Since placing 2nd in 2009’s X Factor, Olly Murs has had a fruitful career. With four UK number-one singles and albums, alongside various TV presenting roles, the ‘cheeky chappy’ persona seems to have taken Murs rather far. However, with the release of his sixth album, You Know I Know, the term ‘scraping the barrel’ is all that really comes to mind. Half old hits, half new tracks, there is most definitely a sense that ideas are running dry for Murs, and that the desperation to release an album before gift-giving season has resulted in the musical equivalent of a damp towel.

However, with the release of his sixth album, You Know I Know, the term ‘scraping the barrel’ is all that really comes to mind.

The use of previous songs aside, the majority of the new tracks sound pretty much the same, with very few lyrics standing out. Bagging Snoop Dogg as a feature on ‘Moves’ is, in all fairness, a huge accolade, and making this the first track of the album is a clever ploy likely to be successful in reeling people in. However, when listening, it sounds eerily like Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’, particularly with the use of what I can only describe as ‘semi-rap’ in the verses – a trademark feature of many of Sheeran’s tracks. ‘Excuses’ is perhaps the best out of a relatively bad bunch. With a simple, but quite charming chorus, the listener can actually indulge in the lyrics – a rare occasion on this album. The stripped-back instrumentation also allows us to really hear Murs’ voice (it’s actually rather good).

All in all, You Know I Know is a good album to listen to if you’re a fan of processed pop music, with lyrics that generally feel like they have been written very much for the sake of it, or if you’re a die-hard Olly Murs fan, looking for all his hits in one money-hungry place.

Charlotte Bresh

Header image via Crowns and Owls