Released on 18/01/06
Label: Sony

If only it were easier to hate Will Young. With someone like James Blunt, of course, it's simple as could be - just a brief burst of that annoyingly faux-emotive voice and your blood's already bubbling away at gas mark seven. But with poor, sweet Will Young, throwing bile his way would be like kicking a puppy. He's a decent enough singer - often admirably restrained. He seems a smashing chap - a little dull perhaps but never Gary Barlow-like in his tedium. And his songs are inoffensive enough. Almost hardly there, which has to be a good thing.

"All Time Love" finds Will at his wool-spun, comfortable best. Emotive fumbling on the piano. Tastefully sweeping strings. Grannies weeping quietly in the background. Our Will crooning about wanting a love for all time because "nothing else is good enough". He's right you know, Gladys. And, really, if we could only set aside our achingly hip obsessions - Arctic Monkeys until lunchtime, then Hungarian Gabba until it goes out of fashion (3.35pm, tomorrow afternoon) - we'd have to admit that this is not as bad as it could be.

Three cheers for our side.

    by Ian Watson