Finally today I got the new album of Declan Galbraith – “You and Me”( I first mentioned it here ) – at the moment I am listening to the title song and have to say that through his voice has changed – it still sounds quite nice. In this first song – first in the album as well the vocals are arranged in such a way – which reminds me a bit of the sounding of Queen – while I am not even attempting to make any comparison – I have to say that this is probably the best direction in which Declan could go ( and yes I am fan of Queen as well ) . The second song in the album Leavin’ Today seems to be some kind of a ballad – it has some nice pauses after which the voice of Declan rises in an interesting way. The third song is going to be the most popular from the album – because it was released as a single called ” Ego You ” – and by now almost all of you have seen its clip on You Tube or elsewhere.
The forth song in the album is titled I Think I Love You – it has very unusual sound – reminds me a bit of the music you would most commonly hear in some of the modern musicals nowadays. In a way while I listen this song I could almost see in my mind a theatrical stage – and the choir behind Declan singing …
The fifth song has a special Title – according to it Declan not only thinks he loves you – he does – and that is why the song is titles “I do love you” . The song is my favorite from the album so far – I have to mention – that the way I write this review is as follows – the CD is in my player for the very first time – and I have never heard the songs before – not even the short exerts that were available – so as soon as I hear a song I write about it . The songs is very melodic – and the lyrics are nice.
Oh….I just heard the begging of the sixth song – titled Nothing Else Matter – yes the classic of Metallica – but performed by Declan. Now I could be very critical for this song – why because it has a special place in my life. I danced with the first girl I felt in love when this song was playing , then I kissed her for a first time – my first real love – and people are right that memories of it remain – and nothing else matters . So when I saw the title something trebled inside of me – when the song started I thought – hey that is not the song – but why this title – a mistake I made because of the opening vocals – but then Declan`s voice came in and I have to admit that he did a great gob performing this classic masterpiece . I will just add a quick note that the only better performance I know other than the original one of course was the one of Vienna Boys Choir in their album Vienna Boys Choir Goes Pop from 2002.
The seventh song is titled Missing you – it has a nice uplifting rhythm – and the lyrics seem quite nice as well. I think that this sound would be great if you travel somewhere – or walk down the streets and listen it on your music player.Missing You is an 80’s song that was originally performed by John Waite. It is very 80’s. I love how Declan’s team kept true to the original beat and sound.[1]
The eight songs is Everybody Tells Me – it is a ballad from what I hear – the lyrics are a bit sad – probably for me because I associate them with personal experiences .
The next song is Moody Blues– short song – ballad again – and really nice guitar sounding in it. So far this is the second best song in the album for me. lyrics
The tenth song is Sister Golden Hair – for some reason I do not like this song much. It sound a bit of the 60`s vibes – if you know what I mean – especially with that “Doo wop doo wop …” in the end. lyrics
The eleventh song is Maybe – sounds quite nice- but so far that is all I can say about it.It has a positive message – which is something I like in songs.Maybe is a song written by and performed by Thom Pace. Not big in the US but a hit in Germany in the 70’s.[1]
The next song is Everything’s Gonna Be Alright – remind me of a song from his previous Album Thank you – House of the Rising Sun is I am not mistaking .
The thirteenth song Ruby Tuesday is really nice ballad – the back vocals are great. It reminds me a song of The Beatles ,but is is originally a Rolling Stones song. It’s got that late 60’s/70’s sound to it.[1]
The 14th songs is the classic – I’d Love You To Want – a Ballad again – did Declan overdid the ballads in this album – yes I know that it is called ” You and me ” – but still – may be this is because of the changed vocal range – there are rare appearances of high voice – may be it is for the best. The song is fine – with great rhythm – or my third favorite so far !
The Living Years comes 15th – it just became a fav of mine – because of the choir who supports the vocal parts of Declan – great songs that becomes my number one !The Living Years was originally performed by Mike and The Mechanic’s in the 80’s. Declan’s cover of it is a different pitch; probably due to vocal change issues.[1]
The 16th song is I’m Cryin’ For You – another ballad in here – again the back vocals are impressive and same goes for Declan`s performance here.The final song is a Christmas present for all of us – the fans of Declan – its name is Guardian Angel and I like it – will make sure that it will be included in my xmas play list.
Overall my impression of the album is good. As I have mentioned – probably one of two more fast paced songs would have been beneficial . The album is good – but my favorite album of Declan is his first one – his voice range was much larger back then – and now he is going to put some extra work to develop its new sounding.
[1] Information added thanks to SoCalJay – Please find his original comment below
Tones of new material is available at Declan`s official site ( here)
Check out my review of Thank you ( here )
Get the lyrics ( here) BCSD (here)
Purchase “You and Me” at Amazon.de ( here)
From the very first time I saw Declan appear on television, when he was 10, it was easy to hear that this kid was going to be a huge success. I am so surprised to see that even today, his success in largely contained to the European market. I don’t know what it is, but it seems unless you are a ‘glossed up & choreographed’ BOY BAND, “international” success is a hard thing to achieve.
I must admit however, that in 2006 I spoke with Declans management company about a tour down here in Australia, and I was surprised to hear how slow they were taking things with his career. In fact I was told their main focus was in Europe, and after 3 calls I could see there was little chance of receiving enough interest from his management. I wonder how many young stars miss out on lucrative careers and suffer short-lived status, because of poor management?!
Just a note: Missing You is an 80’s song that was originally performed by John Waite. This was one of my top 20 favorite songs of that period cause of the beat and accompanyment. It is very 80’s. I love how Declan’s team kept true to the original beat and sound.
Ruby Tuesday is originally a Rolling Stones song. It’s got that late 60’s/70’s sound to it. Its not my favorite song originally or covered by Declan, but it is still a good cover of it.
The Living Years was originally performed by Mike and The Mechanic’s in the 80’s. Declan’s cover of it is a different pitch; probably due to vocal change issues. I really like his cover of it though. It’s very good.
Maybe is a song written by and performed by Thom Pace. Not big in the US but a hit in Germany in the 70’s. I only kinda liked the original, but really like Declan’s modernization of it.
Hope this helps.