Turning on Lewis Bootle’s “The Seed”–title track on his newest release–my first thoughts were, “Ooo another James Bay,” and I thought that in the best possible way. The twenty-three-year-old singer/songwriter comes to us from Ware in England, ready to make a splash with his second EP. His debut, with single “Do What I Need To Do,” launched Bootle onto the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Top 10, and The Seed has already followed suit.
The opening track is the best by far, Bootle’s vocals are crisp and maintain his British accent that is not only genuine, but sure to make the ladies swoon. For me, it was the acoustic guitar that stole my heart, however. It cuts clear through the vocals creating a soothing atmosphere to envelop the song, about waiting for that perfect moment when a relationship (or individual) is ready to be blossom and be all that it can be.
Bootle follows up with a quirky track, “Goldfish,” which takes a little time to digest. The silliness is apparent right off the bat, but I can see that Bootle is going for a deeper meaning. After all, who ever thought of what life was like as a goldfish? Bootle likens it to being trapped, while at the same time being open to possibility–using the message of “plenty of fish in the sea” to a level beyond just the romantic. The music is fun, but not my go-to on the EP.
“Festival Band” features Gecko, an artist Bootle has worked with before, and often takes along on tour. The pair must work well together, and considering the tale told throughout the song, you wonder if it’s based on an experience between the two friends. There is a steady beat to the song that keeps you bobbing along while the lyrics tell a crazy story of festival life and friendship.
Bootle slows it down with “Price of It All,”drawing out the twang of the acoustic guitar in its most dramatic way. It’s another tale, full of love and loss, pulling on our heartstrings.
“Confused” is another favorite. It is lighthearted in both sound and lyrics. Bootle gets honest about our complicated world, but helps keep our head up with a catchy beat.
Lewis Bootle is ready to kick off his tour and promotion of The Seed. With his success thus far, and pure catchiness on the EP, there’s little doubt that he will continue to go above and beyond in the months to come.
Filed under: Reviews Tagged: ep review, lewis bootle, music creates us, new EP, new music, the seed