Murs released his 6th studio album late last year, the biggest selling album of 2018 to not reach number 1. It is a double album of new songs that only Olly knew, until the release of this album, and the second disc of songs you know (hence the name of the album), all his biggest hits including ‘Troublemaker’, ‘Dance with Me Tonight’ and ‘Dear Darlin’ ‘.
The first disc opens with ‘Moves’, the first single from the album that also appears on the new Johnny English soundtrack, also featuring the one and only Snoop Dog. The track was written by Ed Sheeran, meaning it’s definitely a banger and a typical chart tune. This bop will be stuck in your head for hours.
Then we get to ‘You Know I Know,’ the title track featuring Shaggy. It’s arguably the catchiest song on the album and i’ve been singing this for days. There’s only really one word for this song and that’s ‘Bop!!’
Love Me Again is my hands down favourite from the album, again with a slightly different sound but a proper feel good song that gets me dancing out of bed in the morning. Another fan favourite is ‘Younger’, the last song on the standard edition of the album, possibly as it is more typically Olly than the others, yet another catchy pop song with a beat to tap your feet to.
Then we get to the emotional songs on the album, highlighting Murs’ mental health struggles in the last few years. ‘Excuses’ is the second single off the album that has an equally emotional video to match the only ballad on the album. My heart literally breaks for him as you hear every emotion and rollercoaster he’s experienced through his voice and lyrics in this song. And on the topic of emotional songs, ‘Talking to Yourself’ seems a typical catchy tune on the surface but when you listen to it properly you quickly realise the emotional lyrics surrounding mental health.
And finally, we get to the extremely cheeky, possibly even risqué songs, particularly ‘Maria’, a tune all about sex, including the lyrics ‘she bites my lip and pulls my hair.’ The deluxe edition of the album closes with ‘Footsteps,’ the cheesiest, cringiest song imaginable, but I love it. The song describes a typical lad’s night out and the lyrics are comical.
Overall, Murs has done incredibly well with this album. He’s kept to his typical sound whilst also changing it slightly to move with the times, making it the perfect sound for 2018/19. His music has matured with him, particularly in terms of his lyrics.
You can catch Murs on tour in May/June this year, tickets on sale now.
Written By Leanne Eyre
neighbourhood.music.blog 