Kept seeing this listed on a Best Sellers page and finally committed to sampling a few tunes. Made the buy in mid-January and started the spins and subsequent research. Never heard of him before, one-man-band sort of deal. But now he's blowing up Stateside with a #1 Adult Alternative track...
I am actually stunned by this being a hit here. Heard the Sting/Police comparisons, but didn't get it at all from the studio version. This live take captures that subtle reggae-ish lilt, so I suppose I understand the Police references. He's got the Sting-like wail at times, too. My brain kept yelling "Howard Jones!" and some other British singer (James Blunt?), but not Sting. Musical comparisons to Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush? Eh, maybe, but it's a stretch. Remember, he's one dude, so that's a lot of electronics and software. There are a few real horns, but that's it. Hell, he grew up idolizing Isao Tomita and Vangelis, for crying out loud! According to his website, he's a Godley & Creme fan, too, so you have to love that about him as well. One track, called "State Of The Art," is about, and played on, a Lowery Cotillion Organ Model D575. Lines about its "custom flute presets and Harmony-Plus...patented Orchestral Symphonizer...," "I put the GenieBass on so my left hand can play the choir," "we threw out the television...it's a genuine home entertainment revelation." At the end of the song, a voice states "Incidentally, there were no keyboard performances, just the occasional pressing of buttons..." I love it. This is another excellent track...
There are 60's sounds and soulful-ish swings, yet all replicated with electronics. One early track could have been a lost Beck tune. From the first twenty seconds of another, I thought he was covering George Michael's "Faith."
Add one more track to the Organ song and Eyes Wide Open, and that's all I'm keeping. I really thought I would like this record better than that...
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