Jamie T
Carry on the Grudge
29 September 2014
Virgin EMI
3 stars out of 5
Carry on the Grudge
is the third LP by English singer/songwriter Jamie T (né Treays), and his first
in five years. I wish I could be more positive about this record, but I’m not a
dishonest person by nature, so I’m just going to say it as it is.
“Trouble” is a decent track for what it is that Jamie T
does. It’s upbeat, full of fun little details and angry sneers. Same goes for “Rabbit
Hole,” which in 1994—or even 2004—would have been a happening tune, but in 2014
just seems tired and old. Treays is an earnest and clever lyricist, but he’s
mired in tradition and makes little effort to subvert said tradition. There’s
nothing particularly awful here, but there’s also nothing remotely memorable,
noteworthy, or even worth checking out on YouTube.
Carry on the Grudge
is the type of halfway record that disheartens me as a reviewer: it’s not good
enough for happy thoughts and it’s not bad enough for serious dissing (which is
also a form of happy thoughts). If you make a shitty record and I get to
thoroughly rip it apart, I’m happy. If you make a brilliant record and I get to
gush on about how it’s multiple orgasms in your ears, I’m happy. But if you
give me mediocrity like Carry on the
Grudge, you’ve thoroughly pissed me off. So here’s your fucking three
stars, mister.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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