Echoes (Will Young album)

''Echoes'' is the fifth studio album by English recording artist Will Young. It was released by RCA Records and Sony Music on 19 August 2011. A departure from previous albums which saw him working with a diverse roster of collaborators, Young worked with music producer Richard X and Pete Hofmann on the bulk of the album. A television special, ''A Night With Will Young'', aired on ITV on 27 August 2011 to coincide with the release of the album and recognising Young's impending ten-year anniversary in the music industry.

Upon its release, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, becoming Young's third album to do so. "Jealousy" was released as the lead single from the album on 19 August 2011, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart. Further singles "Come On", "Losing Myself", and "I Just Want a Lover" were less successful and failed to reach the top forty. ''Echoes'' sold 65,000 copies in its first week and has now sold just over 550,000 copies in the UK.

Background

In November 2009, Young released his first greatest hits collection, ''The Hits''. The album was a success on the charts, being certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. The following year, Young collaborated with electronic music duo Groove Armada on their album '' Black Light'', singing vocals on the track "History". For his fifth album, turned to music producer Richard X after listening the X-produced Steve Mason album, 2010's acclaimed ''Boys Outside'', which prompted Young to seek him out in the first place. Having previously claimed chart success with a succession of downtempo pop ballads, Young felt making a record utilizing electronic rhythms and beats was the culmination of a long-held dream. On his vision, he elaborated: "It's an album that I've wanted to do for about five years, and I've been waiting like a tiger, ready to pounce. You have to evolve as a pop artist. It's like being a magician: If you show all your best hands at the beginning, you have nothing left to reveal."

While X would serve as the album's chief producer, Young collaborated and co-wrote songs with various writers, including Andy Cato from Groove Armada, Kish Mauve, Fred Falke, The Sound of Arrows, Richard Stannard, and Pascal Gabriel. Musically, Young sought inspiration for ''Echoes'' from fellow UK dance-pop acts Pet Shop Boys, The Communards and Everything but the Girl, stating that he "wanted to hark back to that type of sound with strong bass but also very melodic." Aiming for a simple synthpop sound, Young added that "changing your sound is a tricky thing to do, but I think it's come about at the right time and from the right place. It's not a massive change, and it's very genuine." When Richard X joined the project, 90 percent of the album had already been written. With his producing partner Pete Hofmann, he finished some arrangements and tweaks on demoes before moving into the studio. Studio sessions were heavily influenced by live recording, a breakaway from previous sessions.

Promotion and release

The album artwork was revealed on 6 July 2011 on Young's official Facebook page, and later posted on Young's official website. Teaser clips of several songs from the album were released by Young via Twitter shortly in advance of release. A television special ''A Night With Will Young'' was aired on ITV on 27 August 2011. The show featured Young performing a collection of new tracks from ''Echoes'' as well as a number of his biggest hits. Beginning October 2011, Young embarked on this fifth headlining tour, the Echoes Tour to promote the album.

Critical reception

''Echoes'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. Robert Copsey from ''Digital Spy'' rated the album five stars out of five and called it "a perfectly-crafted adult pop album; one that sounds contemporary without straw-clutching and classy without the pretension. The hands-in-the-air ballads "Lie Next to Me" and "Silent Valentine" prove that he's still the Will we've always known, just in a shinier, sharper and altogether more comfortable skin." ''The Guardian'' writer Caroline Sullivan compared ''Echoes'' to the work of George Michael and the Pet Shop Boys. She found that "Young stamps his identity on he songswith vocals that convey the disenchantment of a rich young gay man who's just taken a long look at himself in the mirror. 'Classy' is the word that comes to mind all the way through these 13 songs." ''Evening Standard''s Rick Pearson complimented the album for its "playful, dancey quality" which he considered "a welcome change from the schmaltzy ballads that have characterised too much of Young's output." He summed ''Echoes'' as "a daring musical makeover that will win Young many new fans."

In his review for Allmusic, Jon O'Brien gave the album three and a half stars out of five and remarked that "few would have predicted that the UK's first ''Pop Idol'' would still be around a decade later, let alone making music as confident and self-assured as ''Echoes'', which sounds like the album Young was born to make. He felt that the "13 highly personal tracks ..largely eschew his trademark MOR blue-eyed soul in favor of an understated electro sound that perfectly fits his delicate and fragile vocals." Ian Wade from BBC
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