Glenn Meling - Sometimes a Bigger Heart
Glenn Meling’s debut release 'Sometimes a Bigger Heart' is obviously something close to his heart and incredibly personal. It’s apparent he’s worked hard on this album, travelling and working to keep the album on track. This is something to be commended, but regrettably the end product is more often than not, quite lifeless. It could be perhaps the fault of the slightly over the top production; the songs themselves are nice enough and drift along well, carried by the rich tones of Meling’s voice.
'When the First Rain Falls’ is a pretty basic singer-songwriter affair and the next three tracks float along in a similar vein. ‘Pan’ is immediately something different, with a perhaps 80s style synth starting things, accompanied by driving guitars and a powerful delivery from Meling. Unfortunately, the song soon drifts back into the monotonous routine of before.
At times it feels like Glenn Meling’s voice, similar at times to Robbie Williams and even a less pompous Bono, is lost in the production and the unnecessary instrumentation. “What are you going to do when your house is on fire?” asks Meling defiantly in ‘Put Your Mind to It’, the first bit of angst we see from him on the record. ‘Caligula’ seems to be the only bit of experimentation on the album, making a welcome break from the rather dreary singer-songwriter strains of previous tracks. The melodies are well written, despite seeming quite forgettable on first listen, and could easily carry themselves without the overly lush production.
‘Spin Around’ is a song that starts beautifully, and doesn’t suffer too much from the same over produced fate that the rest of the record does. Meling’s voice is pushed to the forefront, escorted simply by a guitar and this appears to be the most enjoyable way to hear Meling’s songs.
When listening to 'Sometimes a Bigger Heart', something doesn’t sit quite right. This isn’t to say the album doesn’t contain some genuinely enjoyable moments because it does; Glenn Meling’s voice being one of them. The delivery of the songs is admirable and the lush tones of his vocals are a pleasure to listen to. If you don’t expect much from it, it’s a pleasant album to listen to, but sadly that’s all it is. If you’re looking for something that’s well crafted but without an incredible amount of substance, this is the album for you.