Send "Graffiti6 " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters. |
 “Graffiti6” sounds like the name of Prince’s new girl group, but it’s actually the British musical duo of producer TommyD and ridiculously handsome heartthrob Jamie Scott. Together they’ve made Colours, an impressively silly little pop album devoted to happy dance grooves. Like many poor saps saddled with perfect bone structure, Scott is really a folk artist in his heart of hearts—the bio says, “Upon hearing [Joni] Mitchell’s Blue at the age of seven,” blah blah blah—and this gives Graffiti6 a Serious Side that pops up every so often. Sometimes these pop-ups are unfortunate, as when the slow insipid nothing of a song “This Man” derails the album four tracks in. Other times, though, their Serious Side simply adds to the silliness. For instance, “Goodbye Geoffrey Drake” is a deeply unconvincing murder ballad (!!) that peaks when its narrator learns the secret of life and pines for his Mum after the executioner’s poison has rushed through his veins. Scott gets away with such stuff because his voice is a versatile wonder capable of both scratchy shouting and Adam Levine cool.You want pedigree? TommyD produced the alltime classic “I’m Too Sexy” for Right Said Fred, and a bunch of other stuff; he’s the older, wiser, vaguely mafioso-looking brains of the operation. Scott has led his own heartfelt pop band, the Town, and you no doubt remember his song on the Step Up soundtrack. (OK, I remember it.) He’s everything in Graffiti6 that’s not the brains. For instance, he is the loins. In the confusing “Lay Me Down”, he alternately picks up a girl, goes to sleep beside her, and utters thoughtfully lascivious come-ons like “Lay with me, and I won’t sleep”. Scott is also Graffiti6’s broken heart. In the single “Free”, he bravely forswears lying beside the girl because she keeps leaving him, maybe because he keeps falling asleep. (I say “girl” because there’s a girl in the “Free” video, but Scott addresses many of his lyrics to some unspecified “baby”, so feel free to project your own homoerotic fantasies.) Most of all, he is whichever body part makes people strong survivors—the soul, if we must. Throughout Colours Scott finds himself repeatedly saved by love, or saved from love, or saved in spite of love. The drumless album closer “Over You” portrays that universal dream we all have of finally getting over someone, then sitting down at the keyboard and pouring out our deepest feelings as a room full of people bursts into tears. “Now I can dance”, Scott whispers....full text |
| Absolutepunk |
| Damn it, why do the Britons always get the good ones? Exhibit A is the soul-pop duo Graffiti6, featuring singer-songwriter Jamie Scott and multi-instrumentalist, producer, DJ Tommy D (Kanye West, Kylie Minogue, KT Tunstall). Their debut record Colours is an old-school, sun-drenched excursion through sturdy pop harmonics and intricate sonic patterns. Like savants, there's very little mediocrity at work here. Whether its the intoxicating lead single "Annie You Save Me," or the soon-to-be splash "Stare Into the Sun," Scott and Tommy D have tapped into something indelible, important and undeniably impressive. Like a British version of Gnarls Barkley, Colours is awash in trappings of soul, psychedelia, Britpop, dance, funk and R&B. Equal parts hypnotic, hyper and halcyon, there's something undeniably arresting about all of it. Laden with whirring organs, hip-hop samples, swirling keys and Scott's magnetic vocals, the songs are infectious, potent and tailor-made for radio. Crooner Scott is arguably one of contemporary's music's most underrated talents and is probably only months away from becoming the American media's new obsession. He sings with such ease, such swagger and such charm, he could make the Tibetan Book of the Dead sound smoother than Cee-Loo's "F$@# You." "Lay Me Down," borrows from the Beach Boys playbook while the spartan "Over You" is a piano-laden hymnal that's tender, compassionate and downright enchanting. On the folk-inspired "Goodbye Geoffrey Drake," and the cerebral "Calm the Storm," the duo offers up some of the album's most ruminative lyrical terrain. For all its peaks, Colours' zenith just might be the gorgeous ballad "Free." It is there that everything about Graffiti6 sounds most fleshed out. Slow moving, inviting and buttressed by Scott's pitch-perfect vocals, it is as enthralling as anything you'll hear this year. Perhaps what makes Colours so masterful is distinguishing a clear-cut favorite of the dozen. Inspired numbers like "This Man," "Colours," and "Never Look Back," are all equally potent and captivating in their own right. Save for the mildly disappointing "Stop Mary," and the self-indulgent "Lay Me Down," there's very few, if any, missteps. But even when they stumble, there's ample proof that the duo shows an uncanny ability to write engaging pop nuggets. In a few months time, Graffiti6 won't be the Britons secret for long....full text |
| Mtviggy |
| The highlights of Graffiti6′s debut album start with the cover, which is no more than a splotchy mosaic of psychedelic colors. Already, the vibe is way different (dare I say groovier?) than lead singer Jamie Scott’s other projects. The sexy frontman with the saccharine, flawless neo-soul voice is featured on most of his album covers in some somber, emo position, like thinking on a park bench (see Jamie Scott & The Town’s Park Bench Theories). When I heard his stuff, and saw that he was opening for Kelly Clarkson two years ago, I was sure he was UK’s soul-pop answer to Maroon 5. But after hearing Graffiti6′s debut album Colours, released Oct. 4, I retract retract retract. Last year, Scott teamed up with producer TommyD (yes, the brains behind “I’m Too Sexy”) and started producing throwback psychedelic soul tracks laden with modern beats, phased vocal effects, organs, and doo wop girls…The result? A unique, emotional tour-de-force, and a precious, funky time warp. The album begins with “Stone in My Heart,” released as a single last year. The upbeat, sunny track sounds like Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour” remixed by Fatboy Slim, all topped by an actual soul singer. The magic continues through the organ-heavy, 70s funk bassline track “Stare Into The Sun,” which had a cameo on the US doctor drama Grey’s Anatomy. By track three, the band (which adopts different members for live performances) switches to the soulful, mellow trip hop track “This Man,” where Jamie finally shows off his unreal, intimate falsetto. The calm extends for awhile, with “Free” sounding like a Barry White ballad that just toes the cheesy line, but never quite crosses it due to TommyD’s meticulous effects. The title track “Colours” has a melancholy oldies melody, a rock beat, and layered strings, making it one of the loveliest tracks on the album. But “Goodbye Geoffrey Drake” is a great contender, as a minimally produced folksy track (it’s also when Scott’s love of Cat Stevens comes out). But that one, if I’m not mistaken, is about a stalker/murderer. “I hear the siren blaze in the distance/her blood still on my hands/but there’s no way I would hide cause I loved her/surely you understand.” Most of the songs are about Love with a capital L, except for the almost eulogistic slow track “Over You,” which is incidentally the last song. It comes after the album picks up the summery, funkadelic energy again with “Never Look Back” and “Lay Me Down.” Overall, Graffiti6′s Colours is a wonderful collabo for everyone involved. In my estimation, they’re officially too sexy for their solo projects....full text |
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