Music Review

02 December 2008 02:57 BST

Bryn Christopher: My World

Polydoor, out September 1st.

In a nutshell…

Debut from the man being touted as the male Amy Winehouse.

What's it all about?

12 increasingly annoying songs which seem to take an eternity.

Who's it by?

As the Guardian suggest, for every new Dusty there is an Otis or Stevie. Hailing from Birmingham, Bryn Christopher is a man of much hype, having been heralded by all and sundry, from Winehouse herself to Scott Mills on Radio 1. Even super agents the William Morris Agency have signed him up, so confident are they of the young man being a success.

As an example...

"Tell me why I'm feeling this way/'Cos nothing's the same when you're gone/There's something going on with my brain/I'm finding it hard to explain/Why am I addicted to you?/And when did I first lose control?/Oh, how can I escape from your hold?/And how can I change when I'm numbed through the cold?" - Smilin'

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

I just don't know. Part of me thinks no, and part of me thinks this is exactly the kind of thing the Americans are lapping up at the moment, what with the success of Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis, for example. But it's probably more likely to have nab a nomination for something like the Mercury Music prize.

So is it any good?

No. There's a lot of hype about the guy, but then we've seen it all before and quite recently with the likes of David Jordan. Honestly and simply, he's just annoying. It's like he's trying too hard to impress and not just lending his admittedly pretty good voice to the basic stuff. There's moments where he sounds like Roachford or Seal, and moments where he sounds like the lead singer of the Commitments. If he's trying to be like the British Gnarls Barkley, then it's really not worth it.

My worry is that he's 'cool' enough and doing the right style of music to get significant enough airtime that people might just buy into the hype. Certainly, the Times, the Guardian and Radio 1 have been quick enough to champion him, but if you listen to this album, you'll wonder what all the fuss is about. It's been done before, and better.

Do yourself a favour and give this one a miss. If there is clamour to have the new Otis, then that's understandable. Unfortunately, Bryn Christopher isn't that man. Perhaps with time and focus he could be good, but for now, you're better off spending time with the original than spending time with a wannabe.

2/10

Rob Wheatley