18 year old Jake Bugg’s debut self titled album has a certain warmth to it, telling his story about life in Clifton, formerly the largest housing estate in Europe, in a bluesy straightforward manner. Unlike various other young artists Bugg shows a great depth and originality to his album. With the voice of a wise old bluesman yet the lyrics of a bewildered adolescent it is clear that Jake stands apart from any young male singers, with influences from Bob Dylan and The Beatles.
The album opens with the recent single ‘Lightening Bolt’ which is closely followed by ‘Two Fingers’, both giving the listeners a first taste of the album, with a distinctively sharp rugged voice, catchy rockabilly riffs and unquestionably modern lyrics.
After the first couple of singles which are seen to be predictably catchy and commercial, we see a softer side to Bugg with a Dylanesque style; a man and his voice. ‘Simple As This’ exemplifies this beautifully, with the young protagonist contemplating the word and his place within it: “Travelled to each oceans’ ends / Saw all seven wonders, trying to make some sense / Memorise the mantra, Confucius says / But it only let me down.”
There is a world-weariness to Bugg’s album, being compared to Alex Turner for his thoughtful lyricism with the voice of this generations Bob Dylan. Bugg’s fresh, passionate record has certainly proved you don’t have to be on ‘The X-Factor’ to get a number 1 album. There is a deeper complexity to this album after a couple of listens, This blend of vintage sounds, modern song-writing and a fantastic voice is the key to Jake Bugg’s triumphant musical debut.
Discover Jake Bugg: Official // Facebook // Myspace // Twitter // Soundcloud
Jay Duncan
Dance Yrself Clean
