Some artists respond to hype by overcompensating. Tom Odell, who won the critics' choice prize at this year's Brits, has gone the other way. There is something admirably cocky about the brevity of his debut album, which barely crosses the half-hour mark, and these 10 songs capture the 22-year-old's appeal – his key-thumping energy, his heart-on-sleeve simplicity. But, if anything, the album feels too focused. Barring the hopeful opening song, every other track is about heartbreak, actual or impending. Odell has shown his promise but he has yet to prove his range.
