Calum Scott isn’t a household name yet, but with his new album Only Human he’s defiantly on track to getting there. Calum is a British singer probably most well-known for his appearance on 2015’s Brittan’s got talent. He blew the judges away, Simon in particular who used his golden buzzer, with his rendition of Robyn’s Dancing on my Own. He turned the upbeat pop song into a haunting ballad that could rock one to their core. I had stumbled upon his audition by accident but found myself returning to it over and over, simply because his version was so good. I didn’t watch the rest of his run on Brittan’s Got Talent, but I would periodically check if his cover of Dancing on my Own was on Apple music.
It was during one of these checks that I found his newly released album, and I won’t lie, I was kind of nervous to listen to it. The song that had been stuck in my head for months was included in the album, but what if the rest of the tracks didn’t live up to my expectations? With slight trepidation, I listened to the whole album through and was far from disappointed. The first song I heard off of the new album was titled You are the Reason and it literally sent chills down my spine. There is so much emotion in his voice that makes him come across as honest, and this allows me as the listener to identify with him.
He further showcases his singing chops with ballads like If Our Love is Wrong, and Hotel Room. Again the honesty in his voice is unmistakable and paired with his husky lower register, it keeps me coming back for more. However, he also flexes a the pop aspect of his voice in songs like Rhythm Inside. This song is upbeat and a complete departure from any of the ballads on the album. It shows that he is one of the most versatile new male singers in the pop music industry today.
Though Calum’s album is amazing, I fear that he may not be able to break into the US pop charts. He defiantly has talent, but I’m not sure if America is ready for him. Right now the US hot 100 chart is dominated by acts like The Weekend, Demi Lovato, P!nk, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. From past experience we know that cracking the US code can be difficult, IE hit bands like Take That never really landing in America despite being wildly popular in the UK. Ed Sheeran managed to win the US over, with help from Taylor Swift’s Red Tour, but at this moment Calum may not possess the firepower to follow suit. A smarter move might be to become popular in the UK charts before attempting a US takeover, this way he has the fan base to back him up, much like the strategy BTS has recently used. Whichever way Calum decides to play it, he most defiantly has won my support with his new, incredible album.
