On their sophomore album, 2016's
Perspective, Britain's
Lawson offer up a pleasant brand of adult contemporary pop. Centered around lead singer/guitarist
Andy Brown,
Lawson debuted in 2012 with Chapman Square. Working in Nashville with producer John Fields (
Switchfoot,
Miley Cyrus,
the Jonas Brothers),
Lawson have crafted an album that will draw in plenty of ears. Lead singer
Brown has a pleasantly warm and yearning voice that often endearingly sways into a Liverpudlian lilt. It's a sound the band puts to good use on the
Bruno Mars-esque "Money." Similarly, tracks like "Love & War" and "Only Water" showcase the band's knack for sincerely delivered romantic balladry. "We Are the Fire" borrows from the anthemic post-
U2 playbook, while the dramatic "I Look Anyway" and club-ready dance-pop of "Rio" would fit nicely alongside similarly inclined tracks from
Imagine Dragons,
Maroon 5, and Ireland's
the Script. It's hard not to like a band whose members seem to really believe in what they are doing, so much so that
Brown even incorporated a marriage proposal to his wife in the band's video for the single "Where My Love Goes." Ultimately, it's that kind of grand pop sincerity that lends depth to
Lawson's
Perspective. ~ Matt Collar