Never remember Jamie Woon for being one of the “hypes” of 2011 pop in the Anglo -Saxon world. His debut, ‘mirrorwriting’, contained three co-productions of no less than Burial, in addition to the single ‘Lady Luck’, but his launch was eclipsed by the success of the then emerging James Blake. Even so, Woon managed to stay fourth in the BBC Sound of 2011, which Blake did not win, by the way, but Jessie J. The second Woon album, ‘Making Time’, more organic, launched four years later.
Since then, Jamie Woon has not published new material and, except for some punctual collaboration, has remained outside the industry. His fans have been waiting for ten years, as a May water, his return to the recording studio. And this week, finally, this return has materialized with the launch of Woon’s first single in a decade. Fortunately, it is a double single.
‘Heavy Going’, Woon’s main commitment in this new era, part of a remarkable influence of the neo-soul and, because of its organic style, reflected in the presence of guitars-acoustic and electrical-, batteries and harmonies, seems a natural evolution of the previous album. In ‘Heavy Going’, the different instrumental layers provide the musical background to a meditation on the difficulty of “changing” in the modern world that invites you to take refuge in “sadness.”
While D’Angelo has always been an obvious influence on the music of Jamie Woon, he is perceived again in ‘Heavy Going’ and also in the sound of the second single, ‘A Velvet Rope’, which incorporates elements that refer to ‘Voodoo’ (2000) and evolves towards an electronic R&B style.
“A Velvet Rope”, which first does not hide a tribute to Janet Jackson, portrays a disoriented Woon, who puts the focus on everything but does not look at anything, and that he thinks he will have “lost his place,” without knowing where he was going first. Now that he is back, we welcome you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dhxjul-nau
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Egtkkkie
