Love & War

Daniel Merriweather | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 23, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: J-Records
• ASIN: B002DHSH1W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,556 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

People, March 1, 2010

The retro-soulful singer gets his much deserved close-up on the year's best debut... Love & War feels like the male answer to Back to Black. 3½ stars- "Critic's Choice"

Does the world really need another twentysomething blue-eyed-soul upstart? If it's Daniel Merriweather, then the answer is yes, please. The solid pop hooks and gritty-sweet, unabashedly nostalgic arrangements on the Aussie singer/songwriter's debut rival any R&B-flavored imports of recent years. And Merriweather's precociously grainy vocals make Justin Timberlake sound like, well, a boy-band alum. - 3½ stars

'Red' is richly constructed pop drenched in keening romantic regret. ...a soulful voice of the Otis Redding/Al Green/Marvin Gaye variety and lushly arranged songs that channel an array of influences from early Elton John ("For Your Money") to vintage Holland-Dozier-Holland ("Impossible").

Product Description

U.S. pressing of the debut albumm from the Australian singer/songwriter. Already an enormous hit in the UK, Love & War, debuted at #2 on the British album chart and the album's first single, 'Red', was #2 most-played song in the UK and features stellar guitar work from Sean Lennon and Harper Simon (Paul's son). Though Merriweather may be best known in the U.S. as the remarkably soulful voice behind 'Stop Me' (a standout track from DJ/producer Mark Ronson's album Version), the 27-year-old Melbourne native firmly establishes himself as a solo artist in his own right on Love & War, which pulses with '60s Soul keyboards and horns, warm textures of acoustic and electric guitar, and cinematic string arrangements, all anchored by Merriweather's combustible vocals.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why only 5 stars?, March 7, 2010

By 

A. Russell "Thoreau" (On parole...) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love & War (Audio CD)

Cuz Amazon only goes up to 5! This guy sounds like Marvin Gaye meets Teddy Pendergrass - for real. And the songs - this kid has songwriting chops that match his pipes. Absolutely top-notch 60's soul with a touch of Beatles and The Band thrown in for good measure. Fresh, amazing, and so far, unspoken. Call me an instant fan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing voice! Exceptional talent!, March 28, 2010

By 

Adrienne (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love & War (Audio CD)

I absolutely love Daniel Merriweather! Listening to his voice is addictive, and I can't stop listening to this CD! He has a voice comparable to Stevie Wonder, and that says a lot! He deserves more praise and attention for his amazing voice! My favorite songs are "Giving Everything Away for Free", "Red", "Water and a Flame" featuring another amazing vocalist, Adele. Everyone should buy this album! You won't be able to stop listening to it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb; A 'Tour de Force', March 1, 2010

By 

Michael Brent Faulkner, Jr. "Brent Faulkner" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love & War (Audio CD)

One might argue that to some extent, the traditional R&B album is a thing of the past. Only few exceptions to this have occurred in recent times that have evoked both commercial and critical success. The most notable of 2008 was Anthony Hamilton's exceptional The Point Of It All; in 2009, it was Maxwell's Grammy-award winning BLACKsummers'night. In 2010, it seems as if true, more traditionally conceived R&B albums are the trend, with chart-topping, critically praised efforts from Sade and Jaheim, who in particular has refined his 'ghetto-R&B' into more adult leaning territory. Daniel Merriweather's U.S. debut Love & War is yet another traditional R&B and one of 2010's very best albums, period. Sure, we're early into the year, but Merriweather's album will certainly be remembered by fans and critics by the year's end. Merriweather, indigenous to Australia, brings his A-game on this retro-/neo- soul masterpiece. Sure, there are some infusions of soft-rock/pop, but predominately, this is an outright, soul album. Sad to say, so many of the U.S. R&B artists are more concerned with the infusion of hip-hop into the R&B, often times convoluting it into the 'same song'. That isn't to say that retro-soul artists sometimes dabble to much in the past, but there is something to be learned from the past that delivered classic hits and a signature sound. Amy Winehouse certainly knows with the 5 Grammys she received for her vintage soul/traditional pop effort Back to Black. But this is about Daniel, who delivers what is most likely to be the 'sleeper' R&B album of 2010.

Produced by Winehouse hipster producer Mark Ronson, 'Love & War' features a sound that is far removed from radio in 2010, making an outright commercial hit from this album a longshot. But let's not forget "Rehab". The album opens up with the soul-laden, pop/rock masterwork "For Your Money", a left-field track mixed somewhere between 70s Stevie Wonder, Elton John, or Billy Joel. Infectious by all means, one with an old soul will undoubtedly question, "why doesn't music still sound like this." Ornate in the sense of progression (no simple chords here), the track is refreshing because it isn't traditional in the sense of today's standards. The guitars sound like they are directly from a Pink Floyd album. Merriweather and Ronson hit the opening track out of the park. The vocal performance shows unrequited brilliance in my eyes as Merriweather has some mad pipes on him.

"Impossible" features more vintage production from Ronson as well as exceptional vocal performance from Merriweather. Again, the songwriting is on point and there is more authenticity about a performance such as this in comparison to Top 40 based R&B (not dissing it, but looking beyond it). A track like "Impossible" sounds like an extension of 70s soul, more so than some of radio's hits today. "Change", featuring up and coming rapper Wale straddles the best of both worlds, providing a commercial single and also respecting classic soul with its piano-laden production work. It is by far one of my favorites from an album that has no misses. While "Chainsaw" doesn't stand out as much as the first three tracks, it is by all means above average, and it's vintage production could've easily appeared on an Al Green album. As always, Merriweather "brings the heat". "Cigarettes", which straddles pop/R&B soulfully entices the listener to hit the rewind button over and over. Clever songwriting make this non-standard R&B song topic work extremely well. One of my favorites.

"Red" keeps up the momentum, again leaning just enough pop and just enough R&B. One of the best written songs of the album, none can deny the catchiness of the hook. Many songwriters will say to themselves, 'why didn't I come up with this hook?' "Could You" is solid as all else, though "Not Giving Up" shines more, with it's 60s R&B production work and one of Merriweather's most enticing vocal performance. "Getting Out" is the 70s exemplified, while the duet between Merriweather and Adele ("Water and A Flame") has the perfect chemistry. A brilliant collaboration if I do say so myself.

"Live By Night" again plays on the seventies pop-soul feel that made opening track "For Your Money" so effective. The vocal performance sounds appropriate and the production work is some of the best I've heard in some time. Again, a non-standard harmonic progression, in the vein of Stevie Wonder or Billy Joel helps to make this song sound so refreshing. "Giving Everything Away For Free" and "The Children" aren't particularly the shining spots of the album, but both are great representations of Merriweather's prodigious talents. This album is superb by all means in my eyes. I highly recommend it to those who love traditional R&B/soul sans hip-hop influences.