Jon Norris - Payback - E.P. Review

From London and Paris' vibrant underground scenes, Jon Norris is undoubtedly one of the hottest unsigned talents right now.

Originally from Leicester, the ex-LIPA (Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts) graduate moved to France, and quickly made a name for himself in Paris with explosive live performances (L'Elysée Monmartre, Le Trabendo, Le Réservoir).

Having recently signed a contract with managers Carmen Bouchet and Mary de Vivo, Jon came back to the UK with the firm intention of establishing himself in London. Having just released the EP 'Payback' (Beatlesque pop melodies, bass-heavy hip-hop beats and super soulful vocals), his message comes through loud and clear.

The E.P. itself consists of four tracks. The first (which is the title track) Payback is a catchy tune. The music lulls you into a false sense of security though. The laid back melody hides the quite venomous tone of the lyrics. It works well though and is a great opening track. 

Track 2 "Covergirl" includes some rapping at the beginning of the song. Not that there's anything wrong with that but it reminded me of a track from the 90s and for me was the weakest of the 4 tracks as it didn't quite fit in.

Track 3 "Sold my soul" gets us back on track though. With a more soul/RnB feel to it this in fact sounds like a completely different artist showing Jon's versatility off well and highlighting the fact that he likes to venture into different styles of music.

The final track "Excuse me miss" rounds of the E.P. quite nicely. A simple tune  with calm,smooth lyrics told in a straight forward way. 

The E.P. on the whole was a joy to listen to and apart from track 2 showcased Jon's talent. Do'nt get me wrong "Covergirl" isn't dreadful by any standard I just felt it wasn't part of the E.P. as a whole and, for me, stood out like a sore fun on an otherwise great E.P.

You can check the songs for yourself at

www.noomiz.com/jonnorris