(Single from album, “Electronic Earth”)
This was a surprising track. Labrinth is ok, I've always thought, but not especially brilliant. "Let The Sun Shine" was a very forgettable track, "Earthquake" was bloody annoying and "Last Time", good as it was, just seemed a little samey to me. Funnily enough, the three singles since have been everything but; "Express Yourself", arguably the best single of the year, incorporating keyboards and jazz/swing timing and composition technique, "Treatment" with its squelchy synth sounds and dance atmosphere, and now, this.
The piano at the start is daunting; is this going to be another "Love The Way You Lie"? No. It isn't. It kind of works; Labrinth, despite his genre, can actually sing very well, and the moment this becomes most clear is upon hearing the synthesised string section burst into life and explode as a full blown modern orchestra of pop sound. A dubby keyboard wavers, Muse style, behind the classical sounding instruments, whilst the piano carries on underneath. Above all of this, Sandé's vocal warbles over that of Labrinth's and the pair make a fantastic duet together.
The overall sound is great. The collection of voices work well together, from the electric guitar in the build up to the choruses, to the moody bridge section and the heavy, real drum line. It's a great song, which, makes some sense of why the track has been so badly received; it doesn't satisfy, young girls or stoned students still trying to dance at 3 in the morning...
★★★★
Versions of "Beneath Your Beautiful"
Album/Single Version - 4:32