# jack DANIEL's, Roma wrote on Sun 09 Aug 09 at 05.01 AM:

The immediate feeling I had while listening for the first time to this record is that I was in front of a very mature and refined work. The eight songs flow in a pleasant continuity and there are no track to be skipped, nothing that keeps you from listening the album straight through.
“The given” is able to convey a soothing and intimate atmosphere to those who listen to it: in the end, it seemed to me that the album holds no particular masterpieces, no songs to be expecially highlighted, just beacuse is the whole album in its unity to stand out.

So, nothing else to do but advising everybody to spend half an hour in Colin’s company by listening to this nice album.

# figen akgöl-İzmir,Turkey wrote on Tue 21 Jul 09 at 07.49 PM:

The Given,the new studio album by Colin Vearncombe,takes you on a musical journey that you wish would never come to an end…to places you have never been to and human experiences you may or may not-and sometimes dare not-have undergone.The whole album is characterized by vivid imagination,poetic brilliance apparent in the lyrics,superb arrangement of the instruments and backing vocals…and…of course the familiar yet unique voice of Mr.CV’s,which evokes all sorts of feelings in the listener.

The opening track Naked leaves you with the feeling that what you are about to hear is going to be a fantastic experience.
The second one Blondes grabs you with the beautiful harmony of the instruments,rich backing vocals and moving lyrics.
Number 3 Chapter and Verse is definitely one of the highlights of the album…just the right mixture of all the ingredients.
Breathing Underwater starts with some impressive guitar work and keeps your attention right through till the end.
The country feel to John Lee Scared is something new I think Colin is experimenting on.The outcome? Well,it looks good on him.
Then comes another highlight-as far as I am concerned,at least-Beneath the Radar.This is a taste of what Colin can do when instrumentation and backing vocals are kept to a minimum.The purity of emotion and silky touch of his voice…just FAB.
No Second Chances is no less pleasing to the ear.Another song off his genre,this track makes me think Colin should add more flavour of this kind to his music.It keeps you swaying to the beat and the harmonica bit at the end is awesome.
The album ends on Misbegotten Child,an upbeat and a perfect choice as the finale.

In brief,The Given is a must-have album by all means!!!

# Duncan Watson, Dundee wrote on Wed 15 Jul 09 at 03.24 AM:

Colin Vearncombe – The Given (2009)

Rather than rushing into a review, it has been worthwhile holding back, to take time listen to the album, to get to know the tracks and to really get a feel for the overall package. So now is the time to commit this to type.

The whole feel of the album is total maturity. It shows a leaps and bounds increase in song writing skills, in the arrangements and in pure emotion. Opening with Naked, the guitar work shows that the talent has by no means faded away. Then, unexpectedly, it slows down. Blondes takes centre stage to caress your ears and leaves you yearning for more. It then breaks into Chapter and Verse and continues to give you 5 minutes of true joy.

Just when you thought it could not get any better, the totally rocking Breathing Underwater kicks in. The crashing drums, the amazing vocal arrangement and the astounding strings all take you higher than you ever thought possible. As the violins fade away, you are left drained in a blur of sense and wonder.

Taking it down a notch, the country-influenced John Lee Sacred gives you a taste of what Colin could have been had he been American! The nicely familiar Beneath The Radar comes on, having had its debut with Dog Tail Soup. It is great to hear a studio cut of this song, too.

And the joy continues. No Second Chances just adds to your pleasure and gets your shoulders rocking, and the album neatly rounds off with the sing-along Misbegotten Child. Superb!

The whole album turns your expectations in its head. It peaks, it excites, it relaxes and it delights, in equal measures. Having the lyrics gives you the chance to really understand where Colin is heading and to appreciate the passion that goes into his music.

“Life should be so wonderful” indeed!

# The Music Critic wrote on Wed 08 Jul 09 at 11.15 PM:

Colin Vearncombe: Given

This, the first studio album for Mr Vearncombe, aka Black, in four years has an earthy live feel to it and minimal production, but that voice…. like a pint of Guiness, velvety smooth, has certainly improved with age.

For many years Vearncombe has taken a back seat from the spotlight choosing to record and tour when the notion takes him. Beautiful albums like Smoke Up Close and Between Two Churches, released on his Nero Schwarz label, have satisfied the cravings of his loyal fans, but sadly not brought him back to the mainstream public attentions.

There are only eight tracks here, but it is about the quality rather than the quantity and there is a tangible soul sound going on throughout this album mainly due to the Motown style backing vocals and the Smokey Robinson drum sound.

The soul influences are everywhere on the the lilting Blondes while Chapter and Verse is just the perfect summer song, lush strings and understated arrangement.

The highlight for these ears is the beguiling Beneath The Radar where the interaction between the guitar and vocals work in harmony. Beautiful. The album closes on the upbeat Misbegotten Child, a possible single perhaps, like The Corel or The La’s in their finest moments.

This album is being given away as a download from his website, so no excuses for not owning it. Re-discover one of the finest voices and songwriters that these Isles has produced.

Taken from www.themusiccritic.co.uk

# Mark Hird wrote on Mon 06 Jul 09 at 12.31 PM:

Naked – Great opener that grabs the attention 8/10
Blondes – Not been a gr8 fan of this since first heard but it’s growing on me 7/10
Chapter & Verse – Love this song, one of the highlights of the album. Reminds me of a similar melody to Nice on the Feel Like Change single 9/10
Breathing Underwater – Another highlight and a different sound to the norm 10/10
John Lee Scared – Move of Johnny Cash !! FAB ! 9/10
Beneath the Radar – Colin is an expert of the slower melody and another fab track to add to the list in this genre 9/10
No Second Chances – from the same family as the earlier free download Walk on Frozen Water. Love the direction of this style of music (though like Walk on Frozen better) 9/10
Misbegotten Child – My favourite track since Where The River Bends. FANTASTIC 11/10 !!!