The mid-to-late 2000s were a glorious time for Brit rockers The Feeling. Formerly a cover band, the quintet changed their name, penned a few future hit singles and scored themselves a record deal. Their first two albums would put them at the top of the charts, on high profile tours and on major movie soundtracks. By 2011, album sales were dropping, and instead of sitting in the top five on the charts, The Feeling was residing in the twenies, though it wasn’t from any lack of strong songwriting. It’s harder than ever to stay on top in the music world, and while the band was better than ever, sales just didn’t reflect that.
This brings us to The Feeling’s fourth studio disc, Boy Cried Wolf. Though they’re with a new label, they still rely on the strengths of Dan Gillespie’s pipes and their powerful pop rock sound. Lead song “Blue Murder” stars off with piano balladry before leading into a full-blown rock anthem with memorable chorus. The second track, “Anchor,” is when we start to realize this is in fact a breakup record, as frontman Sells sing with dramatic emotion backed by forthright wordplay. “Rescue” moves into more folk rock, stepping away from the arena rock feeling of the first two tracks and setting the pace for the remainder of the album, which is heavily slanted towards contemplative, slow burners.
Of the softer songs, “Hides In Your Heart” is as great a piano ballad as you’ll hear anywhere and “You’ll See” is led by acoustic guitar and calm. The best moment is the mesmerizing “Fall Like Rain,” with a mix of keys and guitar work that tugs at the heartstrings without being overly tense, somewhat in a muscular Coldplay sort of way. “Empty Restaurant” is the anomaly on the album, a more electronic focused song that doesn’t seem out of place, but it certainly gets your attention for being not like the others.
Is it enough to get The Feeling back into the spotlight of the last decade? Well, let’s hope that doesn’t really matter because the band has penned a great album that is reminiscent of Queen or Elton John and delivered with much passion and grace.
