Jake Bugg – Saturday evening Sunday morning
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Jake Bugg – Saturday evening Sunday morning | Album review
August 20, 2021
It’s been nine years since his debut double platinum album and since then Jake Bugg’s trading stock has seen a noticeable decline. The bad reception of his third self-produced album On my only and tracking influenced by Americana Hearts that tire contributed to the natural expiration of its contract with Virgin EMI.
Now he’s with Sony’s RCA label and has been part of a team of songwriters including Camilla Cabello and Dua Lipa collaborator Ali Tamposi and Andrew Watt (who has worked with Justin Bieber, Post Malone and Miley Cyrus). Combining these creative choices with proclaimed influences from ABBA, Bee Gees and Bugg Beach Boys injects a healthy dose of catchy pop into her strongest album since her debut.
The songs that preceded the release of the album perfectly demonstrate the influence of these collaborations and mark with success. Saturday evening, Sunday morning like a crossed album. Recent single Lost opens with a fuzzy drum beat and funky bass that leads to an ABBA-inspired disco number. Opening track All that I need begins with a cheerful Chinese lute riff that is joined by a retro-soul beat that goes against the record’s upbeat pop tempo feel. However, these tracks, along with the other obviously pop-influenced tracks, lack what the name-was-masters trio of pop influences: a memorable melody. Even euphonic gospel singers on All that I need cannot breathe life into the mundane choir.
Interestingly, despite the emphasis on commercial pop production, the album’s highlights come from guitar-oriented influences, such as psychobilly and country influences. Kiss like the sun and euphoric pieces influenced by indie dance Yelling and Rabbit hole (with the latter featuring the singer adopting a Bee Gees-inspired falsetto).
Although Bugg returned to his basic ballad style for a few tracks, the single released Downtown is, ironically, the weakest on the album and suggests he runs out of ideas when composing in this style. Fortunately, the more full-bodied, Ã la Lennon Scene, which is accompanied by a Harrison-style slide guitar solo, offers a rich, Beatles-influenced ballad track that counteracts this surprising dud.
Taken in its entirety, this fifth Bugg album is a deliberately daring and tactical reinvention for the Nottinghamshire artist. There are enough sweet moments that justify the well-deserved resumption of commercial success that screenwriters rightly seek. It’s just a shame the vocal melodies don’t stand out with the same vibrancy and energy as the album’s pop-infused production.
Francois Nash
saturday evening sunday morning released on the 20the August 2021. For more information or to order the album, visit Jake Bugg’s website here.
Watch the video of the single Downtown here:
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