Ego can be a dangerous thing. Many a rock star has come unstuck because of it. Badly Drawn Boy is a fine example of one who has come perilously close to indulging his own hype, his live performances turning into farcical control freak shows while his records, shorn of the eccentricity of old, are becoming formulaic.
Following the critical praise heaped on his debut album 'Here Be Monsters' and his fondness for showing off, young songwriter Ed Harcourt seemed particularly susceptible, on this the notoriously 'difficult' second album. Fortunately 'From Every Sphere' proves that while Harcourt has a massive ego, he also has a widescreen musical vision to back it up.
In contrast to 'Here Be Monsters' Harcourt has got ambitious with both the orchestration and the arrangements. There's the quirky pump organ on recent single 'All Of Your Days Will Be Blessed', the brass blast of the stunningly simple but beautiful 'The Birds Will Sing For Us', the lonesome harmonica on 'Sister Renee' and the spacey electro-wash of the title track.
Harcourt's inspiration is multifarious too. The well-documented similarities with Tom Waits, West Coast Americana and, yes, Badly Drawn Boy certainly hold true. On closer listen though there's a debt to The The on the dirty tones of 'Ghostwriter' (an anti-manufactured pop rant), Spiritualized on the slow burn fanfare explosion of 'Watching The Sun Come Up' and bizarrely, early Verve on the closing title track. You could argue that Harcourt would do well to ditch some of the more whimsical songs, but this is a minor quibble.
Unlike his obvious contemporaries - David Gray and Tom McRae - Harcourt has produced an album that reaches out beyond the boundaries of the traditional songwriter, yet still comes packed with memorable melodies and robust songs. He might well have one of the biggest egos in rock, but at least he has the raw talent to match.
