Archeo is a 21 year-old, London based singer-songwriter who appears to have dropped from the sky fully formed and ready to step into place as next year’s pop star. That ‘pop’ word seems to be a status he is proud of, his own biog makes the point vociferously that he’s not claiming to be anything other, no pretence of being a ‘cross-over’. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but it’s kind of refreshing in a world of would-be cool, where people are slated and scrutinised for not being indie enough.
That comment about being fully formed; there’s one hell of a lot of sheen about him. If you need convincing check out his single ‘Mr. General’, released this week. It totally belies the newness of this artist, sounding more as though he has spent years honing his sound in some secret spot not a million miles from Paisley Park. I’ll say one thing, if it gets the right exposure, it has monster hit written all over it
Archeo – Mr. General by Archeo
His own background is one of being trailed around the world as a kid, living in Bombay, Hong Kong and Nigeria, pitching up in London at the age of 11. It all sounds very glamorous, but I can tell you from very personal experience that this sort of serial living leads to dislocation. Archeo isn’t saying as much, but it’s my surmise that there is no coincidence that he threw himself into music.
The huge production values on that single have received some help, notably from Steve Osbourne whose other credentials include Suede and New Order. All of which makes it very timely that Archeo has just allowed us an alternative view, by putting up on his website an acoustic version of ‘Sun Don’t Shine’. It shows two things beyond doubt. One is that the songs are strong enough to stand unadorned. The second is that his voice is just as remarkable when he’s in the sitting room in his scruffs.
It’s a fairly rare thing these days, pop music you can believe in.
