Long Way Down

NME 0/5 Imagine this – an act that’s three parts Ben Howard, five parts Adele, four parts Keane, eight parts Florence and 500 parts Marcus Mumford’s arse .... Welcome to Tom Odell. Please, you’re welcome to him.

Evening Standard 3/5 It’s not all so exciting … Still, when Odell ups the pace again on closer Sirens, the hype seems justified.

DIY 1.5/5 Make no mistake, this is V Festival, this is Olly Murs with a piano, this is not the saviour of British music on a global or domestic scale. Odell may well sell a lot of records (though long term, he may not) but as far as art to engage and inspire goes, ‘Long Way Down’ has precious little to recommend it.

The Independent 2/5 Long Way Down is stuffed with bogus sensitivity, crystallisations of emotional disquiet couched in chant choruses, and polite piano arrangements reliant on a few chord-changes.

All Music 3/5 The appropriately titled Long Way Down, his debut long-payer, aims for the nosebleed seats without riddling its audience with cannon fire.

The Observer 3/5 The young singer wears his heart on his sleeve but needs to broaden his emotional range.

Pop Matters 3/10 Here on Long Way Down, neither of Odell’s gifts—or their intimacy—are given space or time, lost instead in a sea of messy arrangements and a sense that, however fatuous, more must certainly mean better.

The Guardian 3/5 He may yet rise above the glut of similar-sounding Sheehans, Buggs and Mumfords, but hasn't yet found his voice.

The Telegraph 4/5 Tom Odell's new album justifies the hype with its walloping big tunes and tales of reckless romance.

The Irish Times 2/5 On the face of it, you've got a high achiever; the reality is that Odell – for the moment, anyway – simply doesn't match his aspirations with ability.