Ed Sheeran // Bloodstream feat. Rudimental

 
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The 4th single to be lifted from the highly successful X album from Ed Sheeran isn’t exactly the version that folks will be familiar with. No, for the single release Ed’s team up with Rudimental to give it more of a dance track.

Thanks not to say that it’s completely different. In fact, in our opinion, we think this mix by Rudimental brings something to this track that makes it more suitable as a radio follow up to Thinking Out Loud but also adds something to what was already an interesting track in the first place on the album. Even after a couple of weeks, we’re still loving this and the album version. Both have their time and place.

Rating: 4/5

Callaghan // A History Of Now

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Download @ iTunes | Buy @ Official Site (CD + Download)

It’s been three years since we last had an album release from Callaghan and now we get presented with her latest offering in the form of A History Of Now.

Opening with a bright & breezy number that is Crazy Beautiful Life it only take one track to get us back to more tenderness in the form of Who Would I Be. Noah’s Song is another bright track & it should be given that it was written for her nephew! I’ll Take You Away could in some instances be seen as a slower continuation of a track that we’ve just heard.

The 2015 updated version of her track Best Year is up next (see our review here) before we slow things down with the beautiful Lost (which we’re not going to lie, we first thought it might have been a cover of Birds Of A Feather opening theme….sorry Callaghan!) Green Eyes comes up next followed by another little bouncy number in Free To Be that we’re sure you’ll be tapping your feet along to (if not swaying too!)

Guitar driven When You Loved Me brings the mood down for a slow and tender number with Parachute continuing this feeling. Last Song which ultimately is actually second last is another tap along track with We Don’t Have To Change The World another bright track (that has us thinking of an Errol Brown’s cover of TLC’s Unpretty)

A History of Now just feels like catching up with an old friend in that it seems to start off where her debut album, Life In Full Colour left off. There a mix of tracks that show off Callaghan’s song writing and vocal skills. And  talking about the tracks, there are a number of them that we could see fitting in on TV shows with ease! Callaghan might not yet be a household name, but with a sound that will appeal to folks of all ages, she should be!

Rating: 5/5

Lawson // Roads

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It’s hard to believe that it’s nearly been 2 years since these guys last released anything. But now Lawson are ready to return to the music scene, bringing Roads as the first single from their follow up album to the great debut that was Chapman Square.

Roads reminds us a little bit of Train but at the same time, as if they’ve taken the best bits of their previous singles and blended them together. It doesn’t always work however and the verses seem to lack something that suddenly appears in the chorus. Don’t get us wrong, we can still see this being a great little summer tune and likely to get fans singing along at gigs.

They are coming up with the ‘difficult’ second album…is this a hint at what’s to come or just trying something different? Only time will tell but we’ll be keeping an eye out for the album

Rating: 3.5/5