Conor Mason - Standstill

Given the insipid nature of the work by the likes of Blake, Morrison and Sheeran, the thought of having to listen to a male singer/songwriter in order to review Standstill had my teeth on edge right from the start. Like midges I started to wonder if there was any point in their existence and would the world not be a better place without them as the modern versions never seem to measure up well against those of the past.

Pleasingly though, despite initial thoughts that this would be what a Tim Wheeler solo effort would sound like, Conor Mason’s Grandaddy meets The Thrills style is a generally solid affair that could well punch its way out of the wet paper bag that those contemporaries mentioned earlier find themselves in.

'Misunderstood' opens proceedings on a speedy, brass-backed note that all but pounds along for the duration, bringing to mind the thought that it would be good for getting the soft top down as you speed along if we have any summer to speak of this year. On 'Lights' it's the turn of the piano to provide the underpinning insistence (there's some nice synth work too). Over the top throughout Mason's kinda breathy voice soars and swoops in equal measure, lending the songs a bit of down-home grounding.

Americana gets a look in on track number three 'Words' which, in its slower passages, is quite ballad-like and sets the tone for the likes of 'Standstill', '6.5AM', 'Sundown', 'Last To Leave' and final track 'A Picture Of Farewell'. That not one of these songs tips over into schmaltz and causes you to fast forward or even switch off completely is testament to Mason's ability to write with genuine feeling whilst not resorting to cliched grabs for your heartstrings. Depending on his future marketing and which tracks radio prefers to play, he could be breath of fresh air necessary in what had seemed an increasingly self-satisfying area of the market.