Friday, April 29, 2011

Pete Lawrie: A Little Brighter - review

(Island)

In an effort to avoid the "major-label singer-songwriter" tag, Welsh newcomer Pete Lawrie has made it known that he's a big fan of dubstep, but to no avail. What comes through on his debut album is absolute adherence to the commercial rulebook, from the top of his nicotine-streaked vocals to the bottom of his vaguely opaque lyrics ("I've kissed the girls and stayed out in the rain/ But I can count a good man as a friend of mine/ So how could I complain?" he rumbles rhetorically on How Could I Complain?). It's actually pleasant listening in a Springsteen's-nephew way; one track ? the trumpet-laced barnstormer All That We Keep ? is even fiercely uplifting. In the main, though, A Little Brighter isn't characterful enough to stand out, though America may take to Lawrie's being British, yet sounding like a blue-collar New Yorker.

Rating: 3/5


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