What will David think of the new Olly Murs album ’24 Hrs’? Find out below in his latest review!
When I first discovered Olly Murs thanks to a little know talent show called ‘The X Factor’, it was exciting to see a pop artist with talent, good looks and a cheeky sense of humour. He was relatable and likeable on many levels.
Did I think we would get to album number five back in 2010? I honestly didn’t. But here we are and I couldn’t be happier.
’24 HRS’ is Olly’s most personal record to date and is jam-packed with some beautifully crafted pop music.
Lead single ‘You Don’t Know Love’ has been criminally ignored by radio in Australia. Everything about this track screams number one single and it’s so catchy it’s been on repeat in my house since Olly released it earlier this year. Somehow though, it’s received minimal airplay here in Australia, which is a crying shame. Written about a break up (a major influence across the whole album), it feels personal and hearing him perform it live is quite stirring.
We are past getting it to number one if an appearance on ‘X Factor’ Australia happens this year, but it’s one of the highlights of the album.
Accompanied by possibly one of the cutest music videos in the last few years, second single ‘Grow Up’ is definitely a song about home truths. When a fight or dispute in a relationship goes down the path of immaturity, all you ever want to say is “grow up!” and that’s what Olly links into here. Clearly he and his last girlfriend weren’t on the same page when it came to emotional maturity. It’s catchy, it’s funky and it’s got some great backup vocals happening.
The rest of the songs here are polished and often have a nod or two to some past pop stunners; ‘Years and Years’ feels like an ’80s tune modernised for 2016, whereas ‘Flaws’ is all ballad and all emotion.
My only complaint (and it’s a small one) is that the track order seems a bit all over the place. It would have been nice to bring a producer like Stuart Price on board to give the album a consistent approach, something he’s known for. But if all I can complain about is something like this, it’s a pretty good album.
Olly has managed to forge an international career out of his stint on ‘X Factor’ and it’s great to see him continue to evolve.
It’s a shame he’s gone through such a rough break up, but as a pop fan I appreciate him putting his heart on his sleeve and creating a great album from it.
VERDICT : 4/5.
MUST LISTEN : You Don’t Know Love, Grow Up, Back Around, 24 Hrs.
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