Will Young - Losing Myself

If you'd have asked someone a few years ago if they'd ever have thought Will Young would re-invent himself as an angelic synth-pop artist, you'd probably have been greeted with silence.

But that's exactly what Will managed to achieve this year, and it's resulted not only in some of the best material of his career, but some of the best pop music around at the moment.

Where previous singles Jealousy and Come On felt futuristic and reflective, new track Losing Myself has its feet set firmly in the 80s. The production is pure bliss and Will's soulful vocals suit it perfectly. This could easily be something off a late 80s George Michael album, but imbued with all the maturity and electronic glory of something New Order or Depeche Mode would have been proud to call their own.

Some people dismiss electronic music as cold and dispassionate, but Losing Myself is wrapped up in such warmth, such delicacy and nuance of emotion that it packs the intensity of any hard-wrought campfire ballad. As 2011 turns into 2012, Will Young has proven yet again he stands as an artist of continuing relevancy and one of the prime examples that reality TV prodigies can be forces for good in music.

Losing Myself is released on the 19th March.

Will Young - Come On

Sometimes, an artist will just get it bang on the money with their next single choice. This is the case for Mr. Will Young, who's gone for his delightful cover of Kish Mauve's Come On as the follow up to Jealousy.

Half of Will's album Echoes is penned by the electro-pop group (who, if you remember, also gave us Kylie Minogue's brilliant 2 Hearts) and just with Jealousy, there's both the instant appeal of the song's hooks, but also a kind of gradual dawning of just how beautiful and true the lyrics really are.

With his Echoes album, Will has hit on the real sentiment that lies at the heart of each and every one of us.

As Come On launches into its chorus, the song feels like its been locked up in Will's heart ever since he won Pop Idol - it positively bursts out from him, full of emotion and some rather nice vocodered ad libs (note to George Michael, this is what your cover of True Faith should have sounded like)

Take That hit their stride when they turned to dreamy synth-pop, and so too has Will Young. There's much to be said to pairing a voice as soulful and relaxed as Will's to the futuristic electro-scapes that populate his album. There's a crisp, crystalline quality to the production that exudes such luxury, you get a real sense of both the song and album being a real 'premium' product.

Come On is released on the 21st November.