A bright shiny new penny of a British balladeer…

by Maddalena

First, let me say I’m musically old. I was listening to Bob Dylan as a ten-year-old and Bruce in my 20s. My greatest pleasure now though is to find the new, the young, the singer/songwriters of a new generation that are good enough to still rearrange my musical molecules. And Tom Bright is one of the brightest stars I’ve come across yet.

The Bright-side

Tom found me on Instagram last year by sending out a link to his newly released single, Legacy, from his second album of the same name. I love a title track that’s not missing, don’t you? Interesting face, I thought, now let’s see what he’s got! I was just captivated by his voice, his words, his music. It was a hint of Irish brogue I thought I heard at first when that whiskey burnished velvet voice took hold of my senses. I came to find he is actually a 34 year-old British boy born in Berlin who currently calls London home. Legacy was magic to the ears and mind of this lyrically leaning listener (yes, a triple alliteration is better than sex). I loved every song I heard and parted with my ITUNES cash. I said I was old, I don’t Spotify if I can help it.

Leaving a Legacy

Legacy is a perfect album from start to finish. The arrangement of the strings on How Young We Were just soar. The peek at a father/son relationship in Chip off the Old Block is not some cliché lament but rather an astute look back. One song in particular, though, blew me away. In 2 minutes and 15 seconds, this heart wrenching gorgeous song, If I Met Your Shadow, asks a question about a young life gone way too soon from the grandest and simplest perspective of grief. It catches your throat and your attention in equal measure.

Tom came into his own with this November 2021 album release. His first record, Self Service Checkout, is a fine debut with songs like Storm in a Teacup, but Legacy is the perfect storm of songwriting, each one different and unique. Also don't miss this single-only-song The Man Who Knows That What He Knows is Nowt. A mouthful I know but O so good!

Bright Future

Tom may remind you of other UK crooners. What makes him stand out from the pack, though, is his soulful purity of songwriting and craftsmanship. If you read me long enough you will know you can strike any chord, but if you don’t strike the genuine chord then you lose me. Listen to Legacy. If you’re in the UK, see a show. Hopefully soon, I will too and on either side of the Atlantic is just fine with me. Well done, Mr. Bright, well done!