Album- Long Way Down
Artist- Tom Odell
The Brit Critics Choice Award seems to be one of those
awards that truly does show the critics can get some things right, as the past
winners of the award such as Adele, Jessie J and Emeli Sande have all gone on
to have amazing careers and worldwide success. As the first male winner of the Critics’
Choice Award, Tom Odell has a lot to live up to in terms of past winners, but
also seems to be destined for success just through winning the award. But does
Odell’s album live up to the hype that surrounds him?
Track 1- Grow Old
with Me
First track Grow Old with Me is a sweet indie pop piano
ballad that opens up the album in this cinematic way through the piano led
intro that lasts for 30 seconds. Lyrically the track focuses on Odell telling
this person of his love through how he knows life will be fine over time and
they will always be the same at heart as they grow old together. The song is
lyrically quite pure and has this powerful message that could appeal to
different audiences, although the lyric 2 minutes 13 seconds in feels very
unnecessary and a bit weird. The track features the singer giving us a slightly
gritty vocal performance that becomes more powerful and vibrant as the song
goes on. And the track features a bouncy piano melody that builds in energy
through the introduction of a guitar and then a heavy drum bass that just gives
the song this rush of energy. But whilst the song builds in power and energy,
the lyrical content starts to feel less passionate and sweet, and so this track
somehow just ends up going a bit wrong as it goes on.
3/5
Track 2- Hold Me
Hold Me is the second single from the record and finds the
singer giving us more of a rowdy and soaring tune. Lyrically Odell comes across
like he is drunk on love, focusing particularly on the fact that when this girl
holds him it means everything is great. The message is cool but a bit poorly
executed in terms of the lyrical repetition, and although the singer imbues
passion into the track with his vocals, the vocal quality also feels a little
bit poor because at times it doesn’t have the right texture and feels like a man
just yelling. The clattering drums, guitar and the pounding piano riffs create
a powerful sound that is satisfying, but overall there is something missing
from this track, and it doesn’t feel like a single worthy of someone who got a
Brit Award.
2.5/5
Track 3- Another Love
Initially appearing on the singers Songs From Another Love
E.P and the first single from the album to reach the UK top ten, Another Love is
an indie pop ballad that finds Odell on better form lyrically and vocally. The
lyrical content of the track has a slight poetic quality that is nice as Odell
puts on the role of this man who wants to love another woman, but who cannot
love right because of romantic things with a former lover. The song has this
brutal honesty that is cool and is given power by the emotional vocal
performance that Odell provides, with the slight roughness of his voice giving
the song a great intensity, whilst the way the track builds also nicely allows
for the singers vocals to build. Production wise the song nicely employs piano
and drums for this grand sound that makes for a grand ballad, with the gospel
like vocal moments adding this extra emotional level to the song. Things would
have perhaps worked better in my opinion if it was a bit more stripped back,
but as it is, it is a good solid ballad.
3.5/5
Track 4- I Know
Following a similar vein as Another Love, I Know finds Odell
in a hung up on a girl state, as he sings about how he knows the girl has told
him to go away, but he seemingly can’t get her out of his mind. The repetition
of I Know is good and makes the chorus catchy, but at times the lyrics do feel
a bit clichéd. The singer’s vocals are strong and also nicely show off some of
his range, but again the production is a bit too forceful and doesn’t build in
sound in the right way, or at least not until the final chorus, and so it would
seem that even at this slightly early stage Odell’s downfall would be that he
packs too much into his songs.
3/5
Track 5- Sense
Another delicate piano led number, Sense finds Odell in this
fragile state of mind as he poetically questions whether his world will make
sense if he loves and lives in a certain way. The song has this touching
delicacy that is brought out nicely by the conflicting passion that lies within
the almost narrative like lyrics. The songs piano instrumentation keeps the
track in this simple sound that is nicely elevated later on by the use of
gospel like background vocals, whilst this sombre, stripped back tone really
allows the singers emotionally loaded vocals to shine, giving us a powerful and
well-crafted, delicate piece of music that is like art.
