Let It Go Reviews
BBC review - Source
Surely the greatest compliment you can pay Will Young is that in 2008, six years on, you barely remember that he rose to fame as the winner of the very first Pop Idol. The reasons are simple: he's actually talented. And not just in that cheeky, boy-next-door, anybody's-mum-would-like-him way; but as a singer. A distinctive set of pipes, a firm sense of soul dynamics and now, with Let It Go, a mature way of approaching his craft.
Let It Go is filled with insights gained through heartache and self-doubt. And like say, George Michael, he uses these elements to his advantage, gilding glossy mid-paced r 'n' b with that distinctive warble. This is an older, stronger Will. There's little of startling originality here (Love could be by George, while also nicking the bassline from Billie Jean) but frankly it's so well done that nobody's complaining. This is emotive stuff that avoids being too mushy and lingers in the brain, in a good way.
And while he may not have the Wham star's musicological nouse, there's a sense that he's been on a journey and found the place where he's happiest, producing soul pop gems filled with hook after hook. The journey's all laid out in the opener, Changes, and from that point on this is an easy ride through top tune heaven.
The only low point comes with Disconnected where Will emulates the worst, sappiest balads of Michael jackson. He's better than such material. Yet, overall, Let It Go may even be destined to be his classic; the album that finds its way into the hearts of a million households and confirms him as one of our premier pop statesmen. It's generation-straddling perfection.
Surely the greatest compliment you can pay Will Young is that in 2008, six years on, you barely remember that he rose to fame as the winner of the very first Pop Idol. The reasons are simple: he's actually talented. And not just in that cheeky, boy-next-door, anybody's-mum-would-like-him way; but as a singer. A distinctive set of pipes, a firm sense of soul dynamics and now, with Let It Go, a mature way of approaching his craft.
Let It Go is filled with insights gained through heartache and self-doubt. And like say, George Michael, he uses these elements to his advantage, gilding glossy mid-paced r 'n' b with that distinctive warble. This is an older, stronger Will. There's little of startling originality here (Love could be by George, while also nicking the bassline from Billie Jean) but frankly it's so well done that nobody's complaining. This is emotive stuff that avoids being too mushy and lingers in the brain, in a good way.
And while he may not have the Wham star's musicological nouse, there's a sense that he's been on a journey and found the place where he's happiest, producing soul pop gems filled with hook after hook. The journey's all laid out in the opener, Changes, and from that point on this is an easy ride through top tune heaven.
The only low point comes with Disconnected where Will emulates the worst, sappiest balads of Michael jackson. He's better than such material. Yet, overall, Let It Go may even be destined to be his classic; the album that finds its way into the hearts of a million households and confirms him as one of our premier pop statesmen. It's generation-straddling perfection.
Digital Spy - Source
Let It Go is clearly Young's most revealing album to date - he co-wrote eleven of its 13 tracks - his soul-baring is always conducted in the best possible taste. This is an album of glossy, polished adult pop, penned with experienced songsmiths including Eg White (Adele, Duffy) and Karen Poole (Sugababes, Kylie), that rarely strays from midtempo. 'Love', the album's six-minute centrepiece, may appropriate the 'Billie Jean' bassline for a slice of ultra-smooth wine bar disco, but there's never any danger of Young breaking sweat.
So while the album does sometimes slip into blandness, most of the time it's just plain good: the melodies are lively and surprising, the lyrics are thoughtful and the singing is consistently impressive. Annie Lennox, whose classy, emotionally rich pop Young clearly admires, and George Michael, whose openness he matches, are obvious touchstones. It's a testament to how far he's come since winning Pop Idol six years ago that it now seems fitting, not ridiculous, to mention Will Young's name in such elevated company.
Let It Go is clearly Young's most revealing album to date - he co-wrote eleven of its 13 tracks - his soul-baring is always conducted in the best possible taste. This is an album of glossy, polished adult pop, penned with experienced songsmiths including Eg White (Adele, Duffy) and Karen Poole (Sugababes, Kylie), that rarely strays from midtempo. 'Love', the album's six-minute centrepiece, may appropriate the 'Billie Jean' bassline for a slice of ultra-smooth wine bar disco, but there's never any danger of Young breaking sweat.
So while the album does sometimes slip into blandness, most of the time it's just plain good: the melodies are lively and surprising, the lyrics are thoughtful and the singing is consistently impressive. Annie Lennox, whose classy, emotionally rich pop Young clearly admires, and George Michael, whose openness he matches, are obvious touchstones. It's a testament to how far he's come since winning Pop Idol six years ago that it now seems fitting, not ridiculous, to mention Will Young's name in such elevated company.
