Daniel Merriweather (Columbia)
Born in Melbourne but now based in New York, 26-year-old singer-songwriter Daniel Merriweather first came to prominence a few years ago, lending a rather baffled vocal to Mark Ronson’s cover of the Smiths’ Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.
The collaboration wasn’t a one-night stand.
Floating on the proceeds of Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black, which he produced, Ronson was drafted in to sprinkle his magic dust on Love & War, Merriweather’s first album proper.
And it’s exactly what you might expect: a tidy singer-songwriter delivering a set of warm but not exactly smokin’ soul pastiches.
Sometimes it gels (Change), but mostly it floats by without leaving a big impression.
And just occasionally (For Your Money, Water And A Flame, a duet with Adele) it takes flight, making you believe there might be a lengthy career lurking behind this pleasant but unmemorable little album.
WILL FULFORD-JONES
