Review Summary: Greg Holden shows potential, but not much else.
So far, Youtube has had a pretty spotty record as a musical platform. On one hand, it birthed the careers of Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black. However, it has also served as way for independent singer-songwriters to reach millions of listeners through grainy webcams and Say Anything acoustic covers. Though the vast majority of these artists fade away to become nothing more than ones and zeroes in a data farm in the Midwest, occasionally one will break out and achieve a semblance of mainstream success. One of the more popular songwriters to emerge has been the UK’s Greg Holden, who rode the popularity of his collaboration with fellow Youtube celebrity Julia Nunes for his song “Bar on A” (which doesn’t appear on this album unfortunately but you can listen to it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onSBUXM5jJU ) to minor success. Does Greg Holden prove he can make the leap from bedroom videos and small club footage to legitimate success? Short answer, not yet.
Unfortunately, where A Word in Edgeways most often fails is in its clichéd and often forced lyrics, which range from passable to occasionally cringeworthy. Even more unfortunate is that the first thirty seconds of the album don’t exactly make for an auspicious start. The Chase, an ultimately catchy and enjoyable song, starts out with the gem, “What happens if I chase you up the stairs, and I can’t catch you/ Follow you everywhere you go/ and I can’t catch you,” before continuing to the chorus, “Why do we chase these uncatchable dreams, these impossibilities or so it seems.” Its not that the lyrics detract from the album, they just have nothing to offer. In a genre as saturated as “sensitive twentysomething with a guitar and husky voice,” A Word in Edgeways’ lyrics fall squarely in the middle of the pack.
On the bright side, Greg Holden’s slightly tired wordplay cannot hide the fact that he is a legitimately talented singer and has an ear for writing melodies that will worm themselves into your brain. Even as I bash the preachy and trite chorus to “The Art of Falling,” I find myself humming along without meaning to. The fact that I’ve heard these songs a million times before from a million different teenagers with acoustic guitars doesn’t make this any less enjoyable.
But like most pop music, A Word In Edgeways cannot really exist as a complete album. Despite three complete listens to the album, I still cannot distinguish between the last four songs. The same qualities that made Greg Holden achieve popularity in three minute soundbytes on Youtube end up working against him when placed in a traditional LP format. As an album, its nothing remarkable, but A Word In Edgeways allows Greg Holden to show his potential by containing a few great songs, even if they’re surrounded by filler. In the end, I can’t really recommend that you buy this album, but I certainly am excited to see what Greg Holden puts out next.
