You’d be forgiven for rolling your eyes at the prospect of another singer-songwriter attempting to ply his trade in the world of troubadours. It is a heavily saturated market of men with guitars currently reigned over by Ben Howard following his Brit award success and having been brought into the mainstream by Ed Sheeran. 25-year-old singer-songwriter Luke Sital-Singh is a solo artist attempting to tap into the contemporary folk market that is now more popular than ever. Having followed Luke for over a year now, during which time he has released three EPs, I was extremely pleased to see him feature on the BBC Sound of 2014 longlist when it was announced earlier in December. After support from Radio 1 and The Guardian and with 2014 looking like a big year for the Londoner, I thought I’d take a minute to tell you about his most recent offering.
The four track ‘Tornados’ EP kicks off in style with lead single and easily the best song on the record called ‘Nothing Stays The Same’. Perfectly showcasing his knack for writing powerful melody lines and emotive lyrics coupled with his soaring voice the track is, simply put, beyond exquisite. The mood drops from the rousing, upbeat and high tempo opener to a much more mellow ‘Nearly Morning’. The demo, which lasts for just under six minutes, has drawn comparisons to the indie-folk royalty that is Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. The delicate tearjerker is a sure fire hit with emotionally in tune fans fully immersed in the genre. Percussion makes a return for a turn of pace in ‘How To Lose Your Life’, not exactly the same grandiose feel from ‘Nothing Stays The Same’ but still a beautiful track. It’s a tale of heartbreak, self-motivation and a blind faith in true love we’ve become familiar with. As usual it seems to find itself on the pretentious and tacky side but fortunately I count myself as an old romantic and was hooked on the repeated mantra “I will lose my life to the love I find.” Finally the EP ends on a slightly dry note as ‘Tornado Town’ seems to be the most forgettable of all the tracks. Although a piano led ballad may seem like a tender note to fade out on, it does leave you somewhat pining for the fuller sound of earlier tracks. Overall it’s a sublime and noteworthy collection from a highly promising and upcoming artist on a trajectory for success which may just see him become the next poster boy of folk. I can only hope Luke gets the recognition his music deserves.
