We were asked to review Sean McGowan's EP, McGovernment. A young guy out of Southampton, his acoustic EP has 4 songs - Life, Home Is Where The Heart Is, Be Counted and This Old Town, and can be found on soundcloud.
Life starts with a lovely acoustic guitar solo, making the vocals a surprise. Singing in the style of Professor Green (this song in particular reminding us of Never Be A Right Time) but a similar tone to Danny O'Donoghue of The Script, there is a uniqueness to Sean's voice. His lyrics are, in a way, similar to The Script's We Cry, as he discusses life in England as he sees it.
Home Is Where The Heart Is starts with softer lyrics and more singing rather than pop-rap. Building up to a stronger bridge section with equally strong vocals, and would do well if released as a single.
Be Counted starts off with a more upbeat guitar piece and faster lyrics, showing a bit more diversity from the young musician. Once again, he has clever lyrics and manages to put his points across well.
This Old Town is another faster paced tune, with a bit more of an indie feel in the cheery music and way the lyrics are sang (particularly over the chorus). The introduction of backing vocals is a nice touch, as is the almost acapella bridge. Definitely a radio-friendly song.
An acoustic EP is relatively risky, particularly with the style of vocals Sean is going for. However, we feel he managed to pull this off well and showed a variety in his voice that was unusual and endearing. The lyrics themselves were smart and stood out against the acoustic guitar, making the listener really hear what he was trying to say. Although this is not the music we would usually go for, we feel that is was easy-listening and radio-friendly given the current chart music trends. Aimed at the right market, we think this is good enough to take him far sooner rather than later.
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