Released: September 23
Mark Owen lives his Los Angeles fantasy on his superb new solo album ‘Land of Dreams’.
It’s been almost a decade since the Take That star last released music outside of the pop outfit, but as the trio embarked on a hiatus following their reimagined ‘Odyssey’ greatest hits collection and subsequent tour, he packed up his life and relocated across the pond “with the intention of making a record”.
“LA was a whole new world for me,” says Mark. “It was about trying to find my way in a place I’d never been before, working in studios that I’d never been in before, with people that I’d never worked with before.
“I realised I’ve been doing music now for 30 years or so, and I just wanted to have a new experience where almost I had to start again. I wanted to come here and start from the ground, and build something new.”
In the past, his independent offerings failed to set the charts alight in the same way bandmates Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams have become accustomed to, and while he plays it relatively safe on lead single You Only Want Me – an earworm of a hit and the perfect way to launch an album, no less – Mark lets loose across the LP’s 12 tracks, which lean into a plethora of genres and inspirations.
Come Back displays a funk edge that works surprisingly well with the hitmaker’s distinctive tone while Boy – a track written with his teenage son in mind – is an uplifting lyric and a reminder to put self-care high on one’s list of priorities.
But along with the more experimental numbers are all-out pop bangers, such as the storming Rio, which is destined to be belted out on the live stage, and pre-release track Magic, which sees Mark’s trademark falsetto positioned front and centre as he channels his inner-Bee Gee and lives his dramatic disco fantasy.
Closing with the anthemic World, it’s another example of the hitmaker’s fine musicianship and a reminder that he is, by all accounts, one of Britain’s premier singer-songwriters.
Of returning to the stage as a fully-realised solo artist, Mark beams: “Because it’s been a long time, I’m looking forward to just getting out there again. This whole period and process has been a mixture of reflection, looking ahead and being grateful for being part of the world.
“I’ve taken my experience, playing and writing, over the last 30 years and put it into this record. I’ve tried to capture an energy that can translate and is exciting. And it’s been an absolute pleasure – and a real joy to do.”
Likewise, it’s a delight to see him blossom out of Mark from Take That and into Mark Owen, the solo superstar.
‘Land of Dreams’ is available now.
