Electric Soul is the second full-length album from the London-born, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-raised singer-songwriter Marlon Roudette since he departed from Mattafix back in 2007. Due to his new solo material only being released in select European countries, though, Marlon's music has been criminally under-heard over the years, and, because we've been displeased with that fact, we feel obligated to shed some light on what is another great album from the artist, in the hopes that the body of work does not again fall through the cracks. Just a few weeks ago, we shared the lead single, "When The Beat Drops Out" (along with its remix), and it was surely the kind of lead single we were hoping for, as it's had us keeping the latter work on repeat. Now, however, it's time for the full-course meal to reveal itself, and, like the instant amiability that the first track offered, the rest of the album is presenting much of the same. As far as getting into the new material goes, it probably won't take long for you to find your favorite from the album, because the first track, "America" will likely be your go-to from the entire body of work. On it, we find Marlon singing about what sounds like a significant other having left to the place to lead a more potential-ripe life, and slow-building, orchestral-laced production give it the sonic backing to bolster the sentiments of the subject. From there, our favorites fall into the love ballad, "Hearts Pull", and the more uptempo, soul-driven pop of "Runaround". If you're just starting to get tired of Sam Smith's debut album, but want some more excellent soul-pop to listen to, we suggest you give Electric Soul a go. It's not quite as boldly high-reaching as the former's work, but it doesn't have to achieve its effective state. It's emotionally driven and attractive to the ears, and that's all we ought to be caring about, anyway. Electric Soul is available in select European countries on iTunes.
Marlon Roudette