Sony (label)
03 November 2017 (released)
18 November 2017
Former Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian returns with the hit and miss studio album, Conscious.
The former Eurovision entrant’s 10th studio album seeks to engage from the off with the bright ‘High on Me’.
The up-tempo track feels reminiscent of Jason Derulo and Nick Jonas. Particularly when Sebastian is using his best high-pitched vocals to implore his love interest to “get high on me..”
It’s an enjoyable way to open what is a mixed bag containing tracks about music’s favourite subject. Yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s love.
If the protagonist isn’t singing about getting it on with his beloved, or how he royally messed up a relationship, it’s about building relationships that while bad for the doomed couple feel oh so good.
In one of the album’s strongest moments entitled ‘Sober’, the storyteller is stuck between being the regretful booty call with the girl of his dreams and being desperate for more. The 36-year-old’s pained vocals do well to convey the, heartache, vulnerability, and desire.
‘Bloodstone,’ proves to be a success opening big with one of the best lines of the album, and then sustaining the listener’s attention throughout. Sebastian sings:
“This is a burning house, but we should stay inside
'Cause something's telling me that we should stay and fight…”.
Despite some choppy lines about "tears running like lava", ‘Vesuvius’ also proves a good one to bop along to. It’s chirpy 80s keyboard keeps things fun.
Unfortunately, the 12 track LP doesn’t always hit the mark.
On the not so subtly titled ‘stay In Bed’ Sebastian suggestively points out that he’s “only got one thing on my mind”, after seconds earlier name checking the thousand thread count sheets. Because, with a beautiful lover in front of you and only one thing on your mind you would of course be remembering the intricacies of your bedspread, wouldn’t you?
Things then go from cheesy to needlessly melodramatic on ‘Drink Driving’.
The song likens a relationship to that of drink-driving. While it is easy to see the artist is going for heart-wrenching fair, comparing a disconcerting love story to a reckless crime, it feels overblown. On this occasion the vocalist’s emotional sincerity does nothing to help the situation, lacking any hint of perspective.
Overall, Conscious has some interesting moments and good vocals to match. Unfortunately, the album’s lyrics are inconsistent.
