Singer songwriter Curtis T Johns is releasing his first EP, Fears, next month. You will probably recognise Curtis from his appearance on BBC Talent Show, Let It Shine, where Gary Barlow and the panel of Martin Kemp, Dannii Minogue and Amber Riley auditioned singers to take part in The Band musical. Tim Firth wrote the musical and the songs of Take That are used to tell the story of five teenage girls to whom following “The Band” is everything. Wafflers everywhere can identify with this! Curtis immediately made an impact with his cheeky smile, down to Earth, “I mop up vomit in a rugby club” comment and simply outstanding vocals. It was no surprise that he made it into Five To Five – he looked like an obvious choice.
However, as alluded to on the show, Curtis was already working as a songwriter both with new and more established artists, primarily with John Beck and Steve Christanthou, who have been nominated for Ivor Novello, Brit and Grammy Awards and won ASCAP and MOBO Awards. Curtis and Steve have written songs with Scottish singer Callum Beattie, and Curtis and John have written with 2010 X Factor winner Matt Cardle. In fact the song Blue was good enough to be the finale on Matt’s recent Intimate and Live Tour. To read more about Curtis’s background in music, check out this interview he did with fellow bloggers PR Owls:
https://shoonycarro.wordpress.com/2016/07/01/the-low-down-curtis-t-johns/
The EP itself is about mental health issues and showcases his songwriting abilities very clearly. Even after one listen, I found “Don’t run away child” creeping into my ear when I least expected it. Paradise and Fears really do have a Gary Barlow feel to them. Paradise starts off on the piano and builds to a big singalong chorus. Fears has an eerier feel to it initially and has lyrical advice for the listener such as “Find your feet and stand your ground” which makes it a very uplifting song. Curtis has wisely included a version of Girls Put Your records On on the EP, along with another cover, Small World (Ashford and Simpson). All in all it’s a promising and timely release that should please his newly earned musical theatre fans.
Track Listing
- Beyond All Fears
- Don’t Run Away Child
- Paradise
- Fears
- This Is Love
- Put Your Records On
- Small World
Pre order here:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/fears/1418118444&app=itunes
music waffle. 