Love & War Daniel Merriweather (CD)
Entering the British album chart at No 2, Daniel Merriweather's debut album Love & War has proved to be a commercial success. Merriweather's husky, smoky voice is rather like a male version of Amy Winehouse, which perhaps explains the success of singles Red and Change. Both made it into the UK Top 10.
Sincere and refreshingly simple, Merriweather claims Red depicts the 'blindness of war and the absence of compassion displayed by Western administrations', with lines like 'All of these problems, they're all in your head/ You took something perfect, and painted it red'.
Change is an upbeat dance track featuring American rapper Wale. With its infectious 'la-la-las', impressive bass lines and lively piano, this funky track is typical of producer Mark Ronson's work.
Grammy Award winner Adele adds depth with her 'heartbroken soul' sound on the duet Water and A Flame. The chemistry between the singers makes for a romantic, classy and poetic track, which is destined to be a hit.
This is a good album, but not great. As most of the tracks are of the mellow R&B or acid jazz variety, the album is too common to be brilliant, but Winehouse fans will surely enjoy it.
