Friday 2 December 2011

Daley - Those Who Wait


A year ago, Daley was nominated in the longlist for the BBC Sound of 2011 list.  Since then he's done...well seemingly not much.  On closer inspection though, Daley released an EP back in August as a free download.  The title track, Those Who Wait, explains why it's been a surprisingly quiet year for Daley - "good things come...".

Previously, I reviewed Rainy Day and was left less than impressed.  Whilst Daley certainly has a decent voice, his songwriting left something to be desired and his schmaltzy soul style felt self-indulgent.  A large part of this was the vocal gymnastics - he often sings like he has a chip on his shoulder, determined to prove his worth in the music industry.  To an extent, this still stands on his EP. 

Yet Those Who Wait proves that when the voice and the song click, it's a smooth-as-silk, magical combination.  The lyrics are well written and easy to relate to, if a little cliched - the documentation of Daley's rise to fame could be taken as slightly arrogant.  But the production is a modern take on RnB Soul: a slow beat, sexy yet sparse bassline, sparkling synths and some beautiful vocal harmonies. 

The EP is well worth checking out.  As long as his future material stays in this vein, the future is bright for Daley.  Let's hope his full debut album is worth the wait.

4/5