Dean John-Wilson - Say You Won't Let Go

Subscribe to Dean's YouTube channel here (YouTube)
Buy tickets to Disney's Aladdin (West End) here (Delfont Mackintosh)
Read my review of Broadway Aladdin's Adam Jacobs debut album here

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to see Disney's Aladdin take to the West End theatrical stage. Aside from being a stunning visual representation of the animated movie I know and love, it struck me as being a snapshot of what Britain in 2016 should be all about - diversity, inclusivity and togetherness. People from all walks of life, all cultures and backgrounds, working alongside each other to make something quite spectacular. One such person is Aladdin himself, Dean John-Wilson. He bought the not so street rat character to life in ways I found intriguing and captivating, his voice being a guiding force of the show (particularly on the more heartbreaking numbers such as the One Jump Ahead reprise and Proud Of Your Boy). His US counterpart has put an album of Alan Menken music (see review above) so I've been hoping that Dean would share more of his vocal talents with the world. On his newly launched YouTube channel, he's started this journey with a cover of the chart topping hit, Say You Won't Let Go. Dean's interpretation feels like he's really studied the song - stripping it back to the architecture of the lyrics and then rebuilding it in a style that reflects his own personal experiences. Accompanied by a resonant, elegiac piano score, his voice explores the aching yearning that the narrative requires. Dean brings out a sense of trepidation and fear that we all experience in the quieter moments of life, that things won't continue to go our way or something will spoil the bliss we are feeling. That's not to say he focuses too much on the melancholy or sorrow of this - his earnest, humble rendition of the titular refrain is a heartfelt plea that is imbued with a sense of fragile hope, the type of hope and longing that the human spirit in us clings to so it grows into something more resonant and sturdy. It's the type of nuance that he bought to Proud Of Your Boy and it works just as beautifully here. While I've no desire to see Dean leave Aladdin any time soon, I do hope he continues to explore songs that his expressive vocals can bring new meaning and insight to - because, based on Say You Won't Let Go, the results are going to be just stunning.