Poor old Will Young. He's done numerous interviews of late about how he desperately wants to shudder off the weighty Pop Idol mantle and be marked out as a talented artist in his own right. This sentiment from Hungerford's reality pop champ has been pretty clear ever since he dared to cover The Doors' Light My Fire in a soul/jazz groove. He has gone on to try to carve out a career for himself as the white soul man of Britain.
His latest single Friday's Child, title-track off his current album, marks him out to be deserving of that accolade. It's a soulful tune studded with mellow beats and infused with flighty flutes, trembling violins, retro-groove guitars and fluid female backing singing. Lasting just over four minutes, the song is a snipped-down version of the nine-minute song featured on the album.
Will's singing is as ever crystal clear in this upmarket track that is as far away from the formulaic Pop Idol gumph as Gareth Gates is from a Brit award. So well done Will. Friday's Child is a clear development from his former Pop Idol days and reflects a greater maturity that diehard fans and Will newcomers alike will love.
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