INTRODUCING -James Leon

Following on from our last tip for the top in Christ Ian Oshi , hot on his heels comes one James Leon. London seems to be producing a wave of fantastic electro pop artists , yet to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public. James Leon is one such artist.
His voice reeks of a gentle yet hypnotizing melancholia , set against a backdrop of lush synth pop. Tales of heartbreak , hedonism , struggle are all beautifully woven into some great pop tracks. As found on his two independent single releases Purple Heart and the brilliant yet subtlely glam Caught Up In Your Vanity

The single cover , shown above , is gorgeous, in keeping with the vanity of the title. Being a synth pop artist , of course James' sound echoes that of past pioneers , the legends Erasure, Pet Shop Boys , Depeche Mode and The Human League. They may be obvious if even lazy comparisons to any new synth pop act , but I got a larger Erasure vibe on my first listens to James Leon. Vocally , there is a resemblance to Erasure. And to my ears , it sounds wonderful.

Electropop/synthpop is a genre thats like Marmite to many at times. Equally loved and loathed in equal measure by tastemakers and disco hedonists. How apt then , that James Leon's debut album be entitled Never Been Cool. 
It's a self deprecating title , but also one that could to many sum up electro pop. But that would be too wrong an assumption. Electro pop has always been cool. And it continues to be one of pop's more thrilling sub genres in whatever inventive variations it can take. Thats the beauty of electro pop. It can vary beautifully and James Leon is just the latest. He has a sultry , even sexy melancholia to his sound. A fantastic pop voice.

Co-produced by Julian Simmons , Never Been Cool was released last autumn. James released the album independently to iTunes and Amazon. So get downloading and investigate this hot new talent for yourself.

James is a regular performer on the club and Pride scene , and is gearing up for a new single release. Plastic looks set to be James next single. Again , another gorgeous vocal and quirky lyrics about todays society.
James Leon's album title may claim that he's Never Been Cool. Cool is its own convention. But aint nobody said he could never be successful. Successful and cool. Its a  perfect combination and one that James Leon could easily have in the near future. He's got the cool already. Hes got the songs. Hes got the talent.

James Leon is an intriguing prospect , on a pop scene bereft of intelligent , quirky male artists. Instead we get   bland , watered down RnB , X Factor pap , boring singer/songwriters that sound the same. If anything , James Leon has never been cooler.

Links

soundcloud.com/jamesleon

http://jamesleon.net

twitter.com/JamesLeon1

Never Been Cool is available on iTunes/Amazon right now

Watch the video for James Leon's single Purple Heart  below