Olly Murs

Olly Murs’ sparkling debut

The British project X Factor has already allowed more than one performer to become famous at least all over the country, and it is not necessary to win the competition because each season throughout is traced by an enormous audience. In 2009 there have been several noticeable personalities at the auditions as usually including one named Oliver Stanly Murs who introduced himself as Olly Murs, he ended up in the finals and lost only to the brilliant Joe McElderry. Occupying the second position Olly Murs was already thinking of his debut album which he started to record as soon as the season six of the X Factor participants’ tour was through. At last late last autumn the eponymous debut album is released, it has concentrated all Olly Murs’ best features from the impressive vocal parts to bold and funny lyrics and tunes partically written by the singer. The promising debut and simply an interesting and sparkling album Olly Murs showcases once again how important and essential it is to develop one’s talent, believe in oneself and never pass by an appropriate opportunity.

The album Olly Murs pleases and surprises at the same time

Unlike many other contenders on the project Olly decided to perform in front of a large audience only at the age of twenty-five which has allowed him to feel confident all the way through the show. He has conquered the judges with his unusual dance moves from the very beginning as well as with his absence of complexes and voice control. His charisma is conveyed quite well on the album Olly Murs cover art, and its contents please and surprise at the same time. The first singles Please Don't Let Me Go and Thinking Of Me became favorite songs in Great Britain back at the end of last summer filling the radio airs with sensuality combined with boldness. They follow only once composition on the record, Change Is Gonna Come, a faultlessly arranged optimistic number perfectly fitting Olly’s temperament. The song Busy is another highlight, especially memorable due to its melodious and very emotional chorus while the track I Blame Hollywood is the place where keyboards’ retro sounding meets a contemporary romantic pop melody. The cover of the American Idol finalist Michael Johns’ song Heart on My Sleeve is a wonderfully beautiful ballad reminding of Take That and James Blunt’s works simultaneously, while Hold On will surely charge you with its optimistic groove and will help you believe that everything will be accomplished as you want. The song Accidental is a very sincere and modest way to make a love confession to a girl, whereas Don't Say Goodbye is a classic mid-tempo pop ballad filled with despair and fear to be left alone. The album closes with a slow composition A Million More Years built on a soulful accompaniment of piano and strings and praising love once again.

A natural born performer

Most pop debuts are alike – trendy production with contagious beats, a bit of memorable tunes and some filler. The things seem to be somewhat on Olly Murs. All the factors are present on this inspiring album but there is something in addition to them here. The songs which the listeners will definitely remember all have something that only Olly Murs can create, something unique and inimitable. That is his charisma which was immediately seen at the very first audition. This guy is a natural born performer; he knows his strong sides and makes them shine in his own way. He often encourages the audience to clap by making unusual moves, shouting, stressing words in the lyrics and changing his voice register all of a sudden. When you finish listening to Olly Murs you do not even mind the two or three filler tracks on it because they would be normal pop tracks on any other artist’s debut album possessing only the expected qualities. It is the unexpected that makes this album unique. Then again, it is Olly’s first step into the world of show-business in which he already seems to feel quite comfortable, and with such a team of producers (John Shanks, Eg White, Roy Stride, Trevor Horn, Wayne Hector and others) he has made it as firm and confident as possible creating a strong ground for further growth.