Jamie T’s long-awaited third album is finally here.
Carry on the Grudge is a world away from the 28-year-old’s previous street-wise efforts and paints a dark image of how the singer’s view on the world has changed since 2009’s Kings & Queens. Themes of obsession, social margins and addiction run coarse throughout the tracks – and it makes for compelling listening.
It’s clear that the personal trials that delayed the album have also shaped it. One standout track is the album’s lead single Don’t You Find – tender, discreet and ominous all at once. The album’s second single Zombie is a fairly light-hearted affair, at least compared to the rest of the record, and is arguably the most catchy on the album. The record closes with the pleading Show Me Love, and the haunting They Told Me It Rained is definitely another one worth listening to. One low of the album is Peter, a strange, schizophrenic track in which Jamie blasts his alter-ego named Peter.
As usual though, it’s Jamie T’s songwriting that really stands out. The melancholic themes may seem bleak but the tracks are uplifted by massive hooks and choruses and Jamie’s unmistakable vocals. Carry On The Grudge is a real return to form for Jamie T and hopefully it won’t be another five years before we hear from him again.
[rating=4]
