Pete Lawrie – A Little Brighter

Posted by Mark in Reviews | 0 comments

Pete Lawrie – A Little Brighter
9.5/10

This is the only real contender for essential album out of the clutch that sit on my desk. I have been a long time admirer of Pete Lawrie, and this is an album that seems to of been ages coming. Indeed, many of the tracks are familiar to those of us who have followed the handful of EPs and free downloads that have teased us over the last 18 months.

The whole album is full of surprises, from the beautiful string opening of ‘In The End’ right through to the last bars of my favourite track of last year, ‘Jimmy and The Birds On Fire’. Pete Lawrie is one of the few artists who manage to blend a radio-friendly feel in a totally credible manner. His undoubted songwriting abilities come to the fore on ‘All That We Keep’; for those yet to become acquainted with Pete, this beautifully crafted song about remaining optimistic about death is as good a place to start.

Upbeat tracks like ‘How Could I Complain’ sit neatly alongside the more commercially appealing ‘Half as Good’. I well remember feeling pretty cross when Paul Lester from the Guardian failed to get what Pete is all about; sure, his album crosses generational divides, but that’s half the appeal. Old tracks like ‘Paperthin’ – complete with the endearing crackles – are worth buying the album for on their own. All in all, it has a real feel good factor running right through it. There is also an alternative version featuring several tracks from the album with some interesting remixes entitled A Little Darker, and it’s available for free download from the link below.

Pete Lawrie is a special artist in my book, well deserving of any plaudits that come his way. A Little Brighter is out now on Island Records and is my essential album for May!

Pete Lawrie – All That We Keep (Jocks remix) by Stayloose

http://soundcloud.com/petelawrie link to ‘A Little Darker’

http://www.petelawrie.com/