Sam Isaac: Sticker, Star and Tape EP
Sam Isaac: Sticker, Star and Tape EP
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Wednesday, 14, Jan 2009 10:44
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In a nutshell...
Interesting, varied, promising, happy, energetic.
What's it all about?
A young artist, coming off the back of some serious airtime on BBC radio stations, has worked with remix artists to release his most popular song in three different fashions. Surprisingly, it's not a bad move.
Who's it by?
Sam Isaac is still an up-and-coming artist who was given the honour of having the Hottest Record in the World as per Zane Lowe's recommendations, with the artist releasing early work via his website and iTunes as well as a couple of singles. Fire Fire was one of these which made the original Sticker, Star and Tape EP which has been remixed in a "beat-fantastic" way for iTunes, according to young Sam's statement.
As an example...
"If you can't set fire to anything, then what's the point in being scared?" - Fire Fire
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
This bloke's pretty good. It's not as hard as it used to be for British artists to really make it in the real world and given his vocal style, it wouldn't be too shocking if he really made it in a few years.
What the others say
"If these songs are anything to go by, his album will be a triumph." - Daily Music Guide.
"It floats along with Isaac's sweet but characterless singing, not too disimilar to the JCB Song by Nizlopi." - Elly Roberts, All Gigs (commenting on his song Sideways).
So is it any good?
The five tracks presented in his original effort seem inoffensive and mainstream enough but on the face of things, young Sam has the potential to really grow as an artist, not least in his ability to draw strengths from popular artists before him. Some of his songs, most notably Annie, Why Are You So Angry?, sound like a Snow Patrol tune, with the titular Sticker, Star and Tape taking the lead from Chris Martin.
Despite this, he is still able to make the songs his own. His voice is never particularly negative even in the darker moments, which makes it perfect for easy listening. Sadly, it could have an adverse effect on those who want to take time out to listen to music alone as sometimes tracks can blur into each other, like a British version of Green Day's Warning.
Still, he's overwhelmingly likeable. The numbers are charming, from the upbeat Sticker, Star and Tape to the cutesy Carousel for Three, which uses a wonderful amount of instruments yet retains an air of simplicity.
The remixes of the title track are surprisingly good at diversifying the original sound, even if one of them is inevitably rubbish. James Yuill's take on the song, which is the longest of the three, sounds like a rave on a 1950s American depiction of Mars, with Pet Shop Boys-style synthesisers doing the lion's share of the good work.
Rod Thomas also makes a good effort with his more experimental approach, isolating the vocals and overloading the tune itself with Kraftwerk-esque jingles. If the voice was given a female lilt, it could easily be mistaken for a top ten hit by CSS.
The least-impressive offering came from Steve Brown, whose apparent obsession with heavy bass undoes the playful voice of Sam. Having said that though, as one usually offended by remixes if I like the original, this version is slightly less painful than might have been expected.
Sam Isaac has really marked himself out early in his career but is still young and has not surrendered himself to the cult of celebrity by any means. In another couple of years and, based on this performance, he could easily be a star of the future.
8/10
Matt Gardner