Jake Bugg—Shangri La
Review by Luis A. Apolaya

Nottingham-born 19-year old singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jake Bugg has a voice that lies somewhere in between those of Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, though sometimes it sounds like he’s trying to hard to emulate the latter. A number of genres are represented: a few sound folky, some have a pop-oriented rock feel, and there’s even a three-chord quasi-punk rocker in here. His rockers are not as good as his softer ballads. Nothing special, but most tracks here are enjoyable.
RIYL Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Nick Drake. NO FCCs.

**1. (1:43) Initially reminiscent of Dylan’s “Tombstone Blues”, energetic drums and acoustic guitar start off, electric guitar joins after first verse, decrescendo by the end, more enjoyable than most songs that run for 1:43 (feels much longer than that, but in a good way)

*2. (3:00) Played in the same vein as the first song, relentless and fast-paced, nice rocker

3. (2:08) Punky three-chord pattern prevails throughout, will make you nod your head as you listen

4. (2:58) Kind of a sudden shift to a folky ballad, guitar playing feels nice, Bugg tries to deliver his voice poignantly

5. (3:00) Can pass for a Tom Petty tune, mid-tempo, social commentary

*6. (3:58) Mid-tempo, soft acoustic guitar fingerpicking to start off, builds up to a chorus with much pathos

7. (5:09) Slow to mid tempo, instrumentation and Bugg’s singing are unimpressive, not recommended

8. (2:30) Moderately paced rocker about a law-defying man, pretty good

**9. (4:55) Has more of a melancholy feel to it than the rest of the album, mellow instrumentation after the two verses, focus on acoustic guitar, bass, and a subtle synth organ.

*10. (2:45) Just a man and his guitar, song about escaping from your past, very nice

*11. (5:02) Sounds like a slow-tempo Oasis song, pretty okay

*12. (2:56) Interesting folky start, has a Woody Guthrie feel to it