''Lexicon'' is the seventh studio album by British singer

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...

. It was released on 21 June 2019 through

Cooking Vinyl Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England. It was founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and his business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner an ...

. The album's lead single " All the Songs" was released on 22 March 2019 and, with it, announced a supporting 21-date UK tour lasting throughout October.

Background

The album has been said to reunite the team who executive produced his 2011 studio album '' Echoes''. Furthermore, the album reunites him with

Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for art ...

, who produced his 2011 single "

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of Emotional insecurity, insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, he ...

", and

Eg White Francis Anthony "Eg" White (born 22 November 1966) is a British musician, songwriter and producer. He started his career in the cowpunk band Yip Yip Coyote in the 1980s and then formed Brother Beyond with his brother, David White, in the late ...

, who co-wrote his 2003 single "

Leave Right Now "Leave Right Now" is a song by British singer Will Young. It was written by Eg White and produced by Stephen Lipson for Young's second studio album, '' Friday's Child'' (2003). A song about unrequited love, it was released as the album's first ...

". Additionally, it is said to feature a track written by BRIT-award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Walker.

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Commenting on Young's decision to release ''Lexicon'' with

, Elizabeth Aubrey wrote in the review for ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'': "The freedom it has brought certainly suits him. ''Lexicon'' has darker, electronic underpinning than anything he’s done before ..The project sees Young collaborating with other songwriters for the first time since his third album. He has boldly overhauled his sound and stayed true to his pop roots." ''

musicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

'' editor Helen Clarke described ''Lexicon'' as "a record for wallowing in after a break-up. It’s melodramatic ..but it mostly feels a bit filler-y. Luckily for him, in the days of streaming and downloads, those opening tracks will be plenty to re-stoke the public’s love of Will Young, and hopefully provide a grounding for his next record. Electro Will is in there somewhere – as 2011's "

" proved – and we can't wait to hear from him again." Quentin Harrison, writing for ''Albumism'', felt that "loosely defined as a sort of glossary for exceptional language or knowledge, it was wise for Will Young to elect “lexicon” as a designation for an album that manages to look back while moving forward with mature, compellingly rendered pop pieces."

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control Will Young albums 2019 albums Cooking Vinyl albums Albums produced by Richard X Albums produced by Eg White Albums produced by Jimmy Hogarth