In 2016, Birmingham singer songwriter Lawrence Taylor released his debut single Waiting For Your Love and Bang Bang he rightfully picked up plenty of press, sessions and playlist streams for his infectious melodies, jangling guitar riffs and dreamy pop vocals. Three years later - and that's a long in the musical world - Taylor's new Poor Boy EP picks up the changes in the musical scene and has channelled his sound to be more sophisticated, and his songwriting has followed suit.
With an army or male singer songwriter's breaking into the charts it's vital that each of them have their own USP's. With a heavy radio appeal the Poor Boy EP may fall somewhere in the grey space between Jack Savoretti, George Ezra and Hozier, but Taylor's effortless, and distinctive, falsetto is less shrill than Sam Smith and he demonstrates a lyrical maturity that is lacking in the work of many other twenty something chart toppers.
The title track speaks volumes about consumerism, Fight For Your Life has a quiet desperation that bubbles just under the surface and No Messiah has the hallmarks of a bonafide hit. The only trouble here is that the quality of these tracks are so good, you wish where were more. Please Mr Lawrence, no more teasing, it's time for a full scale LP.
Groupie rating 4/5