‘Wrong Crowd’ by Tom Odell Album Review: Sophomore Album Is Both Authentic & More Mainstream

After a strong solo debut album Long Way Down, released back in 2013, Tom Odell is already a familiar and acclaimed name in music. With his sophomore record Wrong Crown, the UK indie singer-songwriter expands the scope of his music by delving into a sound that is capable of packing large arenas and delivering a great quality of sound.

‘Wrong Crowd’ by Tom Odell Album Review

Odell is able to maintain a balance, which makes most of his music modern and relevant. Though at times his lyrics are on the verge of being completely unoriginal, especially when he sings about heartbreak and lost love, Odell is able to maintain a balance, which makes most of his music modern and relevant. The title track, which opens the album, for example, is a wonderful medley of sounds, starting off with a muted beat and piano melody and eventually erupting into a synthy and beat-heavy tune with several vocal layers and a catchy, haunting whistling.

In many ways, Wrong Crowd pays homage to Odell’s influences, perhaps most noticeably Elton John. The John feel is nowhere as strong as it is on “Still Getting Used to Being On My Own” — an upbeat, piano-thumping track that also adds a string section and rock elements into the mix. “Jealousy” too has a similar bluesy feel and John’s musical influence on the young artist can be felt in moments when the piano is most prominent. Odell clearly seeks to position himself as the missing link between traditional performers like John (not to mention his rivaling piano virtuosity) and the contemporary British musicians such as Coldplay.

What makes this album truly successful is that Odell remains true to his authentic style — the piano-driven ballads that showcase his unique voice and place love and loss at the forefront. On the club banger “Magnetised” he laments unrequited love — something he is well known for since his debut, and “Concrete” is another original track that strikes with its strong chorus and catchy tune.

Though at times his lyrics are on the verge of being completely unoriginal, especially when he sings about heartbreak and lost love, an approach that seems to be working for Odell is when he gets more metaphorical rather than spelling out the situation that has caused stirred him and inspired him. “Constellations,” for example, is made to sound somewhat uplifting as a thrilling string section weaves together the piano and vocals. This is somewhat true for “Constellations” and even more so for “Sparrow,” where he addresses a sparrow and wonders, “Tell me why you’d walk if you knew you could fly.”

Odell proves that his voice is as accustomed to a large explosive Coldplay-dimension sound as it is to stripped-down, acoustic renditions. Wrong Crowd is the kind of album that clearly shows the artist’s development and his wish to deliver his authentic style with a modern and relevant punch, which he does with ease and great success.

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