Following a whirlwind couple of years which has seen him collaborate with the likes of Chase & Status and Professor Green, and on the back of two top 20 singles, 21 year old Michael Stafford’s debut record arrives cresting a wave of expectation and promise.
Famed for his soulful and unique voice, this album more than lives up to the hype after years of work that has culminated in his being named runner-up in the Critics Choice category for this year’s Brit Awards. Comparisons with the late Amy Winehouse will be inevitable, but Sabre tries to assert his own style on the record despite the obvious vocal likenesses. Lyrically the album is brutally honest and opinionated. “Memories don’t leave, they’ll never go, forever eating at your soul,” is anthemically repeated throughout ‘Memories’ whilst last summer’s chart hit, ‘Let Me Go’ is crisp and punchy during the chorus in Sabre’s signature Hackney/Irish drone.
Stafford consistently manages to construct melodies that are lyrically deep yet also chart friendly, although at times the verse becomes a little more clunky, as shown at the end of ‘Shooting the Stars’, which is a shame for a song that describes how he was charged with, and subsequently cleared of assaulting a police officer during a street brawl. In general, the EP is flows and is well composed. ‘Sometimes’, ‘Open My Eyes’ and ‘No One’ are highlights alongside singles ‘Let Me Go’ and ‘I Need’ which spread themselves down the spectrum of soul, to hip-hop and a twinge of reggae fusion. Lonely Are The Brave presents a soulful hip-hop combination not too dissimilar to Plan B, who took until his second EP to finally find a signature sound, Maverick Sabre is well on his way to the same. All in all, an accomplished debut, and with much more to come.