Single Selection: Mark Owen ft Ren Harvieu ~ S.A.D

People of Britain, you have let yourselves down. Yes it's been a very nice summer - we've all picked out our very finest finery to wear when we think we will be up all night to get lucky. We;ve gone to our boss's BBQ, had one too many Pimms and drunkenly slurred (lines) "You the hottest bitch in this place" at his horsey faced wife, Petuna. And once we'd got over the mortification of that, we danced all night to the best song ever (and it went oh oh oh, etc)... And what a way to end the summer - seeing Miley Cyrus repelling clothes and twerking against some guy dressed as Beetlejuice. I mean you really can't complain can you?! However, Britain has missed a trick this summer by not embracing the elegant and elegiac new single from the always a treat Mark Owen. He teamed up with sultry songstress Ren Harvieu to create S.A.D from his brilliant album, The Art of Doing Nothing - and in doing so, bought us music that is thought provoking, exquisitely crafted and will endure through the ages regardless of current musical trends or fads. S.A.D transcends classification; instead inveigles it's way into the listener's heart and imbues them with wistful nostalgia. What I have always loved about Mark's solo music (read my top five faves of his here) is that, regardless of what tunes Take That put out (and being in a group, each member has to consider the overall goal and picture), he makes the type of music he loves rather than just trying to recreate a solo Take That sound - this is solidly evident on S.A.D. Forged around a truly sweeping and grandiose orchestral instrumental (no surprise at it's wondrous nature - string arranger is Wil Malone who did Kylie's Confide In Me), each note played by each instrument seems to echo the aching melancholy of the lyrics. Indeed, the classical elements weave their own narrative that fleshes out the story being so beautifully sung by Mark and Ren. There's no doubting that Mark has a distinctive and sonorous vocal that highlights the gradation and emotion of the lyrics - when he combines his sound with Ren's soothing, nuanced tones (particularly during that stunning middle 8) it will stop you in your tracks and break your heart. Their musical alchemy conjures into life the tale of a doomed love affair that both want to cling to just a little bit longer, and brings the song to a grandiloquent conclusion that leaves you satisfied and rewarded at the musical journey you've been on. Add to this the lovely video which captures the process of recording the track and if you don't have this in your mp3 collection within 5 minutes of finishing this review then you really need to take a good long hard look at yourself in the mirror. Buy the album here...

(Also, do buy Ren Harvieu's stunning album Through The Night here - she has a voice for the ages and the whole opus is a delight from start to end)...