6/10
Over the years that we have been following Lewis Capaldi, we have seen him bloom from one of the most promising young names on the scene, to a fully realised chart topper with an insatiable personality to boot. And while his excitable online persona seems totally at odds with the slow and meandering heartbreak-ballads he has been known for, his debut album 'Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent' looks to be a far more serious affair than he would lead you to believe, giving us yet more humbled and impassioned serenades than we could shake a stick at.
Looking to follow in the footsteps of other emotionally-charged artists such as Adele, Lewis Capaldi has more of the voice than the songwriting prowess of those kind of artists. While his vocals have always been the biggest selling point of his sound, his writing has always had this hit-or-miss approach, which now seems expanded throughout his first LP. While there are plenty of great moments on this new collection, he does have a habit of creating very similarly produced singles, causing much of this record to merge into one big ball-busting ballad that only goes to highlight the lack of passion in some of its lesser songs.
If you have enjoyed his output so far, then 'Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent' is definitely going to be right up your street. But if you have found yourself on the fence much of the time, then don't expect any surprises here. It takes him four tracks before he finally gets off the piano and change up his sound, giving this collection a strong and cohesive style, but with a lack of diversity, it finds itself falling into a formula that loses its impact as it plays.