I'm truly, genuinely, very excited to review the debut album from Josh Kumra, "Good Things Come To Those Who Don't Wait". For simplicity's sake, I'm going to simplify this to "Good Things...", or "GTCTTWDW"! If you saw the post at the start of the year with my "Ones to Watch" for 2013, you'll remember the name Josh Kumra. He's a reoccuring person on the blog and his is music is exactly my kinda music, so I may be a teeny tiny bit biased. I first heard his music when he supported Nina Nesbitt on tour, and have predicted big things ever since. A few weeks ago, I heard his track "The Answer" for the first time on the radio on Magic FM and was so excited, I stopped driving, pulled over at the side of the road, took a photo of the song on the screen, and tweeted it to him. (He replied!) I then heard it about twice daily (Magic loves Kumra), but that - and him supporting One Republic on their European tour - has been leading nicely to the release of the album. Which I will begin to review right about now.

There's a James Morrison-esque husk of Kumra's voice which has the ability to perfectly form goosebumps up and down your arm. The album, as a whole, is soulful, gentle, relaxing, and beautifully written. I'd previously heard the songs "The Answer", "Waiting For You" and "Don't Go" from his number one collaboration with Wretch 32, so had great expectations based on the fact that I really enjoyed those three. "GTCTTWDW" is great, and then some. Take the haunting vocals of "Brave Face", which strikes a personal cord with me, and the weirdly bouncy backing of "Lost Again" and it's soft "oooohs", and the chart/radio-friendly "By My Light"; there are subtly contrasting new sounds in every offering from the album. One of my favourite tracks has got to be "Where Do We Go From Here"; the lyrics are relatable, and it takes you on a bit of a musical rollercoaster (you'd understand if you gave it a listen). Also, "White and Black" makes you want to sway and bob your head (again, you'd understand if you listened), featuring other up-and-comer Maiday. The male-female harmonies are lovely and I can't really describe the sound with any word other than lovely. It's lovely. 

The deluxe version of the album offers an extra 5 songs which continue the chilled out vibe of the standalone "Good Things...". I really like "Pretend" - lyrically he manages to avoid cliches (he acknowledges this too!) and it has a natural flow of storytelling, with an angelic choir-ish chorus and cool chords. This guy's, like, really good. Ultimately, however, I think the best song is "The Answer". I love love love it; you should know that by now. It's like, really good, y'know?

When I saw Josh Kumra perform live, it was just him and his guitar, in true classic singer-songwriter style. "Good Things" is understandably different in that it is a full production of things; there are layers, funky electrobeats and nod-along-with-the-bass bass. If you ever get the opportunity though, he'd be a class act to see on tour. The album doesn't seem to showcase his incredible guitarring skills enough. 

"Good Things Come To Those Who Don't Wait" is a very good thing. Lyrically and melodically, it's ace and I definitely need to hear more from him in the future. I knew his voice was great even before I pressed play, but the range of tracks create a varied yet distinct sound which puts him in his comfort zone, and dares to stretch it on occasion. Yep, I waited a while for the album to come out, but good things come to those who wait too! 

Beview's faces of 2013 was very entertaining to compile. I love spotting talent before it becomes globally, household-name-ish mainstream and all that, and these talented folk are extremely talented indeed. I knew of Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheerans' music before they tore up the charts, and have been confident since Day One that Jeremy Irvine will establish himself as one of Britain's leading actors, so I reckon that gives my psychic abilities a teensy bit of credibility ;) 

Here are my "Ones to Watch" for 2013:

Alice Englert, actress
She's the daughter of an Oscar-nomiated director but Alice, who has already had a leading role in "Ginger & Rosa" opposite Elle Fanning, is set to make her mark in the upcoming film "Beautiful Creatures". It features stuff of the supernatural, a feisty protagonist and teenage romance. She's already impressed me in the red carpet stakes, and as a leading lady only at the start of her film career, she will definitely have earnt her place in the Young Hollywood ranks by the end of 2013.

Intensi-T, beatboxer
Tom Povey, better known as Intensi-T, is quite simply one of the best beatboxers around. He's performed at T4 on the Beach, supported Boyz II Men, and has beatboxed alongside the likes of Ed Sheeran, Nicola Roberts and Rizzle Kicks. His new single "Little Friend" (featuring another up-and-comer Ollie Green) is out now (tis a tune!) and even has his own headline show this month. (You can get tickets here). Having met him several times, I'd call him a friend as well as one of the nicest and most talented people I have ever known. He will be featuring in the first Beview interview this year too! 

Josh Kumra, singer songwriter
It's no secret that I am a little bit in love with Josh Kumra's voice. I've written about him before and seen him perform live (he is lovely), and he's had success with the Wretch 32 collaboration "Don't Go". With a tour and debut album out this year, Josh is going from strength to strength and I don't doubt at all that more and more people will fall in love with his soulful voice. One of my favourite songs of all time is "The Answer", and his new tune "Waiting for You" is out on 6th January.

Samantha Barks, actress, singer and performer 
The upcoming Les Miserables film has made a big fuss about it's big name cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried but it is Samantha Barks who will steal the spotlight as Eponine. Having beat out competition including rumoured Taylor Swift, she's the unsung star of the show. I was lucky enough to watch the West End version whilst Sam was still playing the role and I cannot think of anyone better suited. You may remember her from BBC's "I'd Do Anything" as one of the Nancy finalists.

Nina Nesbitt, singer songwriter
Regular readers of this blog may have noticed the name "Nina Nesbitt" crop up quite a bit, and it's because I am so convinced she will become one of the faces of British music.  When her music first came to my attention she had little over 2000 Twitter followers, which has since rocketed to nearly 50,000 and rising. Armed with a guitar, a softly spoken voice and some very catchy tunes, the debut album she's been working on will be released this year. Of her existing hits, my favourites are "Boy", "The Apple Tree" and "Noserings and Shoestrings". It was her haunting cover of David Gray's "Babylon", however, which told me she'd definitely make a big entrance onto the music scene. And she's only 18!

Saoirse Ronan, actress
Saoirse's been on the scene for quite a few years now (remember Atonement?), playing a tremendous range of characters - from vampires to teenage asassins and even the dead. Her movie CV has a lot of film adaptations of books, including The Lovely Bones (one of my favourite books ever), upcoming How I Live Now, and The Host - more commonly known as "the other book written by the Twilight author". It's released in March and although it doesn't share the whole "global phenomenon" element, I reckon it'll be a hit and reaffirm her status as one of the best actresses of her age.

Sophie Sumner, model
Sophie was a runner-up in Britain's Next Top Model several years ago and more recently won the America's Next Top Model: British Invasion series. Since then, she's been featured in Vogue Italia and fronted numerous magazines and campaigns all over the world. They say that the winners of TV competitions fade out of the picture after a short while, but this will most definitely not be the case. Look out for the catwalks!

HAIM, band
Pronounced "Hime", integrating aspects of pop, nu-folk and electrobeats, this is no typical girlband. These three Californian sisters (with the surname "Haim" would you believe it?) have recently been announced as BBC's Sound of 2013. Considering previous winners include Jessie J, Ellie Goulding and Adele, it's safe to say that the poll-topping artists can have very bright futures. 


Bev x
 (myself and Josh ->)