Album Review: Olly Murs

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Adam Leo runs the rule over a certain X-Factor contestant’s new album…

Snow is here, Whay! Scotland isn’t prepared! Whay! So expect traffic jams, snowball mayhem and fantastic face plants all round. If anyone cares to remember, last years Winter brought a blanket of snow and droves of students to Kelvingrove park for a Super Fun Time. A friend of mine graphically detailed his horrific experience of sledging over a snow jump and off down the hill only to find that he was covered (headto toe) in dog excrement. Little known to him, someone had deliberately concealed their dogs waste and probably waited in the bushes with a camera. “Merry Christmas you filthy animal”.

Anyway, for those of you who haven’t gone through this ordeal, the feelings of  dirtiness and embarrassment after listening to the new Olly Murs album is much the same. The album follows a generic pop sound, overdone by so many musicians before Olly, and the theme of loveand desire (yawn) is totally misleading. The lyrics of Olly’s flagship single ‘Please Don’t Let Me Go’ are about Olly’s last appeal to a girl not to stop their relationship, maybe she’s just not texting him. This is done in such a happy-go lucky way that it comes across as unrealistic and contradictory. This album strikes a mix between swing pop and flowery reggae and proves that it doesn’t work.

Olly Murs is the epitome of pop artist both in music and character. He wants everyoneto love him and, as a result, most don’t. Recently, he was a guest on Never mind the Buzzcocks and was given a good slating even from the usually friendly Noel Fielding. Yet Olly just kept smiling and playing the game. Have some dignity man, some of themost respectable artists are the ones mouthing off in the press. However, they command respect in the first place.

As much as Olly Murs album is generic, there’s not much out like it at the moment, which is one good point, both for Olly and society. Also, it is quite cheery and it gives you a spring in your step. Apart from that there’s not much. The lyrics are hollow andit’s likely that he played a backseat role when he was working with the string of artistson his album. These include Roy Stride from Scouting for Girls, Chris Difford from Squeeze and Eg White, the brain behind the success of Adele, Duffy and Will Young.

Olly’s album is going to be mercilessly played to us on TV and mainstream radio over the Christmas period, but in the end, it’s unlikely to become anything more than a good Christmas present or the neutral background noise played in HMV. Simon Cowell billed it as the stand out album of the year but it has no musical genius to stand on.

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