Released: 1st Dec 2008
Grace and Gonna Get It This Time.
Grace and Gonna Get It This Time.
Digital Spy - Source
Like a good cheese, Will Young has taken a few years to mature. So much so, in fact, that comparing the music he released after winningPop Idol in 2001 to his recent output is like comparing a cheap cheddar to an organically produced Brie de Meaux. 'Grace', the second single to be lifted from his Let it Go album, is a case in point.
A lightly funky, jazz-tinged slice of adult pop, this quietly powerful song sees Young offer a covert caution to what is presumably a former flame. "Oh, all these people you hurt along the way will haunt you now," he sings ominously. Yet more proof, if any were needed, that Young is one of British pop's classiest acts.
BBC Chart Blog - Source
Wait, wait...Will Young has released a single called 'Grace'? WILL...and...GRACE? That's astonishing.
It's not even like this is a Cher-tastic disco classic, an ode to what it is like to be a gay New York lawyer with a designer bezzy mate-tress and some other friends who only seem to have half a personality each. Will Young doesn't really do songs like that. Or at least, he hasn't yet...
Still, this thought will make me smile for a whole day. Think of the possibilities for radio DJs, who can announce the song and then play a snatch of the TV show's jazzy piano theme tune. They'll be pleased, their audience will be mildly entertained, and Lord knows Will Young won't mind. Everyone's a winner. The other brilliant aspect to Will Young in 2008 that he is the best justification for further series of the TV talent shows he rose out of, in that he's a very talented man and they did discover him. But if you think about who he is and what he does, he is so far removed from that boom and bust annual churn of winners that you could easily believe that he made it on his own terms.
And that's not another reference to Simon Cowell supposedly preferring Gareth Gates when Pop Idol finished. I mean who could have predicted, when Will got his Westlife cast-off for winning, that he would end up doing live sessions for Radio 2? That having Will Young on Radio 2 would be a good match? That it would actually be GOOD for Radio 2 to get an artist of Will Young's calibre in? That a TV reality show winner would ever be considered as an 'artist' who had a 'calibre'? Everyone was expecting Will to have the exact career that Gareth had. Two albums, the second one a flop, and that's that. No wonder Simon preferred the one who would give him less trouble (and more short-term gain).
That's all by the by, of course. We're here to discuss where Master Will is now. And it's a good place. He's perfected the art of writing a nasty, rusty and barbed ballad, then wrapping it in layers of velvet and silk so that it appears soft and welcoming. His soft, sheepy bray would never suit an out-and-out angry song - it would be FAR too undignified anyway - but his natural demeanour seems to be fairly uncompromising, so this is how he gets those feelings out.
It's a little like being beaten up with pillows, by sweary Care Bears, only, y'know, classy.
This is Master Will we're talking about, after all.
Clickmusic - Source
He may be a product of reality TV but his stature as an artist and songwriter has grown immeasurably since defeating Gareth Gates to be crowned Pop Idol in 2001. 'Grace' is the second single to be lifted from his current album and is a beautiful jazz-tinged ballad which showcases Will's distinctive voice which oozes emotion from every syllable.
It's easy to throw around terms like 'adult oriented pop' or 'middle of the road' but there is a quality and attention to detail in the production which makes this self-penned release stand out from the pack. Listen without prejudice and you will be rewarded, although the horse themed video is unquestionably disturbing.
UK Mix - Source
When you consider the contestants remaining in the final stages of the X Factor this year, the original Pop Idol could certainly teach them a thing or two, especially in light of his recent performance on the show. "Grace" is Will's second single from the "Let It Go" album and is one of his classiest, most accomplished efforts since "All Time Love", with a vocal that builds with the song and a refrain few will find hard to resist. This is true star quality.
Alex MacGregor
Like a good cheese, Will Young has taken a few years to mature. So much so, in fact, that comparing the music he released after winningPop Idol in 2001 to his recent output is like comparing a cheap cheddar to an organically produced Brie de Meaux. 'Grace', the second single to be lifted from his Let it Go album, is a case in point.
A lightly funky, jazz-tinged slice of adult pop, this quietly powerful song sees Young offer a covert caution to what is presumably a former flame. "Oh, all these people you hurt along the way will haunt you now," he sings ominously. Yet more proof, if any were needed, that Young is one of British pop's classiest acts.
BBC Chart Blog - Source
Wait, wait...Will Young has released a single called 'Grace'? WILL...and...GRACE? That's astonishing.
It's not even like this is a Cher-tastic disco classic, an ode to what it is like to be a gay New York lawyer with a designer bezzy mate-tress and some other friends who only seem to have half a personality each. Will Young doesn't really do songs like that. Or at least, he hasn't yet...
Still, this thought will make me smile for a whole day. Think of the possibilities for radio DJs, who can announce the song and then play a snatch of the TV show's jazzy piano theme tune. They'll be pleased, their audience will be mildly entertained, and Lord knows Will Young won't mind. Everyone's a winner. The other brilliant aspect to Will Young in 2008 that he is the best justification for further series of the TV talent shows he rose out of, in that he's a very talented man and they did discover him. But if you think about who he is and what he does, he is so far removed from that boom and bust annual churn of winners that you could easily believe that he made it on his own terms.
And that's not another reference to Simon Cowell supposedly preferring Gareth Gates when Pop Idol finished. I mean who could have predicted, when Will got his Westlife cast-off for winning, that he would end up doing live sessions for Radio 2? That having Will Young on Radio 2 would be a good match? That it would actually be GOOD for Radio 2 to get an artist of Will Young's calibre in? That a TV reality show winner would ever be considered as an 'artist' who had a 'calibre'? Everyone was expecting Will to have the exact career that Gareth had. Two albums, the second one a flop, and that's that. No wonder Simon preferred the one who would give him less trouble (and more short-term gain).
That's all by the by, of course. We're here to discuss where Master Will is now. And it's a good place. He's perfected the art of writing a nasty, rusty and barbed ballad, then wrapping it in layers of velvet and silk so that it appears soft and welcoming. His soft, sheepy bray would never suit an out-and-out angry song - it would be FAR too undignified anyway - but his natural demeanour seems to be fairly uncompromising, so this is how he gets those feelings out.
It's a little like being beaten up with pillows, by sweary Care Bears, only, y'know, classy.
This is Master Will we're talking about, after all.
Clickmusic - Source
He may be a product of reality TV but his stature as an artist and songwriter has grown immeasurably since defeating Gareth Gates to be crowned Pop Idol in 2001. 'Grace' is the second single to be lifted from his current album and is a beautiful jazz-tinged ballad which showcases Will's distinctive voice which oozes emotion from every syllable.
It's easy to throw around terms like 'adult oriented pop' or 'middle of the road' but there is a quality and attention to detail in the production which makes this self-penned release stand out from the pack. Listen without prejudice and you will be rewarded, although the horse themed video is unquestionably disturbing.
UK Mix - Source
When you consider the contestants remaining in the final stages of the X Factor this year, the original Pop Idol could certainly teach them a thing or two, especially in light of his recent performance on the show. "Grace" is Will's second single from the "Let It Go" album and is one of his classiest, most accomplished efforts since "All Time Love", with a vocal that builds with the song and a refrain few will find hard to resist. This is true star quality.
Alex MacGregor