Will Young - Echoes

The invention of the concept of a 'guilty pleasure' is often confusing - it can be given to the most sugary of bubblegum pop because of feelings of nostalgia or unbeatable hooks (Steps, S Club 7) but some have taken it down an entirely misleading route of cynicism and snobbery that leaves you wondering just how someone can feel guilty for liking Coldplay or Elbow other than out of fear of judgment from others (and to put the record straight: I'm a fan of both). Only recently I was considering my appreciation for Will Young's music and found myself using the words guilty pleasure - but why? Maybe it's the platform through which he found fame, since no self-respecting music fan would enjoy an X Factor winner much, but then I look back over some of his records and just think "fuck it."

Because when such records include All Time Love, Who Am I? or last year's excellent History with Groove Armada it's hard to feel guilty. Sure there have been some ill-chosen Beatles and Doors covers along the way but both of those were on his debut where his creative input was minimal at best, and we all know how terrible Simon Cowell is at making those decisions for you. Just how many talent-show winners have managed a ten year career anyway?


Echoes begins where fans of last year's Groove Armada collaboration might have hoped it would - single 'Jealousy' is straight from the line of Robyn-style sad electronics (indeed the tune is slightly derivative of Dancing On My Own). Young's voice is a pleasantly emotive falsetto over some gratifying soulful electronics, and it's another fine single. His electronic work with British duo Kish Mauve continues on 'Come On', another subtle and bubbling emotional plea that's perfect pop. There are moments though when Young's voice is too strong for the chilled atmosphere the music puts across: on 'Lie Next to Me' the chorus feels too loud and the vocal melody irritates me slightly.

Things turn up a notch on 'I Just Want A Lover', a slice of George Michael-inspired lovelorn electropop that probably would've dominated lounges and charts 10 years ago but now... might get lost in the crowd. Sneaky Sound System's Donnie Sloan co-writes 'Runaway' with some of their token beats in place, and it's a genuinely nice meander around Young's own vocal dexterities. Dan Carey then lends a hand to 'Outsider', a remnant of the old Young with its stripped-bare piano that's slightly too short to really puncture you. An effort to merge these two different styles is made and executed successfully on 'Silent Valentine', a fine vocal performance. There's then a strong Pet Shop Boys influence on Pascal Gabriel's (Ladyhawke, Marina + the Diamonds, Goldfrapp) 'Losing Myself', one of the strongest pop hooks on offer.

There are occasions though where the electro-soul goes a little awry. 'Personal Thunder' sounds like a mashup; it just doesn't feel like one song, since the instrumental seems utterly unresponsive to Young's voice. Such moments are rare though, as 'Hearts on Fire' quickly amends those problems with a monster of a backing. But it's the Gabriel-Young team that seems to thrive the most on Echoes, as 'Happy Now' proves. And just to cement the return of favour for last year, Groove Armada's Andy Cato co-writes 'Good Things', which is practically begging to be a single with its slick hooks and beats. To close, 'Safe From Harm' (not the Massive Attack song, I'm pleased to report) is yet another strong pop song with resonant History melodies and a desperate, convincing vocal.


I should be careful not to place too much of my own frustration and misanthropy towards other reality TV stars as reasoning behind my cherishing of a decent one - indeed, nothing here is particularly groundbreaking or phenomenal - but it does go a little way to restoring faith in the British pop industry. Of course he won't be grabbing any #1s thanks to the reign of grime shite, but Young has stayed true to himself throughout his career and never pandered to fads and trends (although whether he'd be able to go all Taio Cruz on your ass is doubtful). Echoes is a solid, meaningful album, and another successful one for Young.

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: Come On, Good Things, Jealousy, Runaway, Losing Myself
Avoid: Personal Thunder, Lie Next to Me

Artwork Watch: Almost makes me wish I'd written a bad review so I could slip in a "middle of the road" jibe. What's with the rise of unsaturated photography anyway?