Todd Carey - Feel Good

Buy-stream Todd's new album, Feel Good, here (external link)

Read my review of Future Throwback here

Four years can feel like an eternity in pop music. Heck, it has felt like an eternity in real life. Still, Todd Carey's last album, Future Throwback, has remained a bastion of satisfying pop music that still has the ability to surprise and exhilarate. He's now back with a brand new opus that channels his experiences since that album into 11 hook-laden new tracks. He's wisely chosen songs that reflect his the redemptive power of love in his life, songs that fans have embraced in live shows and songs that reflect the emotive and instructive title of this new album - a mission to make you Feel Good. It is a huge endorphin boost that not only demonstrates his artistic growth since his last album but just makes you want to cling on to the happy times and banish away the miserable moments. Reggae tinged grooves give you summery island vibes and leave with a blissful sense of calm in this chaotic world of ours.

It starts with Wanna Be, a refreshing ode to taking a moment to count your blessings in life and recognise all the good things you got going on around you. Todd has always been a gifted lyricist with the ability to convey the every-day emotions far more eloquently than the average man. Here, he wraps his words around you like a hug. Joined by his buddy Jake Miller, this is a sing-along affair that buoys your spirits and starts the album off with a soaring high. On Real Love he brings the listener into his story through clever song structure. The verses tell of how he used to view the world, set to an intimate guitar riff and finger-click groove. This creates a vibe of having a confessional chat with your best mate, sharing secrets you only trust the other with. It then explodes in a glorious wall of sound in the chorus, where the textured vocals and shimmering groove make this a convivial chant that sends chills of ecstasy down your spine. Now, admittedly Matthew Mcconaughey is a catchier title than Alright Alright Alright but whatever riff you are singing still makes this an instant crowd pleaser. It is the ultimate jam session with Shwayze bringing what Todd calls 'the extra sauce' - and he's not wrong. It is laid back summer in a (pop) bottle, ready to be uncorked when you need chill out time any time of year. What my nan would call "a right bobby dazzler of a song"...

Rally is the song I need in 2020. It has been a tough year, personally, professionally and politically. But there is always great art to lift you back up and Rally falls right into that category. This insightful and inspiring song sees Todd share his own insecurities and take a deep breath to face the next day through that pep talk of a chorus. The hand-clap beat makes this a swaggering, endorphin boost with Todd as your personal cheerleader. A highlight in an album full of them. Grown Ups is a quick blast of a pop song - a piano driven, hip hop groove (seriously, those keyboard chords are ravishing) with rapid fire lyrics dispensing wisdom like a contemporary preacher delivering his sermon. Its catchy as AF, lingering in your head all the live long day. Infinity is not only a love letter to being in love, it is a love letter to the art of crafting a timeless ballad. With romantic, heartfelt lyrics Todd tells a tale of letting his defences down and basking in the glow that amour can bring. Set to a mesmerising, shuffling percussion, Todd performs the poetic words with an aching sincerity that pulses like a beating heart alongside that elegant score. Next up, Letting Go is an acoustic, guitar centric bop that is as liberating as the title suggests. Todd excels in a stripped back setting, letting the nuanced power of his voice shine forth. He's pure passion and its a contagious sentiment that lets you fall into the music. 

The wise words of Wanna Love sees Todd eschew the material things in life and give into the most powerful emotion of them all - love. Its redemptive power shines through the lyrics and vocal performance. His tangible glee at being a one-woman-man effervesces through the glittering chorus which is accentuated by sumptuous horns and textured backing vocals (that are as if a choir of angels are joining in his new mission statement). Meanwhile Don't Know When To Quit highlights how Mr Carey isn't afraid to explore multiple genres in his work.The music blends an icy cool guitar riff with a booming dance-infused chorus that will soon have your hips a-swaying in symbiotic unison with the simmering rhythms. Proud is a stark and timely reminder that you should always value your self-worth; focus on what you have achieved (big or small) and don't let others bring you down. There is an intensity to the music that is juxtaposition to the vulnerability of the words. Todd bares his soul on the song making this a grand (almost) finale (there's an instrumental epilogue). He has bought you on a journey and it is a path you will want to revisit often.