Album Review: Tom Grennan - 'Evening Road'

Credit Ashley Verse R97A3882.jpg

Tom Grennan is back with the release of his new album ‘Evening Road’! Where he turned towards a sweet commercial pop sound with previously released single ‘This is the Place’ is the opening of the album the classic and successfully grand sound we were hoping to hear on Tom’s new work of art! 

‘If Only’ is overwhelmingly positive sounding with harmonious harmonies, a choir of voices and a festive alternative pop sound. The first time I experienced Tom’s incredibly infectious energy live was when he played a showcase at Dutch showcase festival Eurosonic Noorderslag, his raspy voice and nonchalant looks made him the surprise of the festival: no one expects the mediocre-looking boy next door to have such a raw musical talent! 

‘Something Better’ is the grand and musical outing that shows a bit more of an experimental side to the Bedford-born musician and his entourage. ‘Little Bit of Love’, ‘It Hurts’ and ‘Love Has Different Ways to Say Goodbye’ are heart-warming pieces of lyricism that show a vulnerable side to Grennan. ‘Amen’ reminds of a slower sound a la ‘I Might’ which can be found on Tom Grennan’s debut album ‘Lighting Matches’. There is a clear red thread that can be heard on the entire album, it is a successful and thumping soundscape that makes it impossible for us listeners not to move along. This alternative pop sound is almost incomparable to any other artists that are emerging at the moment, Tom Grennan is doing it in his own and rather charming way and it works well! 

The success formula of Tom Grennan’s sound is being shown off on ‘Sweeter Then’, it is a combination of a simple and almost stripped back soundscape and his raw and pure vocals. I would recognise his voice out of thousands. I can also not get enough of the tough-looking lad and his open-hearted lyrics that give us a little peek into his life and his head. With every song, and ‘Make My Mind Up’ in particular, we peel away a layer of his appearance and get closer to the core. It was a fear of mine that with the commercial pop sound of the chorus of ‘This is the Place’ he had embarked on a new musical path but luckily for me he has turned around, back to what made ‘Lighting Matches’ such a success. 

‘Oh Please’, however, is an almost hip hop-inspired sound I don’t think matches well with the rest of the songs. But, we end the album on a euphoric and loving high with ‘Long Live You and I’, a smoothly produced party pop song with a soundscape that is just undeniable! Tom Grennan proves that he has not lost any excitement with the release of his sophomore album, it is very nearly as good as the debut, and that’s quite the accomplishment!

Words by Laura Rosierse