wed 06/11/2024

CD: Olly Murs – In Case You Didn't Know | reviews, news & interviews

CD: Olly Murs – In Case You Didn't Know

CD: Olly Murs – In Case You Didn't Know

Is The X Factor's cheeky pop alumnus approaching his sell-by date?

Cowell Control to Major Olly. Is there life on Murs?

It is probably just wishful thinking from the haters that The X Factor is going into meltdown. Pop might be the sound of a bubble bursting, but the Class of Cowell is still having hits.

Olly Murs is currently in a chart battle with Rihanna for the top spot with his single “Dance With me Tonight”, so don’t go sobbing for Louis Walsh just yet. In Case You Didn't Know is the second album from oily-haired Olly. I was hoping for something with the intrigue of Will Young. I got something with decent melodies and the lyrical complexity of Jedward.

Proceedings kick off enjoyably with the Number One hit "Heart Skips a Beat", which is as nice a slice of summery pop reggae as you'll hear this side of early Lily Allen. Things soon slip into a repetitive groove. “Dance With me Tonight” resembles an out-take from the Grease soundtrack. "I've Tried Everything" is so doo-woppingly similar they must have been separated at birth. Yet the identikit format, which shuttles between modern dance and old-school floorfillers, works well. Murs has a strong pop-soul voice and at times he flexes it to alarmingly arousing effect on lines that are largely love-me-do bland.

There are even occasional surprises and moments that will catch the most committed alt-rock fan’s ear. I’m sure I spotted a dusted-off Scritti Politti rimshot sample and there is a chord progression echo of The Libertines' "Up the Bracket" on “I Don’t Love You Too”. Murs apparently has creative control over his work, so maybe he knows how to put a record together just as well as his mentors. I can’t see him having a profile as enduring as the aforementioned Will Young, never mind George Michael, but this is an ideal snog-under-the-mistletoe Christmas party album. It should keep his career firing on all cylinders until, ooh, at least January 2012.

Watch Olly Murs perform "Heart Skips a Beat"

Murs has a strong pop-soul voice and he flexes it to alarmingly arousing effect

rating

Editor Rating: 
3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Share this article

Comments

Olly Murs' album is amazing and his lyrics are soulful and well thought out, not with the range of "Jedward", he is riding high in the charts and rightfully so.

Add comment

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters