ALBUM REVIEW: Lewis Capaldi – “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent”

By Rachel D’Arcy 

With the runaway success of single “Someone You Loved,” it’s easy to see why Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi may be skeptical of his future success.

The talented vocalist has soared to the top of the charts across the UK and Ireland, clutching onto the top spot with an iron clad fist ahead of the release of his debut album, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent.

It’s easy for the hype to build to an unachievable point given the massive radio play that Capaldi’s debut single received, but when it comes to melancholy lovelorn ballads, the Scotsman’s debut album manages to take the hype and elevate it even higher.

The twelve-track manifesto from Capaldi meshes into the typical British singer-songwriter mix, delivering echoes of the likes of James Bay and George Ezra before him, but there’s a divine edge to his songwriting and his voice that allows this album to stand out amongst the rest.

“Someone You Loved” remains a highlight still on the album, but it pales in comparison to the likes of the soulful “Maybe” and upbeat toe-tapper “Hollywood.” They’re tracks that upon first listen you know you’ll revisit time and time again, and ones that could definitely give the lead single a run for its money in terms of chart success.

Not to say that the record is written for radio, far from it. Capaldi has a way of taking personal experience to make it accessible to the masses. He’s a people person – religiously hilarious across his social media (seriously, follow him), yet downright relatable when it comes to matters of the heart in his music.

For someone who claims to be divinely uninspired, you’d be otherwise convinced after a listen or two of Capaldi’s debut. The dulcet tones of the 22-year-old would lead you to believe he had a lifetime’s worth of lust and heartbreak behind him, something that comes to the fore on tracks “Grace” and “Lost on You.”

His ability to successfully describe a love both found and lost matches that of some of the world’s greatest songwriters from decades past, signalling the beginning of a lengthy, successful career for the musician.