Sean Smith - Swing For The 90s

Buy Swing For The 90s here (external link)

Read my review of Sean's debut album, Solo, here

Read my review of Sean's collaboration with Beware The Bear here

The post-Same Difference career of Sean Smith has been a masterclass in how to parlay the fleeting fame that comes with TV reality shows into a diverse and sustainable career. Alongside national theatre shows and roles in We Will Rock You, Sean has delivered an array of compelling pop singles that culminated in the release of his 2020 debut album, Solo. It bought together an eclectic range of influences, woven into a seamless pop odyssey. Central to this was Sean's warm, engaging vocal style, an anchor for the listener as they immersed themselves into his solo journey. Perhaps tellingly, one of the best tracks was penned by Sean himself, Not Going Home Tonight. Not only is it a blistering slice of pop, it was further proof that Mr Smith (much like Madonna and Robbie Williams) could turn his hand to anything he wanted; a new chameleon that can bend genres to his will...

Remember when Madonna followed up Vogue with an album full of musical theatre style romps on I'm Breathless? Or when Robbie went mixtape and dropped Rudebox onto the masses? Sean seems equally in his element when taking risks. Following Solo, he worked with indie-pop combo Beware The Bear to deliver a different slice of music, perhaps the finest since Deacon Blue graced the charts in the late 80s. And his 2021 passion project manifests itself via Swing For The 90s. Here, Sean has taken a genre he loves (swing music/big band), songs that shaped his formative years (90s pop) and reinvented those tunes into something instantly recognisable yet thrilling and new all at the same time. Is it a gamble? For sure. Does it pay off? Surrounded by sumptuous scores & lush backing harmonies, he ascends from pop prince to newly crowned king of the swingers. Here's how...

• Sweetness (Michelle Gayle) ~ the opening track has huge responsibility on its shoulders. It sets the tone for the whole album and has to draw the listener in to this evocative new world. The Michelle Gayle approved Sweetness does all that and more. With an a capella/finger click introduction, the music drop into Sean's suave singing is exhilarating. That giddy sense never lets up as the rollicking piano and vibrant horns caress the shoulder shimmying transformation of what was already a brilliant pop song. What this also does is give the listener an insight into how much Sean is loving this; he sounds joyful; its a contagious feeling that is shared across the entire opus...
• Who Do You Think You Are (Spice Girls) ~ if you think an album of swing covers may be repetitive, Sean and his jazzy pals put those fears to rest on this nuanced cover of the Spice Girls classic. The brass section now gives the music the attitude that matches the lyrics while the piano seems to melodically convey a sneering riposte that most of us could only hope to verbally deliver with as much sass. Sean delivers the timeless lyrics with an assertiveness that would challenge the most lackadaisical to rise to the occasion. This isn't just singing songs swing style; it is breathing new life into them through stripping back to the blue prints and reconstructing them Sean style...
• Truly Madly Deeply (Savage Garden) ~ the sultry, simmering percussion that holds these songs together cannot be underrated; on the Savage Garden ballad it helps up the tempo without losing the romance and seduction of those dreamy words. Similarly, Jon Spanyol's piano is in symbiotic partnership with Sean's vocal, buoying his amorous desire with decadent chords and flirtatious riffing. His singing here is as if he is lost in his own thoughts, the heady rush of love helping him sing the words at a rapid pace. When he ad-libs, it solidifies that aura of letting the emotions take the performance where it needs to go.
• Sweet Like Chocolate (Shanks & Bigfoot) ~ perhaps more than any other song, this sounds like it could be in a stage musical version of Disney's The Jungle Book. Its on a par with I Wanna Be Like You and The Bare Necessities for that sense of liberation that comes flooding through your speakers each time you hear them. If this is Sean unleashed then I'm all for it - him singing "you're sweet like chocolate boy" is like honey melting into hot cocoa; in not changing the lyrics it is a new refrain for celebrating love in all its forms. Or, its a song that will buoy your mood no matter how low you feel. Entirely up to you...
• You're All That Matters To Me (Curtis Stigers) ~ Sean gives his most Frank Sinatra like performance on this adult contemporary standard. His voice is rich and crystalline, resonant with conviction and heartfelt love. And just when you think you have the song figured out, thanks to the lavish texture of the backing vocalists and accomplished band, there is a middle 8 freestyle jam session that is a complete treat. It is like you are transported to a twenties era speakeasy with the libations flowing and the patrons at one with the sound. And I love a song that takes you away from the every day rigours of life...
• One For Sorrow (Steps) ~ the opening bars of Steps most ABBA-esque moment are delectably morose (as they should be). Sean gives good heartbreak in a duet with the always riveting piano accompaniment. He savours the words to let his hurt linger one last time - but then he's letting it all out through a toe-tapping arrangement that ups the tempo; the result is that Sean sings not because he thinks it will fix anything but because he's tired of keeping it all inside. That makes this a cathartic sing along for all those scorned by lovers past and present. Strange how sadness can be so delightful.
• What is Love (Haddaway) ~ if One for Sorrow was Sean letting out his feelings, What is Love is how those thoughts come back to haunt you in the wee small hours of the morning. Sean conjures up images of a dusky club where he explores his feelings for the few remaining bar flies that is the 4am crowd. Taking the techno elements and infusing them with instrumental and vocal replacement is a work of art. The song glitters with personality; and, like the rest of the album, sounds so fresh that it is like Sean is playing directly to you. A dramatic finale leaves you wanting answers...
• Crazy For You (Let Loose) ~ and those answers come via the soaring declaration of love that is Crazy For You. This already had some lavish piano in the original, but here it sparkles just that little bit brighter. As Sean sings in his lower register in the verses, he takes the first steps to love again but in those heaven-sent choruses he's all in. It is a living, breathing Valentine's Day card. His smooth control of the melody (without it ever feeling that way to the listener) is admirable; his ability to inject just the right amount of feeling into the delivery makes this feel like it was always meant to be sung swing.
• Turn Around (90s Groove Masters) ~ taking a bonafide club floor filler, created in the studio with all sorts of electronic wizardry, and making it fit to the style of the album is no easy task. The result is an off kilter but satisfying romp that has staccato horns, punctuated percussion and a piano that positively bubbles on the boil all the way through. There aren't many lyrics to sing, but what is there is sung with such invocation that you can't help but be charmed. This may be the album's biggest gamble but it is also its most true-jazz moment. 
• End of the Line (The Honeyz) ~ out of all the songs on the album, this gorgeous cover of The Honeyz song should be its main single. With piano that oft trembles with the emotion of the lyrics, the sentiments are as vivid in the instrumental as they are in Sean's voice. This may be one of his greatest vocal performances to date - strong, dynamic yet with a touch of vulnerability that will break your heart. If you are imagining Sean singing on an opulent sound stage in a timeless 50s Hollywood movie-musical you won't be alone. It is a breathtaking finale to the album and a true work of artistry. Cue rapturous applause and many curtain calls.