I apologize in advance that I couldn't get this out earlier. I like to buy physical copies of albums (more than downloadable albums) so I was waiting to see if I could snag this record at a local store. By its 3rd week of release, it had already sold out at a local record store, every local Walmart, (Target doesn't carry it) and nearly every Best Buy. I literally spent hours of my life trying to get a copy of this (I got one from a best buy; the last copy in the area).
The album was preceded by worldwide lead single, "Love Me Again", which was released in mid 2013. To date the song has peaked at #15 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50.
Anyway, let's see if spending multiple hours of searching really paid off.
1. "Tribute"
Exactly what the name says. A tribute to all of Newman's favorite artists. Names of artists are rattled off in a timeline like fashion followed by an announcer stating the time period that these artists were popular in. Following, John Newman officially begins the song by saying "My tribute".
The song itself sounds very 60s or 70s and includes intense vocals and stunning production. While it is easily a stellar track, it likely wouldn't hold up well enough to be serviced as an official single.
2. "Love Me Again"
"Love Me Again" is easily John Newman's most well known track (as well as a UK number 1 single). It combines the R&B/Soul genre with a twirling dance beat that is impossible to hate. On this track, John Newman also showcases his outstanding vocals, begging his lover to take him back. The song easily fits the overall theme of the album as Newman channels most of his creative influences into one genuinely amazing song.
3. "Losing Sleep"
Although it significantly underwhelmed in the United Kingdom, this track is easily one of the album's greatest tracks. With a Skyfall-like beat, the track builds up over the 4 and a half minute running time. John Newman belts out the chorus with polished vocals that sound like they've had years of practice. A powerful track that stands out.
4. "Easy"
John scales back the production and puts away swing dance beats for this track. While it can't really be described as a ballad, it is easily the softest song of the first 3 tracks (not of the entire album though).
5. "Try"
With a bouncing beat reminiscent of the 60s, this song is a great album track that will make you dance your heart out. The lyrics are very simple but are perfectly laid throughout the track's euphoric instrumental background. A pleasing track that might one day deserve radio service.
6. "Out of My Head"
The album's 4th single, "Out of My Head", lags a bit compared to its predecessors ("Losing Sleep, "Love Me Again" and "Cheating"). It is much slower than all of Newman's previously showcased tracks and marks a departure from the funky beats we saw on his 3 previous singles. It could almost be described as a ballad but not quite. Something is clearly missing from this track, but the vocals are still somewhat noteworthy.
7. "Cheating"
Marking a slight drop in quality from the album's 1st single ("Love Me Again"), this song, the 2nd single, is still a quick paced banger that is strong, powerful and yet again reminiscent of the 60s. Radio friendly, but not typical. Classy but not formal.
8. "Running"
Not a bad track, but in my opinion, this song feels like the bridge that tries to support the listener into the back end of the album. A true album filler that surprisingly works better than most album fillers (every album has at least 1 and at the most about 5).
9. "Gold Dust"
Wow. I was actually surprised by this track. It's different than most of the album but it is a actually a true highlight. The production is very euphoric and almost unreal. A true slice of delicate and decadent music.
10. "Goodnight Goodbye"
As we come to the end of the album, "Goodnight Goodbye" is a tender love song that while acts somewhat as as a filler, should be praised for still being fairly captivating and interesting.
11. "All I Need Is You"
Though it boasts a distictive swinging country beat, it contains a fairly overused style of singing for Newman and is too slow for me. I could easily 'scrub' to the most interesting part of the track, (which was the end) and seemed predictable. One of the album's worst.
12."Day One"
Down to the album's final track! A nice finisher and a perfect way to end an extremely memorable album.
Best Songs: "Losing Sleep", "Cheating", 2. "Love Me Again", "Gold Dust"
Worst Songs: "All I Need Is You", "Running", "Out of My Head
Rating: B+ (8.7/10)
A perfect album that is among the best I've heard in quite a while. Stunning and perfect.
4. "Easy"
John scales back the production and puts away swing dance beats for this track. While it can't really be described as a ballad, it is easily the softest song of the first 3 tracks (not of the entire album though).
5. "Try"
With a bouncing beat reminiscent of the 60s, this song is a great album track that will make you dance your heart out. The lyrics are very simple but are perfectly laid throughout the track's euphoric instrumental background. A pleasing track that might one day deserve radio service.
6. "Out of My Head"
The album's 4th single, "Out of My Head", lags a bit compared to its predecessors ("Losing Sleep, "Love Me Again" and "Cheating"). It is much slower than all of Newman's previously showcased tracks and marks a departure from the funky beats we saw on his 3 previous singles. It could almost be described as a ballad but not quite. Something is clearly missing from this track, but the vocals are still somewhat noteworthy.
7. "Cheating"
Marking a slight drop in quality from the album's 1st single ("Love Me Again"), this song, the 2nd single, is still a quick paced banger that is strong, powerful and yet again reminiscent of the 60s. Radio friendly, but not typical. Classy but not formal.
8. "Running"
Not a bad track, but in my opinion, this song feels like the bridge that tries to support the listener into the back end of the album. A true album filler that surprisingly works better than most album fillers (every album has at least 1 and at the most about 5).
9. "Gold Dust"
Wow. I was actually surprised by this track. It's different than most of the album but it is a actually a true highlight. The production is very euphoric and almost unreal. A true slice of delicate and decadent music.
10. "Goodnight Goodbye"
As we come to the end of the album, "Goodnight Goodbye" is a tender love song that while acts somewhat as as a filler, should be praised for still being fairly captivating and interesting.
11. "All I Need Is You"
Though it boasts a distictive swinging country beat, it contains a fairly overused style of singing for Newman and is too slow for me. I could easily 'scrub' to the most interesting part of the track, (which was the end) and seemed predictable. One of the album's worst.
12."Day One"
Down to the album's final track! A nice finisher and a perfect way to end an extremely memorable album.
Best Songs: "Losing Sleep", "Cheating", 2. "Love Me Again", "Gold Dust"
Worst Songs: "All I Need Is You", "Running", "Out of My Head
Rating: B+ (8.7/10)
A perfect album that is among the best I've heard in quite a while. Stunning and perfect.
No comments :
Post a Comment