Olly Murs ‘Marry Me’ album review by Graham Finney
It’s incredible to believe that it has been over thirteen years since a cheeky chap by the name Olly Murs walked onto the stage at X-Factor and into the hearts of fans across the country. Well, it’s now a month off the end of 2022 and Olly Murs will be heading into the New Year off the back of the release of his seventh album.
Having crossed paths with the man himself a few weeks ago at Hits Radio in Manchester, it’s nice to see that he has lost none of that cheeky, roguish and instantly likeable personality that made him such a hit on X-Factor. In fact, listening to the pleasant but playful pop that makes up the twelve tracks on “Marry Me”, you could say that very little has changed for the Essex lad. What does that mean for the new album? Are songs like “Die With a Broken Heart” and “Dancing On Cars”, the sound of a man playing it safe or are they the sound of a man who knows how to play to his strengths?
In all truth, “Marry Me” is probably a mix of both worlds. While you could never accuse Olly of taking risks, you could also say that he knows what he is good at and what his hundreds of thousands of fans want from him. They want charming but slightly cheeky pop songs and “Marry Me” has that in spades. It has songs like the title-track and “Don’t Stop Dancing” where the infectious but inoffensive pop comes complete with a warm, comforting glow whereas elsewhere it has tracks like “Do Me Like That” where the edgier pop raises the temperature a few degrees as Murs succeeds in getting pulses raising.
Despite rarely shifting through the gears, there are brilliant moments like “25” littered throughout the album where Murs’ sound finds a bit more oomph and, while lifelong fans of Olly might be happy to welcome this album like a reliable old friend, sometimes you wish there were more moments on the album like “Best Night of Your Life” where both Murs and the album feel like they have a bit of swagger in their step.
There is an age old saying that “nice guys finish last” however, in the case of Olly Murs back in 2009, they finish second. Since then his career has sky-rocketed with Murs capitalising on those strengths at every opportunity. That being the case, “Marry Me” is exactly the kind of album you’d expect Olly Murs to make in 2022.
At the same time as “Marry Me” hits shelves, so does the new album from grime heavyweight Stormzy. Poles apart in attitude, whereas “This Is What I Mean” provides the perfect soundtrack to a wild night out, Murs fans will be more than happy to grab their favourite duvet, and a warm drink for a night on the sofa with the comforting soundtrack of “Marry Me” and Olly Murs as company.
Buy tickets for Olly Murs 2023 UK Tour here
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