Ed Harcourt - 'Apple Of My Eye' (Heavenly)
4/5
By: Toby L
After a sell-out show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire at the end of last year, a tour in Australia, plus the Mercury Music Prize nomination-acclaim for his debut LP, 'Here Be Monsters', Ed Harcourt's career appears to have started merrily, despite the sadly lacklustre response to his previous singles. Still, as long as the quality content remains churned out, he'll still be effectively winning fans and wowing critics.
His third release from the album is this, 'Apple Of My Eye'. A re-worked version of the original, the track benefits in appeal from the knob-twiddling of none other than Gil Norton once again, the master-class producer behind the Pixies, and its charm as a radio-friendly composition of catchy arrangements is as firm-in-place as the tag which marks this record as infectious, yet strangely touching.
It is 'strangely touching' for the fact that brass on an alternative-pop single usually comes across as crass and over-the-top, yet - despite the instruments' inclusion - the gospel-esque rhythms and vibe to 'Apple...' are still retained as exquisitely as Harcourt's voice is featured, with his croons over the mix typically affecting in all the right ways.
Although hardly the centre of attention for mainstream music-punters, Ed Harcourt is in a win-win situation: with material as strong as this, he'll either soon break the mould and appeal to a new fan base, or merely make the one that he's already achieved even more in love with him.
Artists in this article: Ed Harcourt
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