19 year old British
singer-songwriter Jake Bugg’s rapid rise from obscurity over the last year has
surprised many people, most of all the man himself. So quick has his music
career gotten up and running he is already releasing his second studio album Shangri La. Bugg had been working in Malibu,
California re-recording a song off his self-titled debut album with renowned
American producer Rick Rubin when the sessions for Shangri la began. There was no plan to record an album, simply to
play around with some songs and record them, something which ultimately
developed into the recording of an album.
After the massive success
of his self-titled debut which saw him being compared with Bob Dylan, Donovan
and others, whilst also being seen as a saviour for music, Shangri La takes the folk sound of his debut but expands it to
include other influencesThe Dylanesque folk is still there across the album,
but Bugg also delves into punk rock, Brit pop, indie, rockabilly and even
folk-jazz. The production on this album is also much greater; something that I
guess comes with the territory of working with Rick Rubin, with a much bigger
sound overall including a full backing band on most of the tracks. With his
move towards a more electric sound, Bugg also had the opportunity to showcase
more of his ability on the guitar, proving that he is just as good on the
electric as he is on the acoustic. Although his delicate acoustic playing drew
plenty of comment on his debut, the guitar remains almost a hidden bow within
his repertoire and his playing often appears in the shadow of his vocal
performances and song-writing which draws most of the attention. Speaking of
his vocals, they continue to standout on this latest offering, if not sounding
more mature and complete. Although that folk twang is still there in patches,
Bugg also shows off his skills as a ballad singer showing there is a softer
side to him as well.
This brings me then to the
songs themselves of which many standout. The album begins with the interestingly
named “There’s a Beast and We All Feed It”, a song which is similar in style to
the more folk-oriented tracks on his debut and has a “Subterranean Homesick Blues”
feel to it. This is followed by “Slumville Sunrise”, an electric rockabilly number
that contains immense riffage and a pounding rhythm section. Already you can
tell after these first two tracks how this album will be quite different from
his first album in terms of its greater electric sound. As we head in to the
middle part of the album, Bugg begins to change gear and spice things up a bit
starting with the sweet indie-folk of “Me and You”. On this track Bugg combines
some soothing acoustic playing with a delicate vocal that shows off his softer
side, while proving his music isn’t all just built around a hard-edged country
twang. This is followed by the anthemic “Messed Up Kids” which is sure to be a
live favourite, and the beautiful ballad “A Song About Love” which in my mind
could go down as Bugg’s best song to date. This beautiful ballad has a Nick
Drake feel to it especially in the verses and sees Bugg show off his vocal
range in the chorus proving he can belt out a ballad just as good as a folk
rocker. The final part of the album continues the theme across the album where
quality overrides filler on most occasions. “Kitchen Table” is a folk-jazz
number similar in nature to John Martyn’s Solid
Air and combines some great acoustic folk licks with jazzy electric piano
flourishes and a great drum track. Then there is the gorgeous “Pine Tree”, an
alt-country ballad featuring Bugg on his own singing and playing acoustic
guitar in what is one of the more heart felt tender moments on the album.
Finally, the album ends with the Neil Young sounding electric folk rocker
“Simple Pleasures” and “Storm Passes Away” which sees Bugg end as he started
with folk, this time in a similar mould to Woody Guthrie with this very rootsy
country number.
Shangri La is a massive step forward for Bugg musically and showcases quite a lot
of growth and progression from his first album. It is not a straight out
country folk album and contains a lot more musical diversity on it than his
debut. The greater role of electric instruments also adds another dimension to
proceedings and gives Bugg’s sound that extra maturity, allowing him to play
around more with musical ideas and different musical styles. He showcases a
greater depth to his vocals, while the added bonus of having an greater
electric sound allows him the chance to showcase his guitar playing more than
he did on his debut. My only real criticism would be around some of the
production which at times I feel Ruben overdoes. This is particularly the case
in the adding of a rhythm section and a big drum sound to songs which would
have sounded better stripped back with just Bugg playing guitar. However this
is just a fussy observation more than anything and the production doesn’t take
away from the quality of the song-writing. In conclusion then, I feel Shangri La is a more rounded album and
improves on his debut, showing Bugg’s maturity as an artist and offering more versatility
musically. All in all a very good album with some really well constructed and
nice sounding songs by this great talent, showing that Bugg won’t be a one
album flash in the pan.
A-
- Sam
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