Eg White, the songwriter on “Leave Right Now”, had an intriguing half-career out in the far suburbs of British pop. His album as part of Eg And Alice, 24 Years Of Hunger, has quietly acquired cult status; it’s sophisticated but erratic. Like Daniel Bedingfield, White was a young songwriter trying on his inspirations for size (at one point there’s an unexpected but exciting stab at Remain In Light era David Byrne). Released into a world too earthy and raucous for it, it made no impression – I remember the cassette of it in Our Price sale after sale, forever ignored.
And here White is, winning an Ivor Novello for Will Young’s successful tilt at establishing a career for himself. Talent will out? Maybe, but his story also illustrates how capricious the industry is at rewarding it – what twist of luck makes one awkward bedroom pop act a minor sensation and confines another to the backroom? Come to think of it, what grants one reality TV winner a career as a singer and another a career as a pub quiz answer?
Talented, earnest and likeable, and early enough in the Reality Pop era to still be a novelty, Will Young had a lot of people on his side. The fact he beat what we now know are fearsome odds to have a strong run of as a TV show winner is impressive, but at the time “Leave Right Now” seemed to promise a lot more. more »
