Seven Years - Ten Weeks

David Sneddon's Seven Years - Ten Weeks represents the final calling card for that strange bedtime liaison of reality TV and manufactured pop. Regardless of its protracted gestation in the eyes of its creator (as the title suggests), the judgement of the Fame Academy winner by both the record buying public and the shady marketing operatives of his record company will be swift. The question is, now that an ostentatiously manufactured pop act is finally given free rein to write his own material, will it cut the mustard? Or, despite that most revered of things--a performer who writes--will we conclude in our collective subconscious that, actually, we don't care who writes the material because the results aren't as good when someone tries it themselves? There's more riding on his young shoulders than any of his flailing predecessors.

The good news is that what's good is very good--witness the hypnotic and immediately memorable descending piano of single "Don't Let Go". He also has a nice line in unexpected falsetto. "Without You" and rocky opener "Best of Order" are equally as impressive, the latter owing more to Bon Jovi than to anything produced by the legion of washed up former pop stars currently peddling their dire wares as songwriters. Indeed, forget any Elton-based parallels; comparisons can only rest on the doorstep of the New Jersey rockers. "Stop Living the Lie" is a fusion of "Bed of Roses" and "This Ain't a Love Song" and on "All My Life" he talks of working through the night to pay the rent in the mid-tempo, piano-driven lament that has served John Bon Jovi so well over the years.

On the downside, a decade's worth of constipation has given way to musical diarrhoea as Sneddon tries to cram as much into his debut as possible (witness the tragic "Follow Me"). But who can blame him in this age where everyone must prove themselves in one album, one single; where the chorus must be reached within the first 20 seconds. Working within the constraints, this is a magnificent effort. --Ben Johncock

It's quite a tall order- winning Fame Academy (with 3.5 million votes) and then releasing your debut album only a few months later. Not much time for the young Scottish performer to take it all in. Yet it was clear that David Sneddon would be just fine. Brimming with confidence and having a stack of songs already written, he was ready to go!

Opener "Best Of Order" stomps straight in there in it's size nines. No soft option here. This is a furious little pop-rock number that, despite paying uncanny homage to Robbie Williams, is contagious and well crafted. A good start!

After that we're given a string of pretty lukewarm ballads, none of which quite match the conviction of Number One hit "Stop Living The Lie".

During "Time To Fall Down" you get a good grasp of Sneddon's varied vocal ability and there are some pleasant strings somewhere amidst all the heavy production but not much else.

Things pick up again when "Follow Me", another of the more upbeat tracks, roars in. It's a rather fine blend of catchy chorus, guitar licks and virile vocals. Sweeping epic, "Don't Let Go", follows on its heels and is a return to more serious stuff. Far less pomp and much more pain - no surprise it was a single.

Last up is the splendid "Long Time Coming" and finally David's true soul and voice get an opportunity to shine through. This is the only song that isn't cluttered with over-instrumentation and uses rich harmonies to full effect. It's a delicious slice of plain, old-fashioned pop. Why couldn't more of Seven Years - Ten Weeks have been like this? --Ruth Mitchell

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