John Newman's debut album is called Tribute because he wants to thank the people who inspire him. The first minute and a half of the opening track consists of a list of all the great pop artists from 1950 to the present day, on a bed of strings and electronics. It is a sympathetic gesture from the 23-year-old Briton who also covers himself with this: I do not make up everything myself, I stand on
… the shoulders of my predecessors and I am grateful to them for that. It's a disclaimer that Newman doesn't need at all. It sounds modern and original enough. Newman's voice is his most important weapon. Despite his youth, it sounds as if he has been sweating himself night after night in smoky cellars in front of a moderately interested audience for decades. It's real soul: raw, honest, authentic. And modern, because Newman makes tasteful use of the unusual combination of strings / electronics. Supplemented with choirs, pianos and guitars, Tribute forms a grand-sounding whole that cannot be ignored. In the book, Newman extensively thanks his greatest sources of inspiration. The first he mentions is his mother. That's the only thing on this album that betrays his youthfulness. (HF)more