Isaac Gracie – Isaac Gracie

A solid debut from a bright talent...

Ealing songwriting prodigy Isaac Gracie has already been compared to the likes of Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley and now, his heavily anticipated debut is finally here. Signed to Virgin EMI, his self-titled record may not fully deliver on the promise of earlier releases but it’s anchored by some stunning tracks.

‘Last Words’ is a gorgeous, bare bones country-tinged ballad while ‘The Death Of You And I’ quickly escalates from swaying blues to a thrilling heavy rock piece. It’s frustrating then, to find that record is particularly top-loaded, emphasised by a significant dip in quality midway through where the material veers too close to the safe, interchangeable acoustic pop of his less interesting contemporaries.

There’s still plenty to admire here, especially Gracie’s emotionally raw, brittle vocals and despite the record’s shortcomings, this remains a solid, entertaining debut from an exciting new talent.

6/10

Words: Luke Winstanley

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