BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Bandwagon//Gigs//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20240328T130019Z UID:77939773-02b7-4a4f-a65b-7ee6def36506 DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Singapore:20190329T200000 DESCRIPTION:
Tom Odell &ndash\; Ivor Novello-winning songwriting sensatio
n\, precocious master of the ivories &ndash\; is at the very top of his gam
e. It&rsquo\;s not as if\, with multiple awards and 1.8 million sales under
his belt\, the Chichester-born prodigy has anything to prove. His debut al
bum\, 2013&rsquo\;s Long Way Down\, topped the charts in the UK\, on the ba
ck of breakthrough smash\, &lsquo\;Another Love&rsquo\;\, and by late &rsqu
o\;14 he was in the Top Ten again with a cover of The Beatles&rsquo\; &lsqu
o\;Real Love&rsquo\;\, recorded for John Lewis&rsquo\; Christmas ad campaig
n.
\n
\nAlongside standout tracks such as &lsquo\;Grow Old With M
e&rsquo\;\, &lsquo\;Heal&rsquo\; and &lsquo\;Can&rsquo\;t Pretend&rsquo\;\,
public affection for Tom and his quaveringly emotional way with a tune was
only deepend.
\n
\nOdell&rsquo\;s second long-player\, Wrong Cro
wd\, pretty much replicated its predecessor&rsquo\;s success\, hitting No.
2 in &rsquo\;16\, with another biggie aboard in &lsquo\;Magnetised&rsquo\;.
Still only 27\, he quickly strikes back with his third\, Jubilee Road &nda
sh\; a career-defining record\, which saw the multi-talented young artist t
ake full control of his music\, not only writing\, singing\, and vamping up
his vibrant piano style on all ten songs\, but also self-producing them\,
providing horn arrangements on three tracks\, and layering up his trademark
backing choir largely out of multi-tracks of his own voice.
\n
\
nPacked with grandstanding melodies and scintillating performances\, it is\
, its auteur proudly declares\, his bravest outing so far\, and also his mo
st honest and personal. It features ten songs each in their own way destine
d for classic status\, rivalling Tom&rsquo\;s own heroes Elton John and Bil
ly Joel (who now count amongst Odell&rsquo\;s most vocal fans) for sheer im
agination and quality. Leading the charge\, the terrifically catchy\, gospe
l-soaked &lsquo\;If You Wanna Love Somebody&rsquo\; may just be his highlig
ht so far.
\n
\n&ldquo\;I wrote the album in a house on a quiet t
erraced street in East London\,&rdquo\; he explains. The lyrics are inspire
d by the lives of the friends I made whilst living there. I recorded most o
f the songs in the living room of the house\, and if I listen back closely\
, I can still hear the sound of the old man&rsquo\;s television shows comin
g through the walls from next door\, the kids from the house opposite playi
ng football in the street below\, and the sound of my girlfriend&rsquo\;s f
ootsteps on the wooden floorboards above.&rdquo\;
\n
\nMost of al
l\, though\, Jubilee Road itself is something to shout about: a fabulously
cohesive collection which makes a mockery of the supposed &lsquo\;death of
the album&rsquo\; with its artful weaving of themes\, and rollercoaster emo
tions. It confirms\, if confirmation were needed\, that the voting academy
at the Ivors know their onions: Tom Odell is a songwriter from the very top
drawer.