To borrow a footballing phrase, there’s currently a league within a league in the UK pop scene. Toting six strings and some gentle dispositions, singer-songwriters are jostling for position on an increasingly crowded ladder, with big name players like Ed Sheeran fending off youngsters like Luke Sital-Singh, whose debut album, ‘The Fire Inside’, is set to win him plenty of admirers.
Arriving backed by plenty of industry recognition, Sital-Singh’s blend of Snow Patrol balladeering and gentle, introspective pop-folk is a potent one elevated by his remarkable voice. One spin of this collection is enough to appreciate his potential as a future champion of mass appeal.
With that ensdorsement, though, come the inevitable drawbacks. ‘The Fire Inside’ is often subtle and clever, but it’s equally overblown and slick. The opening song, Nothing Stays The Same, for example, glides along before taking a diversion into Coldplay-style grandstanding that makes it disappointingly familiar. Still, there is that voice, though.
Sital-Singh is a vocalist with the ability to meddle with your emotions. His delivery ranges from impassioned to delicate, often making some average hooks far more effective than they perhaps should be. I Have Been A Fire exemplifies both sides of his approach, with its haunting opening brushed aside by a full-throated howl of a chorus. That it ends with another dip into the Chris Martin playbook can be forgiven.
It’s in the album’s early stages that Sital-Singh hints at the full range of his prospects, with Greatest Lovers selling a neat line in new wave guitars, Bottled Up Tight a gently moving acoustic melody and 21st Century Heartbeat a pop twist worthy of comparison to Paul Heaton. If the rest of the record sometimes sticks a little too closely to the script, then here at least we see that there are several roads to be pursued in future.
‘The Fire Inside’ is going to find its way into plenty of hearts as summer ticks over into autumn and, on this evidence, will make Sital-Singh a contender for a coveted crown: the next big thing.
Luke Sital Singh Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon September 08 2014 - NORWICH Arts Centre
Tue September 09 2014 - BRIGHTON Haunt
Wed September 10 2014 - LONDON Scala
Thu September 11 2014 - OXFORD O2 Academy2 Oxford
Sat September 13 2014 - MANCHESTER Manchester Gorilla
Sun September 14 2014 - LEEDS Belgrave Music Hall
Mon September 15 2014 - BRISTOL Colston Hall
Wed September 17 2014 - LIVERPOOL Kazimier
Thu September 18 2014 - EDINBURGH Pleasance Theatre
Fri September 19 2014 - NOTTINGHAM Bodega Social
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