Jamie T - 'Calm Down Dearest'
Judging by the titles of his third single, 'Calm Down Dearest', and imminent debut album, 'Panic Prevention', Jamie T would quite welcome a nice cup of tea and a sit down right now, thank you very much. Is Wimbledon's local-boy-done-good a bit jaded after six months of solid touring and handing out mixtapes, perhaps?
Not just yet. Despite the lush, swooning strings and woozy chorus, this is an urban ballad of the binge, and Jamie's been hitting the bottle hard by the sound of it. He slurs his way through the tune, bouncing off big, polished beats as he stumbles from the pub to the club.
Luckily, Mr. T knows where to draw the line, and this is one night on the streets that won't end in tears. "I don't get in no fights," he spits, "when I get angry drunk, I sit down in the corner and sulk my ** socks off." It's a cautionary tale about looking out for your mates that some of his contemporaries (and their mates) would do well to heed.
'Calm Down Dearest' may not be as radio-friendly as 'If You Got The Money', but it's another infectious bit of hip-pop that's miles better than anything Mike Skinner has churned out recently.
Released: January 15th
(Ricky M)
