Plaintive and reflective male singer songwriters have been quite the fashion in the last ten years, whether the more mainstream Ed Sheeran and James Blunt types or the hordes of others that receive critical acclaim but not quite the sales to match (James Grant, Justin Currie and Richard Hawley to name just three). Of course there is a huge distinction between the two categories. Ed Sheeran writes commercial pop music; Richard Hawley appeals more to critics because arguably there is more depth to his work. Arguably.
One Lone Boy could fall into either category in the long-term, however that is hard to tell based on one track. Soul Suicide has that aforementioned depth but there is also evidence here of a more commercial sound. There are elements of Tunde Baiyewu from the Lighthouse Family in the vocal style. It has warmth and vulnerability. Soul Suicide was apparently inspired by the fate of Amy Winehouse and there are references to "broken tears" and "grounded butterflies" in a painful reflection of never said goodbyes.
It is good to hear something that allows time to breath, with a gentle guitar underpinning the echoey vocal. It will be interesting to hear more from One Lone Boy, and find out which music path he is keen to tread.
