STYLE: Rock RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 127699-19545 LABEL: PIAS SICCD002 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Josh Dipple
Charlie Simpson used to be in Busted. There, now that's out of the way... 'Young Pilgrim' is an album very much aware of it's musical surroundings. The songs presented on this, Simpson's first solo effort, draw liberally from present-day influences, with tracks like "All At Once" sounding like Mumford going electric, coupled with the multi-tracked-a-thousand-times vocal production favoured by Bon Iver splashed all over the album (most obviously on "Hold On"), not to mention the backing "woahs" on "Parachutes" that are - let's say 'borrowed' - from Coldplay's "Life In Technicolour". The lyrics show a refreshingly raw honesty that is often missing from contemporary Christian songwriting, the soul-bearing lament "I Need A Friend Tonight" seems to plumb the depths of the writer's heart, albeit against the backdrop of a jaunty country tune. This is music designed to be played at summer festivals to huge crowds, and while it doesn't look like Simpson will be headlining Glastonbury quite yet, this is a good, solid, well crafted first step into new territory that may yet lead to great things.
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