Review Summary: Shayne Ward's self titled album enforces the 2005 X Factor winner's immense singing talent and potential, but unfortunately his album plays too safe, making his first effort unoriginal and a pain to listen to for long periods of time.
Shayne Ward. It's interesting to note that despite the fact that this guy has an amazing voice, and that this is his first album out since he had won the X Factor series in 2005, he's not really a huge household name across many countries (bar the United Kingdom). In fact, I hadn't even heard of him until I'd seen his album sitting in the corner of my nearby music store. On sale. I just figured that he was one of those people who would combine singing with another profession (like those actress-turned-singers), and from my experience, most albums from such people are TERRIBLE (ahem, paris hilton).
But then I heard his second single off his album, "No Promises", and I figured that this guy did indeed have some talent. One Wikipedia search later, and I found that Shayne would perform at clubs, pubs and weddings - so he didn't exactly live a life of glamour and passion during the younger years of his life, but he certainly did sing.
And then I stumbled across some of his X factor performances. I have to say, I really was impressed by how this guy could stretch himself vocally (For those of you who don't know, the X Factor is a singing show just like American Idol, but with a different format). He was captivating, charming, but also a genuinely good singer. I think the only thing that had let him down during the X factor was the poor song selection (which is not entirely his fault since his judge-cum-mentor, Louis Walsh, was mostly responsible for that). I found this guy to be something new, and with the growth of hip hop and R&B, it was nice to see that the pop genre could still offer something tasteful.
So, with a bit of cash, I went down and got his album. And I have to say, I was incredibly disappointed.
The one thing that doesn't disappoint in this album is his vocal talent. For each of his 12 songs (13 for those with the bonus track), he manages to replicate the vocal power and talent that propelled him through to the X factor throne. He just seems to hit the right tone with every note, and I really do think that he has one of the best voices ever uncovered by any televised singing competition.
Another great thing is the melodies which he uses in the album. I love catchy tunes, and a few of his songs do want to make you hum/whistle/sing along. "No Promises" is just the perfect ballad, but "All my Life", "You're Alone", and "Something Worth Living For" all have really catchy choruses. The remaining tracks also shouldn't be ignored - they'll certain appeal to some, if not all, fans of music who like a good, simple, vocally strong song.
But then his album starts to go downhill from this point. Each and every song on his album follows pretty much the same general formula - intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, key change, chorus, outro. No change. Every song, except for "Next to Me", and thats the last track. I have no idea why he would ruin his album by making every song the same. Yea, he's a good singer, but a bit of variety is just as important. While the songs are different in terms of rhythm, pace, and melody, the "sameness" of the songs does get on your nerves after a while, making it impossible to listen to his songs for long durations without feeling the urge to bang your head against the wall.
Another problem with his music is his lyrics. Sure, Shayne is supposed to be a heartthrob, so it would only be right to write an entire album on love. But it just doesn't work, because it shows a lack of originality. I'm guessing he was scared of experimenting, and stuck to the safety of love lyrics, but with a voice talent like that, he should really be trying alot harder to take a risk - it would certainly prevent this album from becoming a 12 track love ballad repeat.
And that is essentially what ruins this album - all the tracks, except for "Next to Me" and "What About Me", are mournful ballads. And while it's OK to have 3 singles that happen to be ballads, it's not OK to have 10 ballads and 2 upbeat songs in a full album. It again shows a lack of originality. I suspect that this lack of originality is due to Louis Walsh, Shayne's manager, and his apparent need to play it safe for album number 1. If I were to advise Shayne, I would recommend that he sack Louis, get a new recording company that will atleast give him some freedom to write a more original album, and give songwriting another crack. I can think of another artist who did that - Kelly Clarkson. And her second album was miles better than her first.
I do not doubt that Shayne Ward has immense potential, and he certainly could propel himself to one of the better singers of this generation. But this album seems just a little bit held back, a little bit 'safe', and thats why I think that this album isn't as good as it probably could, and should, be.
PS this is my first review, so don't bite too hard.
