Won’t Go Quietly is the first album I can remember being THIS excited for in quite a long time. With past albums I have been excited for I scour the web and find nearly all the tracks before the release, know exactly what I’m getting before I buy it. Not with Won’t Go Quietly, I wanted to wait, to really enjoy that moment when all the anticipation pays off. Buy it, have it in hand (direct to my iPhone counts!) and listen to it straight through in proper order, take in the album as it is meant to be. Now, sadly sometimes albums aren’t everything you hope for, the hype and excitement are actually better than the album, but that is definitely not the case with this album. It is everything I wanted, even if it is not what I expected.

Example has done no small feat, he has made a convert of me when it comes to Dubstep. This is mostly do to the tracks ‘Dirty Face’, ‘Sick Note’ and ‘See the Sea’.  My friend Eph from over at PandaToes, and I have been having a spirited musical debate for months now about Dubstep. I appreciate it, but most of what I hear is just interesting noise at best. Where Eph loves dubstep and, at every chance he gets, tries his best to help me see it how great it is. For me to make it something great you need to include, heaven forbid, a melody! Something that will draw people to it, and help them to connect to it. In other words, breathe musical life into it. Won’t Go Quietly equally proves both sides of our argument. Dubstep is great and will be a dynamic influence on music, but the only way it can be really great is to accentuate equally great music to get to its full potential

Blurring the line between what genres are and what they should sound like. It is an album that is equal parts hip-hop, electro, pop, dubstep and rock. And I wanted to give it a proper track-by-track dissection, but there are 16 tracks, and what lovely tracks they are, which may be a bit much. So here are a few stand out tracks in addition to the previous four tracks we have talked about on C&B.

‘Time Machine’ – This is what Timbaland should sound like, if he were to make anything new sounding since Future Sex/Love Sounds. This song has a strut and sexy vibe all its own. Calvin Harris helped to create a fantastic disco tinged dance track that works perfectly with Examples voice and styling.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

‘Last One Standing’ – Has all the fun and exuberance of the late 80’s dance pop, I have to be honest in reminds me of Whitney Houston’s dance tracks from that time period. This is a VERY good thing. Perfect follow up as the 4^th single. It is all about going out with your favorite partner in crime and seeing just how much trouble you can get away with.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

‘Two Lives’ – A big, expressive rock anthem that is all about balancing the halves of who Example is. The person we all see, and the person he is in private. Even for those of us who aren’t public figures, it is an idea I know I think about quite a bit. How to balance who I am and who others want and expect me to be.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

‘Sick Note’ – Stay out later than you should on a school night? We have all been there. Infectious, dancey and something different from your normal electro dance out there with Dubstep seeping in over the edges to make something very unique.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

‘Girl Can’t Dance’ – Slick and sexy rock infused dance. It’s the lyrics for me on this one. “It’s such a pity/Girl you can’t dance/Yes you’re really gorgeous/ Very nearly flawless/But why didn’t you ma teach you to dance?”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

My rating is a perfect 10/10. It is really a brilliant album that has pushed my musical tastes and boundaries. One of the best albums of 2010, which is why it’s currently charting at #2 on the UK chart.  And I do really want everyone to support him, so if you are in UK head over iTunes or the local HMV and buy it. If you are stateside, head over to Amazon.com, it is worth the cost to have it imported.

As a treat to loyal readers I am going to share the entire album for just 24 hours, because I do really want everyone support Example and go buy the album and get excited about a fantastic musician and his even better music.

Tags: Example