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Released 11th September 2006 It's Not Easy - Tick Tock - Beauty Queen - Faithful - Can't You See - Anniversary Gift - Your Face - Someone Should Tell You Promo: "I'm taking my time with this album.... I want it to be the best yet! It's been very fast-moving with the last 2 albums so I've been taking a little break and I'm really enjoying being back in the studio and making music." IF THERE'S ANY JUSTICE IN CAVENDISH SQUARE read articlehttp://www.musicweekblog.com/ If, as Lemar so acutely observed once upon a time, there was any justice in this world, we might have been sitting down last night to ponder England's eventual opponents in the World Cup final. However, without wishing to get too Rooney about the whole thing, we weren't. And again Lemar came up with an answer. Why not, instead, get an advance listen of my new album, The Truth About Love, the dapper soulster must have thought to himself as he planned his third album trail? Well if there's one thing Dooley needs to know in this life, it is the truth about love. So you can bet he was there in spades for the listening. And taking copious notes. And while he may not be any closer to fathoming the unknowable beast called love, he can happily report that the album looks likely to give a sizeable shot to Lemar's burgeoning post-teen pop career. It's Not Easy, the first single, kicked things off in an agreeably soulful way, with a gospel choir and stirring strings reminiscent of upbeat, mid-70s Motown and, strangely, U2. Next up was a song that showcased the album's apparently "quirky" side - Tick Tock, co-written with Harold Lilly. "Quirky" would be one description - downright odd would be another. In fact it sounded for all the world like Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, complete with whistling and all. Nowt wrong with that mind. And as Nick Raphael would later have it, "I bloody hope it sells as many copies as Raindrops!" Well quite. We're back on familiar Lemar territory with track number three, Beauty Queen, a Prince-esque slow "jam" that sounds a little like Diamonds And Pearls....surely a good thing. Faithful, next up, showcases the album's very American feel, principally by sounding a lot like John Legend or D'Angelo. Lemar, to his credit, makes a pretty good job of it, with live instrumentation to the fore and deliciously lazy bass sound. Can't You See follows, with more of the same, plus Mica Paris and a rap interlude from Styles P, formerly of The Lox. This was probably the most atypically Lemar of all the tracks we heard in that it sounds a little bit like a Kanye West production. But isn't. Anniversary Gift has an 80s Miami feel to it that reminded Dooley of the nightclub in Scarface, minus the excess violence. It proved one for the ladies too - Dooley was fairly non-plussed but it got the women present up and dancing. Your Face is an intensely personal ballad about Lemar's mum, featuring strings and acoustic guitars. It's very touching too and could go far with the right radio play. Bringing things to a close was Someone Should Tell You, which reminded Dooley of Marvin Gaye's 70s output, building in a climactic fashion to a big chorus. And that was it for Lemar. Dooley headed off on his bike. Nick Raphael went off in his sports car. Could Dooley be in the wrong job?
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