Years in Between

On his fifth set of pleasantly harmless adult contemporary, Irish singer/songwriter Jamie Lawson manages to balance the warmth of his 2015 breakthrough with the confident pop-sense of 2017's Happy Accidents. The Years in Between is yet another collection of sensitive and yearning guitar-centric devotionals, this time focused on life, love, and his wife. Lawson's refreshingly pure vocals remain the beating heart of his material, imbued with passion and a tender spirit. Produced by Ruadhri Cushnan and written/recorded while on tour with Gingerbread Man label head, Ed Sheeran, Years features some of Lawson's most soulful songs to date, including the bluesy "These Troubled Times" and the pained "Broken," which features fresh atmospheric production to support his thoughtful introspection. Years also provides plenty of upbeat moments, perhaps the most on a Lawson album thus far. Uplifting anthem "The Answer," the peppy "Dance in the Dark," and "Perfect Sense" sparkle, echoing more cheerful selections from contemporaries Mumford & Sons and Vance Joy, while the synth-washed standout "Chasing" rides a thick bass groove and soaring gang chorus. These are welcome shifts in tone for the soft rock revivalist, but fans of his overall catalog will be comforted knowing that there's still plenty of sensitivity, including the title-track closer, a tender and utterly heartbreaking message through the veil. With The Years in Between, Lawson still seems content to share his feelings with an audience that doesn't expect superstardom, a simple, supporting presence both for his on-stage contemporaries and empathetic listeners alike. ~ Neil Z. Yeung