Dan Owen
Made To Love You (Single)
(LAB Records)
Dan Owen is a 24-year old singer-songwriter from Shrewsbury, a county town in Shropshire, United Kingdom snd his debut EP ‘Bad For Me’ was released in 2015 to critical acclaim. Fast forward to 2016 and not only has he completed a 30-date European Tour with pop star Birdy he has also announced his new EP ‘Open Hands And Enemies’ which is released on LAB Records on Wednesday 14th September 2016.
The first single to be taken from the EP is entitled ‘Made To Love’ and the lyrics concern a very dark subject matter of a relationship breakup which was triggered by a form of abuse, whether it be physical, mental or emotional. The piano intro is incredibly sombre as it links up with the acoustic guitar with such ease.
Dan’s lead vocals are a mixture of high pitch on the verses and a real throaty delivery on the chorus which suggests that the song is structured with both male and female vocals in mind. Possibly leaving the song open to a male/female duet interpretation? Just a thought.
Although the chorus has a fair amount of build-up, I have a slight fear that it could become a little forgettable as time progresses because if people hear it on the radio and they are unsure who it is it would be very easy for someone to think it is by Jack Savoretti or Newton Faulkner for example.
In terms of Dan’s musical influences, they are very subtle in this single as the production doesn’t make you immediately say ‘Oh he sounds like a fan of David Bowie!’ or ‘I bet he likes Simon and Garfunkel’. However, the track at times is Dylan-esque mainly due to the emotional tone.
In summary, the song is on the cusp of being hauntingly beautiful but something just stops it from reaching the finishing line personally. I believe Dan has shown a lot of potential on ‘Made To Love You’ and allowed people to hear what he is capable of. I would be interested in listening to the full EP to hear how he has approached his other songs.
Glenn Sargeant
Dan Owen’s new single ‘Made To Love You’ is out now on LAB Records. In addition, his new EP ”Open Hands And Enemies’ is also released on LAB Records on Wednesday 14th September 2016.
For more information visit Dan’s official website here: http://bit.ly/2bKyrKB
(Many thanks to William Luff and David Sullivan at Wilful Publicity for help wit this review)