4/5
Track 6- Can’t
Pretend
Can’t Pretend keeps the fragility of the previous track
ticking along nicely as the singer tells us of how he can’t pretend to be in
love and be something that he is not. The message is powerful, even though it is
perhaps not as well-crafted because of repetition and a lack of lyrical
substance in certain sections. The track has this two tone quality as initially
the song is this simple piano led ballad that features a simple, deep vocal,
before the track builds into this raucous number with heavy drumbeats and
punchy guitar and piano rhythms, as well as this big, booming vocal that is
elevated by the use of choir like background vocals. These fragile moments seem
to work best for the singer, but this is also another tune where you get the
sense of Odell trying to pack so much into his music that he just doesn’t quite
get things right.
3.5/5
Track 7- Till I Lost
With Till I Lost Odell changes things up a little bit in giving
us a slight preppy feel to the song with the snappy drum beats of the
production. Here we find the singer detailing this life of just wandering
around the town with this person and realising that he didn’t realise what he
had till he lost it. The song is lyrically clichéd with an annoying ‘ooooh’
hook for the chorus that just feels like the singer couldn’t think of anything
better to say. The clattering tone of the production creates a bit more of a
vibrant quality that is a welcome change, yet the sound is still very familiar
and safe, whilst the Odell’s vocals are passionate enough but once again just
go into I am yelling territory.
2/5
Track 8- Supposed to
Be
Supposed to Be is a soft mid tempo number that has slightly
more of a soulful pop quality with the backbeat and the snazzy rhythm of the
production has a whole. The song finds Odell singing of these good times he had
with this person and how it was always meant to be that way. The song is more
lyrically sophisticated, with Odell tapping into his heartbreak well, whilst
his vocal is more subdued and controlled to bring out the songs vulnerability
very beautifully. With production having more of a jazzy tone you can be more
invested in the song, and it is a shame that he only produces this kind of
track late in the album.
3.5/5
Track 9- Long Way
Down
Title track Long Way Down is a weepy piano number that
focuses on the singer creating this image of a girl up on high, and how if she
falls then it will feel like a long way down. The song is lyrically intriguing
as Odell could be just metaphorically referring to not letting a relationship
end, or he could be asking someone not to leave him with regards to suicide.
This intriguing quality of the track keeps you interested throughout, and
vocally Odell uses his voice well in creating a chilled flow to the track that
sees his voice rise and fall in a lovely way. The softness of the piano line
allows the lyrics and vocals to have more of an impact and make you understand
the artist a little more, and whilst it is actually quite a short song, Odell
manages to make it feel like we are being taken on this personal journey that doesn’t
feel unfinished.
3.5/5
Track 10- Sirens
Finishing off the album is Sirens, a song that utilises a
good mix of a delicate piano melody with clashing drum beats and a nice
acoustic guitar riff, creating this atmospheric tone that is in one way sad,
but strangely uplifting in another way. The song focuses on Odell telling us
that he keeps hearing sirens, and he will just run away from them. The song has
that dual quality of being relationship based or more of critique of society,
and so this is a nice way to end the record in terms of keeping you interested
and sort of asking you to think about what he really means. Odell is vocally
strong as he builds up his voice really well, with the layered style of the vocal
definitely adding an extra kick to the final chorus.
3.5/5
Final Review
For a debut album, Long Way Down isn’t a terrible offering.
But from a Brit Critics Choice Award winner, it is not the album that you want.
Whilst his voice is interesting and distinctive, Odell often comes across as
yelling rather than singing, and the album shows that in certain ways he still
needs to improve on his vocal delivery. Whilst some of the songs are lyrically
intriguing, other songs use bad clichés or are invested in poor pop hooks that
show off the lyrical sparseness of some tracks. Furthermore, whilst the production
is interesting, the blend of guitar, drums and piano is so familiar by the end
that it seems as if Odell cannot make any other type of music. It is a
promising debut, but for me Long Way Down is not a record that shows off this
musician to his best, and makes me question what the critics were thinking in
giving him the award.
4.5/10
Best Track- Sense
Worst Track- Till I
Lost
No comments:
Post a Comment