Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Tom Grennan, Insanity Records 2018.
This is Englishman Tom Grennan’s debut album release and it’s particularly good.
It’s been a big year for Grennan.
His recent UK tour sold out with an incredible show at the Shepherds Bush Empire, and the announcement of his Brixton Academy headline show all happening before the release of his debut album.
His rapid rise up the charts has occurred on the back of the phenomenal success of the singles Barbed Wire, Sober, and the opening track to the album, Found What I’ve Been looking For, which has racked up over 25 million streams to date.
For Lighting Matches Tom worked with three of pop music’s best producers: Fraser T Smith (Stormzy, Adele, Kano, Plan B), Dan Grech (Liam Gallagher, Killers, Radiohead) and Eg White who worked on the incredible track, Aboard.
Tom’s music is an interesting blend of rock and pop with some soul and even a little hip-hop tinged with reggae inspired rhythms and vocals.
He’s got an intoxicating voice that is quite soulful and powerful and his songs are beautifully constructed with big sing-a-long choruses.
He’s being touted as the next big thing to come out of England.
According to The Independent “Grennan has an incredible voice and he’s an electrifying live performer.”
And the Guardian has labelled him “A sensitive and soulful songwriter.”
The Telegraph describes Lighting Matches as: “A raucous collection of big-hearted, stadium filling sing-a-longs primed for a car stereo.”
Grennan himself said he wanted to create a classic-sounding album that hopefully lasts for years and doesn’t sound like anything else currently on the market.
I believe that he’s achieved his goal.
This is an enchanting album that oozes class.
There’s not a dud song on the disc and instead the album seems to grow and deepen with each successive track.