The Guardian - Source
Let it Go is exactly what you might expect from a fourth Will Young album. But now it comes with meaning. Elegantly conceived, the slouchy semi-soul grooves are etched with mainstream radio in mind. You can spot the singles with a stopwatch: they take less than a minute to get to the chorus. There is one killer ballad, the self-reflective title track, which will resonate with any me-generation twentysomething break-up, gay or straight, and possibly send sales astral. Aside from that, it is quite as accomplished as something like a James Morrison record, but the singer's personality lures the listener in.
Reflections on his own masculinity and meaning feel heartfelt and that questioning feeling of shipping out, moving on, of anger and resignation towards a lost love, sound free of cloying sentimentality. Nothing here will do anything to lessen the great swathes of public affection that are directed at its protagonist. Will Young is the suitor that every mother secretly hopes for their gay offspring.
MusicOHM - Source
Will Young's last album, 2005's Keep On, was as richly varied as pop albums could be. With scarcely any filler, it ranged from bossa nova beats to an epic, lush collaboration with Nitin Sawhney and threw in some hook-laden singles to boot, confirming Young was here for the long haul. What's most surprising about the follow-up Let It Go is how much of that experimentation with style has been put to one side on this relatively intimate collection.
Mooted to be more involved than ever with the songwriting process, Young gets co-writing credits on all but two tracks. Much of this work finds him in reflective mood about a relationship that didn't work out. While he's quick to point out that Let It Go shouldn't be seen as a break-up album in the tradition of George Michael's timeless Older, the parallels are nevertheless obvious.
Standout track Love takes Michael's lushly orchestrated yet intimate pop soundscape and edges it some babysteps towards the disco dancefloor, incorporating (Finally) It Has Happened To Me well into its fifth minute and even finding welcome space for a flute. As this seven-minute resounding success happily testifies, despite his intention to concentrate on radio-friendly pop songs, like Keep On's Home before it this track is epic.
In this latter-day George Michael context, the warm and friendly Disconnected makes sense, and continues along the same trajectory with the record's biggest grower You Don't Know. Like much of Young's best material it's a million miles away from the chart fodder he's known for.
Talking of which, lead single Changes, which dominated the airplay charts ahead of release, is a collaboration with Eg White and sounds it. Sporting the same verse-to-swooping-chorus as Adele's Chasing Pavements, another of White's hits, it palls after a couple of listens. Better is the slower paced Grace; initially it seems too slow but as it progresses it allows Young's pitch-perfect, coquettish voice some headway to run riot. More than anything he's recorded previously it underlines what a unique instrument that voice is.
Elsewhere, Tell Me The Worst picks the listener up and gives them a cuddle with a nuanced production that has elements of Coldplay's winning way with a tune about it. Simple Philosophy, centered on a piano hook, is a grower though once again without much to anchor it from floating away. And the classily produced Are You Happy, despite its relationship break-up lyrics, is one of the record's funkier moments, replete with scattergun bass and more horns than you could throw Mark Ronson at. By contrast Won't Look Down, If Love Equals Nothing and the title track Let It Go sound as though they were written for a Brigit Jones soundtrack that never made it to celluloid. They have little bite to them but plenty of chances for vocal histrionics. Also lacking that final sprinkling of spice is the Style Councilesque I Won't Give Up, which comes and goes without leaving a trace. Like the relationship break-up running right through the record, it all ends on a resigned acceptance of the inevitable, the numb-sounding You Don't Know. As endings go it's rather a damp squib, never really going anywhere, but in context of the record it makes sense, even if on its own it's quite forgettable. For his next trick Young is rumoured to be considering a dance album, having recorded tracks with Groove Armada; doubtless like the rest of his work it will be far from groundbreaking, but a change of direction from this mixed bag of an album's MOR tendencies next time would be welcome. What's more, he has the voice to be a disco diva; if he can apply it and get away with it, Young's best work may yet be to come.
Amazon UK - Source
Still driving people mad around seven years--yes, seven!--after his landmark Pop Idol win (it's almost enough to make you dewy-eyed for the early days of the Simon Cowell TV talent franchise), mainly by refusing to be typecast as a one, or two, or three (etc.) hit wonder and continuing to be so alarmingly consistent, Will Young returns with Let It Go, his fourth--yes, fourth!--album. Of course he's never quite so bold as to actually be alarming; it's easy listening, wholesome, modern soul-lite pop all the way from the former politics graduate, kind of like George Michael without the underlying tension, clawing requirement to prove himself or mind-boggling tabloid scandals. Any of that would just serve to muddy Will's waters unnecessarily, there's purity here like a ripple on the surface of a crystal lake that rebounds languidly to and fro across these 13 tracks, one that is reflected in and a necessary backdrop for his suave, mildly textured and famously powerful voice. There is the sense that he still might not be using it to its full potential as he sounds so comfortable throughout.
