today
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" (see the clip from here), 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.
