and brings some light to the record. However this is the only thing that really brings appeal to the track, as the vocal performance lacks the charisma of some of the previous songs. Furthermore, the piano led production with the gospel background vocals and jaunty guitar rhythm just creates a plain sound for the song that feels like something Newman could have made in his sleep.

2.5/5

Track 10- Goodnight Goodbye

With the haunting strings that permeate the track from the start, Goodnight Goodbye is shown to be an emotionally powerful piece. With this track Newman looks back on this relationship where he believes he should have done and said more, and that although he has to move on he will still love this girl. The lyrics are palpably pure and heartfelt, whilst the chorus has a heartfelt essence that is touching to listen to. What is nice about this track is the lofty feel of the chorus and the way that Newman vocally shows off both the strength of his voice, but also gives us more of a controlled vocal performance and brings out the sadness and vulnerability of the track very beautifully. The mix of strings, horns and bass creates a simmering but intense sound to the track that will make this a nice song to hear live.

3.5/5

Track 11- All I Need Is You

The album’s closing track nicely has more of a 60’s feel to the soul pop production and once again allows the singer to show off some of his different influences within this record. The song is simple in its lyrical intent as the singer tells this person that whilst he is fighting through life, really all he needs is this one person. The message is simple but catchy and the gravelly vocal performance brings depth to the meaning behind the song, with the way that Newman sings the word ‘you’ being a quirky and catchy element to the track. Whilst the use of a gospel choir may become a bit of an annoying musical trait of Newman’s for some listeners, in the context of this track the choir works really well, whilst the simple sound of the piano and drums gives the song a light texture that acts as a simple, nice end to the record as a whole.

3.5/5

Final Review

Tribute is a stylistically strong debut album from an artist who definitely shows a lot of promise and who will likely have a great career. The singer’s distinctive vocal tone really adds weight to the lyrical meaning of each song, with the lyrics being nicely compiled into this sense of being catchy for the masses but smart and sophisticated for different types of audiences. The production value of the album as a whole is really smart as well, being slightly varied enough to keep you engaged as a listener but being rooted in a soul pop sound that feels right for Newman’s overall persona as an artist. This being said, the album does have its issues. The quality of the record definitely starts to slip towards the latter half, and there is only so much of the passionate vocal, gospel choir and soul formula you can take before you start to become a bit bored. But Newman definitely has enough going for him to keep you excited, and he definitely feels like an artist who will go from strength to strength with each album that he releases.

7/10

Best Track- Love Me Again

Worst Track- Running

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