Craig Stuart's 'Like A Rocket'

ROUGH ONLINE are in love with Craig Stuart’s debut effort “Like a Rocket” for so many beautiful reasons, starting with the song’s main, acoustic guitar arpeggio, which delivers a current sound similar to the opening of Miley Cyrus’s “Malibu,” yet a style reminiscent of pretty much most of the Dawson’s Creek 99’ soundtrack, notably Sophie B. Hawkins’ country ballad “Lose Your Way,” which fused with its’ up-tempo, 4/4 pop beat, even throws us back to 80’s Suzanne Vega. It’s no wonder, along with background violins and cellos which compliment Craig’s tender, Matt Cardle-esque vocals, that we get lost in the overall beauty of music, as he delicately sings “you are like a rocket, ready to explode, there’s no one who could stop it, they should have let you go, but tonight for one final time, you light up the sky.” It is a heartfelt and understated vocal performance, which becomes even more stunning the higher he goes in register at the end of each chorus.

And just when you thought the production of “Like a Rocket” has reached its’ finest peak, the sound is enriched after the final chorus by the use of a slick yet simple, catchy guitar riff performed on the electric, and effected by a clean, reverb sound and just a touch of delay to make you dance round the living room with a smile on your face stretched from ear to ear. The Country Pop dynamics are just enough to finish off such an unexpectedly, beautiful surprise, which you are bound to include on your Chillout playlist this summer. The question is will we hear any more perfect, Easy Listening numbers from this talented songwriter? It’s safe to say that there aren’t enough singers out there like Craig Stuart creating an Acoustic Pop sound that we haven’t heard for quite some time since the likes of 90’s acts Six Pence None The Richer and Natalie Imbruglia. Let’s hope that this genre is making the comeback it deserves, but for the time being, sit back and enjoy the rich, captivating, enjoyable sound of “Like a Rocket.”