Last week, Jake Bugg’s self-titled debut album was released in the United States. The nineteen-year-old has done well. A lazy comparison would be to say that he is trying to channel young Bob Dylan. There are some songs like “Lighting Bolt” and “Country Song” where Bugg’s voice has that Dylany nasality. However, content-wise none of these songs are really political or as whimsical as Dylan. A better comparison is to say that Bugg sounds more like Donovan meets an edgier Peter Noone of the Herman’s Hermits with a touch of Bright Eyes. At times, there’s even a touch of the Everly Brothers. All in all, this is a very pleasant record and marks a solid debut from an artist with a lot of potential. Jake Bugg has a great 1960s throwback sound, but at the same time is crisply modern in its production. In a way, its like what Mark Ronson did for Amy Winehouse’s retro soul Back To Black. With Jake Bugg, it is more like neo-British Invasion.

The opening track, “Lightening Bolt” is already gaining speed with its usage in a Gatorade commercial. However, there are a number of real gems such as the irreverent “Two Fingers”, the sincere “Simple As This” and the very cinematic “Seen It All”.

Essential tracks: “Two Fingers”, “Simple As This” & “Seen It All”