Tom White - Yalla Album Review

rating: 3

Thomas White, who you may know from The Electric Soft Parade, has put all his other music to the side to produce a heart wrenching, coming-of-age solo album Yalla, set to be released March 19th. The story behind this set of songs is almost what makes the album itself. With six weeks to kill in the Egyptian town of Dahab, the feeling of homesickness set in and the inspiration was there. Within a week and half, these songs were written and recorded on the laptop Thomas wisely decided to take along with him for the trip. He€™s left the studio tricks and clever effects behind and has stripped down his sound to just his soothing voice and a guitar. On the wistful That Heavy Sunshine Sound he talks of the blazing desert sun beating the ground while on All The Fallen Leaves admits he misses his hometown of Brighton. This frank album is a great way to kill half an hour and be whisked away to the desert; Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls has a Beatles / Kinks sound to it, but the album mainly brings back memories of The Divine Comedy, especially on Lungful Of Air. Whether it was the Egyptian sun or the feeling of homesickness that brought this on, one thing that€™s for sure is that Thomas White should take more holidays. www.electricsoftparade.co.ukhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Thomas-White-Official/321247218454