Ed Harcourt: Until Tomorrow Then
Friday, 12 Oct 2007 14:51
Underrated songwriter Ed Harcourt's best works are collected here
Heavenly, out October 8th.
In a nutshell…
Slightly too long to be enjoyable.
What's it all about?
This is Ed Harcourt's Best Of. It is designed to be a highlight of his finest moments, offering all the joys and pleasantries of his past five albums.
And while there have been highlights throughout his career, including being shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize, there have also been a number of lows. Following the relative success of Here Be Monsters, released in 2001, Ed Harcourt has never quite managed to tap the market in the same way since.
But that's not to say the songwriting talent disappeared. Listening to this collection it becomes clear that Ed Harcourt's abilities have been as good as ever throughout his career.
Who's it by?
Ed Harcourt came onto the scene in 2000 with the Maplewood mini-album, and promised a lot more. His first full length release in 2001, Here Be Monsters, showed he could deliver the goods, and this continued with each further release. But nothing new or groundbreaking was being done; no new boundaries were being broken. Just good old fashioned song writing is what Mr Harcourt does best, and he has done it consistently throughout his career.
As an example...
"When you're on your own, you walk in the rain/You walk around the house then walk around it again/You pretend you're happy that you've got it all/But don't be upset if you fall on your knees and beg like a dog" - Apple of My Eye
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Perhaps not the Grammys for old Ed. Best Ofs don't seem to go up for awards that often.
What the others say
"There are 16 songs here, and not one of them isn't, in some way, life-enhancing." – Q
So is it any good?
While Ed Harcourt may never have been the most popular singer in his genre, that doesn't mean he isn't among the best. Hearing each of these tunes individually is a delight, but somehow when they are all together it doesn't quite work. The album seems longer than it actually is; it seems to drag on and take the pleasure out of each song on its own.
Maybe the mix of songs from different albums that doesn't quite work - Ed's works have all been so similar in style that this is just like hearing a new album, but with old songs on it rather than listening to a Best Of collection.
While each track, and indeed each of his previous albums, seems to work so well, Until Tomorrow Then offers nothing. For a Best Of, it is disappointing. Instead of letting the brilliance of the songs shine through, this album muddies and tarnishes them, perhaps doing more harm than good. Which is a shame, because Ed is a man of talent - and talent that should be spread further, not enclosed for only the lucky few to know about.
5 /10
Neil Waterman
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