Released earlier this month, Revolve is symbolic of John Newman’s return to the charts; he was hugely successful with Rudimental in 2012 and Calvin Harris in 2014, but now he’s taking the spotlight for himself. This new album is rife with melancholy lyrics, but it’s full to the brim with cheerful brass and strings that bring each track to life. Newman is famed for being eager to produce his own music, and this really comes across when listening to the record – it’s utterly his: his sound, his voice, his lyrics. Some tracks are a bit repetitive but, overall, the end result is pretty damn good.
The record opens with Idris Elba’s melodic voice, introducing the how and why of the album’s name. His speech is empowering and expressive and very different from the ‘norm’, but it works well to launch into the rest of the track list. ‘Revolve’ explodes into ‘All My Heart’, featuring uplifting guitar accompanied by John’s distinctive vocals and an infectious hook. This merges into ‘Something Special’ which has a disappointingly similar feel to its predecessor but it is redeemed by ‘Lights Down’, the second single to be taken from the album. It has much more of a funk vibe at times, rather than soul, with electric guitar in the background. It adds a bit of variety to the track list and features a decent mix of instruments, which is mirrored in ‘Come and Get It’, the first single. The two tracks are fairly similar but there are enough differences between the two to give each track a fresh sound. The next track is ‘Blame’, a single that almost everyone will have heard before – this collaboration with Calvin Harris spent ages in the charts last year – and it’s interesting to hear his voice layered over much more modern, synthetic music.
‘Never Give It Up’ tells much more of a story with a good build up to the chorus and includes lashings of upbeat brass instruments. ‘Tiring Game’ is one of the few collaborations on the record – it features Charlie Wilson, an R&B singer – the two are very well matched vocally, pulling the track together excellently. The next track, ‘Give You My Love’ opens slowly with soft violins before transitioning into a more dominant sound with vocals to match. This song really highlights the distinctive rasp in his voice and adds some welcome variety to the album. One of the most heartfelt tracks is ‘I’m Not Your Man’, which features gentle piano and sorrowful vocals. ‘Called It Off’ returns to the funk theme running through the album, but ‘Killing Me’, the follow-up, isn’t really very special – it’s very similar to other songs but it’s still enjoyable nonetheless. ‘The Past’ really showcases John’s amazing vocals although the rest of the track itself isn’t mind-blowing. ‘We All Get Lonely’ rounds off the album with another 80’s style song in true John Newman style, packed with keyboard, brass and drums, ending with applause and laughter.
Revolve is, all in all, a fantastic follow-up to Newman’s previous successes, and his unique sound and voice bring something wonderfully fresh to the world of pop music.
Revolve is available to buy now.
Words by Ruth Grove