DVDfever.co.uk - Alain Clark: Live It Out CD reviewDVDfever.co.uk - Charts, News and Reviews of Blu-rays, DVDs, Games, CDs, Hardware, Laserdiscs, Cinema Films & more
Dutchman Alain Clark is one of Warner Brothers’ main priorities for this year. It’s easy to see why. Handsome Alain has been making waves in his homeland for some time and has double-platinum status in Holland.
Having grown up in a musical family – his father Dane (whose got a great voice too, heard on duet Father & Friend) once fronted a nine piece band, so young Alain became aware of old school soul from an early age, listening (or probably just hearing way back them) to the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett et al.
In many ways Clark is a reincarnation of Terrence Trent D’Arby, even down to the singing technique.
So, over 20 years after D’Arby’s commercial demise, what does Clark actually bring to the table? The clue I suppose is in the ‘old school’ tag.
Back in the day, the 1960s, Soul music was combination of belting out a great song to dance to, or on the other scale, one to rip your heart out.
In most, part Clark has almost achieved both on this debut, which bodes well for the future, though he does have some way to go in my opinion.
All the songs are self-penned, with the odd collaboration here and there, which is great start. This puts him in a better position than Lemar and even Seal. His voice is silky smooth; however it lacks any real identity or character which made the greats, great.
Yes, the songs are sweet and cute even, but I can’t hear any real pain or agony, synonymous with great songs of the past, which is the market he’s competing with. There again, soul, real soul is virtually dead, so he has no direct competition, except from the likes of say Raul Midon.
That said, Clark has been a very good student of soul, taking cues from the likes of Stevie Wonder on She’s The One and This Ain’t Gonna Work and legendary gospel / soul exponent Al Green on Head Over Heels, even extending to southern soul in places on the brass-laden Go There, which brings one of his best vocals on the album, though he really pushes himself on Live It Out where he finally displays some heart-wrenching angst.
For Hold On, he goes for a Motown feel and beat similar to a Funk Brothers’ rhythm swing.
Not all the tracks are good, as there’s the odd duffer like the limp Fell In Love, a squiggy saccharine ballad.
The standout track is the simple and emotive All You Gotta Change where he accompanies just a piano. Having stripped away all the instrumentation of previous tracks, this reveals the guy can sing beautifully, though it lacks any character.
1. Blow Me Away
2. This Ain’t Gonna Work
3. Father And Friend
4. Hold On
5. Fell In Love
6. Go There
7. I Don’t Wanna Change The World
8. Live It Out
9. She’s The One
10. I Need You
11. All You Gotta Change
12. Father and Friend (Radio edit)
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.