Singles

Jack Cleverly - Things You See

Richard Wink 27/01/2010

Rating: 2.5/5

Jack Cleverly, first things first blood. Y'all gotta open up those pipes. Remember the film Sister Act II: Back In The Habit? Of course you do it's a classic, featuring an early appearance by Lauryn Hill. Anyway remember there's a famous scene where Whoopi Goldberg's character Sister Mary Clarence is trying to get one of her class - this timid, ideological kid called Ahmal to sing a little louder during a performance of 'O' Happy Day' (HERE); after a little bit of prompting, Ahmal soon taps into some soul and knocks em' dead with a barnstorming display of vocal clarity. See, that's what we want Jack. Some real emotion. A little bit of soul.

After the drowsy dull thumping opening instrumental 'Certaines Choses', we hear the willowy voice of Mr Cleverly on 'Things You See', imagine Elliott Smith (if he were alive) mumbling into his bed sheets as he moves his frail fingers along the fretboard of his thrift store acoustic guitar whilst simultaneous weaving the sound with some synthesized sounds. It's a romantic image isn't it?

On 'Carry Over' Cleverly continues to mumble. Yeah, the production is nice, but vocally he's dead in the cords. By 'Yes & No' I'm feeling a little pissed off. The bugged out pseudo-ambient electronic production adds little to the atmosphere. Louder, man. Sing louder. I bellow this continuously at the speakers. Elucidate! I cry.

Potentially there is something very special hiding in Jack Cleverly. He just needs to find what this something is, and then bring it to the surface, and pertinently he needs to bring it with a little oomph.