Let it Go is exactly what you might expect from a fourth Will Young album. But now it comes with meaning. Elegantly conceived, the slouchy semi-soul grooves are etched with mainstream radio in mind. You can spot the singles with a stopwatch: they take less than a minute to get to the chorus. There is one killer ballad, the self-reflective title track, which will resonate with any me-generation twentysomething break-up, gay or straight, and possibly send sales astral. Aside from that, it is quite as accomplished as something like a James Morrison record, but the singer's personality lures the listener in.
Reflections on his own masculinity and meaning feel heartfelt and that questioning feeling of shipping out, moving on, of anger and resignation towards a lost love, sound free of cloying sentimentality. Nothing here will do anything to lessen the great swathes of public affection that are directed at its protagonist. Will Young is the suitor that every mother secretly hopes for their gay offspring.
MusicOHM - Source
Will Young's last album, 2005's Keep On, was as richly varied as pop albums could be. With scarcely any filler, it ranged from bossa nova beats to an epic, lush collaboration with Nitin Sawhney and threw in some hook-laden singles to boot, confirming Young was here for the long haul. What's most surprising about the follow-up Let It Go is how much of that experimentation with style has been put to one side on this relatively intimate collection.
Mooted to be more involved than ever with the songwriting process, Young gets co-writing credits on all but two tracks. Much of this work finds him in reflective mood about a relationship that didn't work out. While he's quick to point out that Let It Go shouldn't be seen as a break-up album in the tradition of George Michael's timeless Older, the parallels are nevertheless obvious.
Standout track Love takes Michael's lushly orchestrated yet intimate pop soundscape and edges it some babysteps towards the disco dancefloor, incorporating (Finally) It Has Happened To Me well into its fifth minute and even finding welcome space for a flute. As this seven-minute resounding success happily testifies, despite his intention to concentrate on radio-friendly pop songs, like Keep On's Home before it this track is epic.
In this latter-day George Michael context, the warm and friendly Disconnected makes sense, and continues along the same trajectory with the record's biggest grower You Don't Know. Like much of Young's best material it's a million miles away from the chart fodder he's known for.
Talking of which, lead single Changes, which dominated the airplay charts ahead of release, is a collaboration with Eg White and sounds it. Sporting the same verse-to-swooping-chorus as Adele's Chasing Pavements, another of White's hits, it palls after a couple of listens. Better is the slower paced Grace; initially it seems too slow but as it progresses it allows Young's pitch-perfect, coquettish voice some headway to run riot. More than anything he's recorded previously it underlines what a unique instrument that voice is.
Elsewhere, Tell Me The Worst picks the listener up and gives them a cuddle with a nuanced production that has elements of Coldplay's winning way with a tune about it. Simple Philosophy, centered on a piano hook, is a grower though once again without much to anchor it from floating away. And the classily produced Are You Happy, despite its relationship break-up lyrics, is one of the record's funkier moments, replete with scattergun bass and more horns than you could throw Mark Ronson at. By contrast Won't Look Down, If Love Equals Nothing and the title track Let It Go sound as though they were written for a Brigit Jones soundtrack that never made it to celluloid. They have little bite to them but plenty of chances for vocal histrionics. Also lacking that final sprinkling of spice is the Style Councilesque I Won't Give Up, which comes and goes without leaving a trace. Like the relationship break-up running right through the record, it all ends on a resigned acceptance of the inevitable, the numb-sounding You Don't Know. As endings go it's rather a damp squib, never really going anywhere, but in context of the record it makes sense, even if on its own it's quite forgettable. For his next trick Young is rumoured to be considering a dance album, having recorded tracks with Groove Armada; doubtless like the rest of his work it will be far from groundbreaking, but a change of direction from this mixed bag of an album's MOR tendencies next time would be welcome. What's more, he has the voice to be a disco diva; if he can apply it and get away with it, Young's best work may yet be to come.
Amazon UK - Source
Still driving people mad around seven years--yes, seven!--after his landmark Pop Idol win (it's almost enough to make you dewy-eyed for the early days of the Simon Cowell TV talent franchise), mainly by refusing to be typecast as a one, or two, or three (etc.) hit wonder and continuing to be so alarmingly consistent, Will Young returns with Let It Go, his fourth--yes, fourth!--album. Of course he's never quite so bold as to actually be alarming; it's easy listening, wholesome, modern soul-lite pop all the way from the former politics graduate, kind of like George Michael without the underlying tension, clawing requirement to prove himself or mind-boggling tabloid scandals. Any of that would just serve to muddy Will's waters unnecessarily, there's purity here like a ripple on the surface of a crystal lake that rebounds languidly to and fro across these 13 tracks, one that is reflected in and a necessary backdrop for his suave, mildly textured and famously powerful voice. There is the sense that he still might not be using it to its full potential as he sounds so comfortable throughout.