Day #40 - Maverick Sabre - Lonely Are The Brave (Review)

Another review for The Gown :)

This is a review of the debut of London-Irish Singer Songwriter 'Maverick Sabre'.

You don't have to know who that is.

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Maverick Sabre – Lonely Are The Brave (Review)

It was never going to last. The ‘soul’ revival scene was much too powerful to die with Amy Winehouse. Only months gone, and the world has found another shaky-but-soulful voice in English/Irish singer-songwriter Maverick Sabre, who shot to prominence as a feature in Professor Green’s fourth single, ‘Jungle’.

Those hoping to fit Maverick into the stiletto boots of Winehouse may want to abandon such thoughts here. While there is definitely a soul element to Maverick, most noticeable in hits-to-be “I Need” and “Let Me Go”, this soon gives way to a more hip-hop and reggae feel, to varying degrees of success. At points, the reggae appears to come naturally to the young singer, but the majority feels forced, including at one point a painful reference to Babylon, as if ‘The Reggae Mandate’ required it. The overproduction on the album works with the more soulful songs, but otherwise intrudes and detracts. Little guitar flairs and string and brass accompaniments blend into each other with an effect that will likely leave the listener unaware of when one song ends and another begins. Maverick’s hurt-soaked vocal sound like they could benefit from some stripped-back production, perhaps in some shed with a couple of microphones ala Iver.

As a whole, ‘Lonely Are The Brave’ has a few moments. ‘I Used To Have It All’, while somewhat preachy, has a great chorus. ‘Shooting The Stars’ almost focuses more on voice than production (the only point in the album that attempts to do so), and has a lot to gain for doing so. Such memorable moments seldom appear though, and by album end you’ll find that most of the songs just aren’t strong enough to stand out alone, making the album another triumph for the growing catalogue of background musicians.