EP Review: Curtis T Johns – Fears

Curtis T Johns is a British pop artist and singer/songwriter from Leeds whose influences include the likes of Brandon Flowers, Jack Savoretti, Al Jolson, Paloma Faith and Jamie Cullum. Today I’ll be reviewing his EP ‘Fears’.

‘Beyond all Fears’ starts off with a consistent percussive beat, that leads into Curtis’s powerful vocals, backed up by a melodious group backing vocals. In the first minute I knew I’d like this track and the whole EP, it’s hauntingly beautiful and the message really resonates. I think what’s so striking it that the track is fairly simple, not plain by any stretch of the imagination but it’s honest and without all the extra packaging, it’s just a real song.

‘Don’t Run Away Child’ changes things up a bit, this one is faster, a little more…i want to say confrontational, although not aggressive if you get my meaning. I liked the beat of this track, it’s certainly the kind of track you’d remember. I touched on it in the previous track but Curtis T Johns is an incredibly talented vocalist, who really knows how to use his voice, clear and suited to tracks that have highs and lows like his does.

‘Paradise’ opens with a piano, such a nice instrument, and it adds something to this track, it raises it from an emotional track into a real experience. I know I felt something listening to this track and that’s really the best you can ask for from a track. Its a track like this that I really see the influences of the likes of Jamie Cullum. Most people can convey hope and sadness but it takes a real talent like Curtis to truly express that, and he’s certainly done that here.

‘Fears’ opens with a melancholic piano intro, and in this track especially Curtis shows off his range vocally because it sounds audibly different at least at the start from the previous tracks. I said it before when I was about a minute into the first track but I can safely say that between his strong vocals and powerful songwriting that I really like Curtis T Johns music and I’ll be following his music from now on.

‘This is Love’ this is different tonally from the previous tracks, its firstly a lot faster than at least the last two tracks and it has backing vocals and a lot more energy all of which make this track far more upbeat and engaging. The previous tracks are something you can sit back and just feel, this one almost makes you move.

‘Put Your Records On’ slows things back down again, and it’s good because this track especially gives you a chance to hear the story that Curtis is telling, and how visceral and real it is.

‘Small World’ is the last track on the EP and it doesn’t fail to meet the high standards set by the rest of the EP, it might be a ‘Small World’ but with music like this Curtis will soon have the world at his feet. Terrible joke aside, this track is a great closer, it has a lot of what made the previous tracks great and I just really enjoyed the melody.

So that’s what I thought of Curtis T Johns EP ‘Fears’ and you can check that out on Spotify. 

First Published on: https://offtherecordblog.org/

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