Published by Mason Oldridge, 22 August 2022
Tom Chaplin is one of the greatest vocalists ever, though while his voice remains strong, his energy does not.
After a decade of overwhelming success as the frontman of Keane, Chaplin released his debut solo album in 2016 documenting his struggles with addiction, proving his songwriting talent without lyricist bandmate Rice-Oxley. Midpoint focuses on the difficult questions that one can ponder upon reaching the daunting stage of mid-life. This was an opportunity to prove that growing old doesn’t mean slowing down is inevitable, though instead did just that.
When Keane reunited in 2019 with a new album, the group demonstrated renewed passion and brought with them a newfound electricity to their performances. Unfortunately, Chaplin hasn’t kept this for his latest record.
Credit where it’s due, latest single Gravitational stands out from the rest and is a beautiful capture of Chaplin’s love for his family with a catchy chorus that holds up and a lengthy outro to round off the piece.
Overall, Chaplin’s lyrics are still amazing and his vocals are still phenomenal, with a cleaner, fresher sound to them, though this just makes the bland instrumentation all the more disappointing.
4/10