Single review: Jamie Woon, 'Lady Luck'

Reviewed by: Alan Ashton-Smith
Skiddle rating: 4/5

Jamie Woon has been touted as the man who can bring dubstep into the mainstream, and with the release of his debut single ‘Night Air’ last year, he certainly proved his potential. Follow-up ‘Lady Luck’ shows more obvious dubstep tendencies, with skittish cymbals and a wobbly bassline resonating through the track. But Woon is also very much a soul singer, and it’s the mixture of tight production and super-smooth vocals that gives him his very particular sound. He creates an unsettling, oppressive mood, and then sings over it with great assurance and flair. The resulting atmosphere is cold yet alluring.

The song has bluesy qualities too, as Woon laments the fact that lady luck is not on his side. His vocals veer from plaintive falsetto to more measured soul, but the message remains the same however it is delivered. ‘Lady Luck’ could be a cover of a song that has its roots in the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s.

But while the emotional core might be timeless, the instrumentation and production is thoroughly contemporary. Woon has pitched himself at an intersection of musical styles that makes him seem simultaneously original and familiar. It’s a winning combination and, if he can get Lady Luck on his side, then this might be his year.

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