★★★★

Tom Odell certainly had his critics after the release of his 2013 debutLong Way Down.

Thanks to an overly long record filled with full-hearted, twinkly piano-thumpers that wouldn’t have been out of place at an early Elton John, Coldplay or Keane gig, it would have been easy to dismiss the then-22-year-old British singer-songwriter. Almost as if to prove his decriers wrong, his second album, Wrong Crowd, reflects a rather fascinating (and mature) evolution for the artist. Indeed, big sounds abound with an added looseness, melancholia, and, surprisingly enough, a dance beat that manages to both inject and heighten all the feels without being hefty on the naff.

It was a clever move by Odell to bring on board co-producer Jim Abbiss. Having worked with the likes of Adele, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian, he knows how to channel lofty emotion without saccharine consequences.

Lead single and slow-building album opener ‘Wrong Crowd’ lays the foundation for this new direction, as does ‘Magnetised’. Co-writing with American songwriter Rick Nowels (Sia, Lana Del Rey), Odell shakes up his signature piano with slick electronic beats and snare drums.

And for those still wanting a pared-back tearjerker, there is plenty to be found – listen out for ‘Sparrow’ and ‘Jealousy’.

Tom Odell’sWrong Crowdis out now on Columbia/Sony.

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