Cookie-Cutter Crooner

Factory-processed love tunes that lack originality or talent.

Will Young's "From Now On" can be best described as clichéd factory-processed love tunes, meant to please the average teenybopper of lesser intelligence. There is nothing that sets this newcomer apart from the already overdone and flooded market of commercial mushy pop, where looks sell more than music (ask your girlfriend).

The album starts off with "Evergreen", where the only thing cheesier and more clichéd than the music is the lyrical content. Kicking off with the very typical piano and "hmm" intro, this songs drawls into what can only be categorized as inedible. We are then made to hear a horrifying cover of The Doors' classic "Light My Fire", wherein a truly great anthem has been brought to its knees by sheer mockery of the musical talent that was The Doors. The album moves along with the same monotony to end with "Fine Line", the only shred of decency that I found.

On the whole, the album is a disappointment for the serious music listener. I must say, though, that its target audience, the average teenybopper, would readily take to this music, as the album serves up the perfect commercial mush intended for this audience. It might even pass muster by the not-so-serious listener, who doesn't mind listening to a few overdone tunes.

This article was first published on16 Jul 2003.