Shangri La by Jake Bugg

Young troubadour Jake Bugg has risen through the ranks pretty quickly. His first album came out last year so to follow it up that quickly is quite unusual, especially in this day and age. The amount of hype that surrounded his first album was unbelievable seeing as "Lightning Bolt" was played on the BBC's London 2012 Olympic coverage right before Usain Bolt's legendary 100M win. This caught many people's attention and since then the 19 has enjoyed great success. 

Usually described as a mixture between Folk singer songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Britpop heroes such as Noel Gallagher, Jake Bugg's sound is one that reels you in and makes you attentive to it. Most of the time, the young singer does two kinds of songs: the fast country western type songs a la Johnny Cash and the tender quiet tunes that make you ponder about life. shangria La" has a real balance between the two, just like the first Jake Bugg album. Basically this is like the debut album but a 2.0 version. This could annoy some people seeing as they might not like the one trick pony act.

The first three songs are fast ones. “There’s a Beast and We All Feed It” has jangly acoustic guitars blended with twiddly electric guitars, it’s reminiscent of 50’s rock n roll. “Slumville Sunrise” revolves around a repetitive guitar riff that evolves into a sing along chorus. “What Doesn’t Kill You” sounds like something from Arctic Monkeys first album. Overall, a solid trio of opening songs.

“Me And You” and “Messed Up Kids” slow things down a bit. The first of the two being a “Blowing In the Wind” Bob Dylan-esque type tune and the second being an average song where Jake Bugg really has to strain his voice in the chorus. After that, the next two songs bring down the tempo even more. “A Song About Love” is a beautiful, impressive ballad and “All Your Reasons” sounds like a massive Britpop anthem.

“Kingpin” is straight up, kick ass rock n roll. “Kitchen Table” and “Pine Trees” are some extra acoustic tunes in the album’s roster that make you sit back and become observant. “Simple pleasures” is quite similar to “All Your Reasons” so if you like these kinds of songs then you’ll surely have a spring put in your step. “Storm Passes Away” is nice, charming closer to the album.

Essentially, “Shangri La” is an improved version of the first album. An impressive effort when you consider the fact that this album was made in less than a year. A solid second album.  

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

BEST SONGS: A SONG ABOUT LOVE, PINE TREES, ME AND YOU

WORST SONG: MESSED UP KIDS