Although the members of Vega4 met in London, they come from Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand. You and Others is their debut CD. Johnny McDaid (vocals and guitar), Bruce Gainsford (guitar), Gavin Fox (bass), and Brian McLellan (drums) have drawn attention for their emotional and melodic pop songs.Most of the album is decent, if somewhat formulaic, mid-tempo rock, but a couple of songs stick out. The best of these is the disarmingly positive single "Life Is Beautiful." Running over six minutes, this song boasts an exceptionally strong melody and chord progression, and is one of those songs that just seems guaranteed to get people singing along by the end of it. "It's amazing where I'm standing, there's a lot that we can give. This is ours just for a moment, there's a lot that we can give." "Let Go," while not quite as potent, boasts a similarly compelling chorus. There's definitely some promise here, but I just wish they had taken a few more chances with the rest of the album.
You and Others demonstrates that Vega4 possess the ability to make singles that "hit" in both the artistic and commercial senses of the word. Time will tell if they develop from this point into a band that can make albums that are gripping all the way through, but this is an encouraging debut regardless.
Overall grade: B
reviewed by Scott
