Will Young. Why? These words have been echoing through my brain box ever since he first sloped on to our screens in ITV’s Pop Idol and inflicted hit single “Evergreen” - the first of many indistinguishable music- flavoured outbursts - on to our collective ear drums.
Will Young is the sort of bloke who, in another life, would probably spend his days writing miserable poetry in the back of his Moleskine notebook - but he continued to attract attention, and more to the point, critical acclaim. Is looking soulful and wearing a pork pie hat enough to get yourself hailed as a musical genius of Brian Wilson-esque proportions these days? Because quite frankly, I’ve seen dogs on YouTube doing better than that.
But enough. For Mr Young’s latest album (Let it Go, out this week) has been called heartfelt and elegantly-conceived by The Observer and “powerful and accomplished” by the wage slaves at RCA records. Wetter than Louis Walsh’s armpit is the phrase I’d use, but title track, “Let it go”, at least plays to Will’s strengths, a gentle bluesy number reminiscent of 2006‘s “All Time Love.”
If heartbroken radio fodder is your thing, then Master Young is the man to give it to you. But don’t believe the hype. For this is surely soul without the soul.
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