Ella Henderson – Glow

“A bit unsatisfying after a build-up like that.”

Tom: Our Brazilian reader, CB, sends in this one, and adds: “She set the bar high with her debut, but this is good as hell!”

Tim: Well let’s hear it then.

Tom: And I’ll warn you: through the intro and first verse, I was waiting for a Drop. Because it desperately needed one. It was a full-on build, percussion steadily rising, synths steadily increasing, voice building and building…

Tom: …and I find myself going “mm, not quite enough”.

Tim: Really? Because I’m not sure it could be much bigger – it’s got hefty drumbeats in there, guitars, a heavy vocal – what more do you want?

Tom: I mean, it’s not a bad chorus, it’s just a bit unsatisfying after a build-up like that. Her voice is strong, the production’s great — and I’m always a fan of whatever that pulsing synth is called, hidden in the mix at the back of the chorus — but there’s still something lacking, and I think it’s in the songwriting rather than anything else.

Tim: Oh, I see – hmm, maybe. Might just be that the chorus is slightly unusually structured – almost in three parts, with the leading “glow oh-oh-oh-etc” being mirrored at the end, which possibly gives a sense of anti-climax?

Tom: It just needs something slightly bigger and more bombastic. That last chorus should be astonishing, and it’s just okay.

Tim: Well, there I must absolutely disagree – I think it’s a fantastic final thirty seconds, with the extra vocal on top. I’d normally ask for more of it, but I think here the late middle-eight actually works very well. I have absolutely no problems with this song, and based on this and Ghost, very much looking forward to her album, out next month.