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After disappearing for 5 years Jamie T has finally come back with his new album “Carry On the Grudge” and it was so worth the wait. Jamie Treays, who goes by his stage name Jamie T, is an English Singer Song writer from South London. He rose to popularity after releasing his first single “Shelia” in 2007 and continued to be very successful through 2009 when he released two albums- Sticks ’n’ Stones” and “Kings and Queens” and two EPs- “Chaka Demus”, and “The Man’s Machine”. He is backed by The Pacemakers.

In his earlier work Jamie T created a sound that screamed Anarchy at you while simultaneously setting a building on fire. It was angry and voiced fears about becoming an adult.  Now that sound is more likely to get drunk on the couch, though while still railing against capitalism, government, and how shitty life is with a bunch of friends. His new album carries the some of the same sentiments it seems that Jamie T and his music have grown up a bit. He hasn’t changed much, but the album approaches similar problems with different solutions and instrumentals. It feels cleaner. “Zombie” is clearly a hit and was released in August as a single. The lyrics are strong and thought provoking and the song is a great anthem which you find yourself singing along too. “Trouble” sounds similar to a previous song “Sticks and Stones”, which Jamie T released in 2009, is catchy and has a great guitar intro. “Mary Lee” is like any of his previous break up songs, but it is sweeter and tonally pleasing. Jamie T still has a great voice, “Turn On the Light” has lyrics that flow seamlessly from one word to the next. He also brought in more voices and the collaborative spirit added a lot more depth into the album.

Overall this album is pretty good. It is a little similar to his past work but not to the point that it feels like you are listening to the same thing over and over. The songs are strong enough that they are easy to listen too both in the album and individually. He does experiment with alternative rock sounds and there are also some folk sounds mixed in. It has less rap but it keeps the lyric ability that he has always had.