Many moons ago in my teenage years I joined a group called the Rhondda Rock Choir and Orchestra, which is where I first became friendly with the incredibly talented Michael Thomas. Even back then when we were kids he was a budding singer/songwritter. I remember well scratching away on my violin in amongst the rest of the orchestra accompanying him singing a song he'd written himself. Tho rock orchestra may no longer exisit and my violin playing days are well and truly over but Michael has gone from strength to strength. I am very proud to say his first EP entitled Different Man is out now!
The EP kicks off with the upbeat Don't Wanna Play Anymore. The changes in rhythm and timing make it fun and interesting to listen to and there's something about the arrangement that puts me in mind of some of The Beatles songs. In a complete change of feel, the title track Different Man transports the listener to the winding down phase at the end of the evening in a smokey jazz club.
(You'll Always Be) A Better Man is by far my favourite track. Even without Michael telling me I instantly knew that this song was very personal to him. He has pitched the lyrics perfectly to not only make it sound personal to him but also be personal to the listener. I defy anyone not to relate to this song. It really is beautiful and even if you only listen to one of his songs, listen to this one.
Picking up the pace again, Since the Angels Left the Tower also uses interesting rhythms to keep the listener hooked. Although it's still a great song, it's probably my least favourite track on the EP.
I know this will probably mean nothing to most of the people reading this but it's what pops into my head every time I hear the final track, Marsha Brady. It outs me in mind of a band called Brothers in Sound. It's not exactly their style but there's something about Michael's sound in this song that reminds me of them. Anyway, I liked them so it's a compliment!
Michael will probably be mortified with what I'm about to say but a lot of the reasons why I list musical theatre performers as my favourite artists are the same reasons I love listening to Michael sing. I'm not talking about cheese and jazz hands - he couldn't be further from that. In musical theatre the songs are often an integral part of the story telling so it is important that every word be understood. Michael writes lyrics that tell stories and describe situations and emotions that the listener can relate to and he sings them so that every word can be hears. He, like my favourite musical theatre performers, also beautifully expresses the meaning of the lyrics in his vocals, conveying the emotion behind each line.
It's refreshing to hear an artist producing new songs that don't conform to normality, experimenting with styles and rhythms to create a fantastic sound that is like no-one else out there at the moment...but don't just take my word for it. You can get a taste for Michael's music on his myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/mikethomasmusic
And you can catch him singing live tomorrow (Thursday 30th June) as part of the Unity Festival's cabaret night in ffresh Bar at the Wales Millennium Centre. The evening kicks off at 8.30pm with Michael's set at about 9pm.
Mike Thomas, Different Man is available to download from iTunes now for the bargain price of £3.95:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/different-man/id438355145?i=438355177&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
