''Lexicon'' is the seventh studio album by British singer

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 Pop Idol (series 1), inaugural series of the ITV (TV network), ITV talent contest ''Pop Idol'', making him the f ...

. It was released on 21 June 2019 through

Cooking Vinyl Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England, founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner and chairman ...

. The album's lead single " All the Songs" was released on 22 March 2019 and, with it, announced a supporting 21-date UK tour lasting throughout the month of October.

Background

The album has been said to reunite the team who executive produced his 2011 studio album '' Echoes''. Furthermore, the album reunites him with

Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for arti ...

, who produced his 2011 single "

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. ...

", and

Eg White Francis Anthony "Eg" White (born 22 November 1966) is a British musician, songwriter and producer. He started his career in the cowpunk band Yip Yip Coyote in the 1980s and then formed Brother Beyond with his brother, David White, in the late ...

, who co-wrote his 2003 single "

Leave Right Now "Leave Right Now" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Will Young. It was written by Eg White and produced by Stephen Lipson for his second studio album, '' Friday's Child'' (2003). A song about unrequited love, it was released as the ...

". Additionally, it is said to feature a track written by BRIT-award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Walker.

Critical reception

Commenting on Young's decision to release ''Lexicon'' with

, Elizabeth Aubrey wrote in the review for ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'': "The freedom it has brought certainly suits him. ''Lexicon'' has darker, electronic underpinning than anything he’s done before ..The project sees Young collaborating with other songwriters for the first time since his third album. He has boldly overhauled his sound and stayed true to his pop roots." ''

musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

'' editor Helen Clarke described ''Lexicon'' as "a record for wallowing in after a break-up. It’s melodramatic ..but it mostly feels a bit filler-y. Luckily for him, in the days of streaming and downloads, those opening tracks will be plenty to re-stoke the public’s love of Will Young, and hopefully provide a grounding for his next record. Electro Will is in there somewhere – as 2011's "

" proved – and we can't wait to hear from him again." Quentin Harrison, writing for ''Albumism'', felt that "loosely defined as a sort of glossary for exceptional language or knowledge, it was wise for Will Young to elect “lexicon” as a designation for an album that manages to look back while moving forward with mature, compellingly rendered pop pieces."

Background

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References