While Shannon Noll is in the African jungle, our reviewer David gives us his thoughts on his latest album ‘Unbroken’.
He might not be on the ground to promote the album in the weeks since its release, but it appears he has plenty of support as part of the cast on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’.
But what will David think of ‘Unbroken’? Hit or miss?
There’s something about Shannon Noll that always gets the Australian public on side.
He was discovered in front of the public (‘Australian Idol’), released some cracker songs (‘What About Me’, ‘Shine’) and ended up in the spotlight for some less than ideal situations, but we can’t get enough of him.
On what’s only his fifth studio album in a career spanning 14 years, ‘Unbroken’, Shannon is sounding his best in years.
With a new label on side, Shannon has worked with some amazing writers and producers for this album.
Jon Hume, Tom Busby and Lindsay Rimes have all contributed and it’s helped bring Shannon’s story for this album to life.
Taking a more rock/pop/country approach for most of the album, the songs don’t set trends, but they work well with his gritty voice.
The lead single became one of my favourites released in 2017.
‘Who I Am’ is, as it says on the box, an ode to who Shannon is, warts and all and it’s unabashedly tacky – but it works so well. It’s catchy as all get out and is a great way to get people engaged in his new music again. I dare you not to tap your foot along.
‘Invincible’ harks back to his mega-hit ‘What About Me’ in style, but this is a good thing. It’s hard to see Shannon stray too far from where his voice sounds good and this is a fine example of staying “in the pocket”.
Another good example of this is ‘Breath Of Life’ which is one of my favourite tunes here.
One of the areas that lets down some of the songs is the production quality. Some of the instrumentation feels like it’s been subdued into a gentle nap, which for me doesn’t work. There may also be a bit too much autotune on a few tracks which doesn’t feel like the real Shannon.
Overall this album is really enjoyable and it’s great to see what Shannon calls some of his most personal tracks yet come to life.
It’s not a perfect album, but it feels as though that’s what a Shannon Noll album should be like.
VERDICT : 3/5.
MUST LISTEN : Who I Am, Invincible, Breath Of Life, Fortunate Son.
Australia's first stop for pop!