Album Review

Duncan Townsend – Painted Like A Picture

• 9th Apr 2011

British singer/ songwriter Duncan Townsend’s debut single Painted Like A Picture is a very personal song. Townsend was born in the United Arab Emirates, grew up in Nottingham and then moved to Germany where he now resides.

Starting with Townsend’s mellow lyrics over an acoustic guitar, the lyrics reflect this somewhat nomadic existence. He sings, “Sometimes the world is a small place; sometimes it’s not” and “I don’t belong to a nation, my feet may roam”.

The drums kick in, but subtly, to carry the beat forward as Townsend tells of a lost love. He reflects on his life in a gently understated fashion, as if looking at it from an outsider’s perspective, with the chorus of “So this is what it’s like, painted as a picture now”.

Tender harmonies back the refrain before the tempo increases, as the light goes out, metaphorically as well as literally, and the world gets dark. Then the chorus kicks in once more, repeated to end the track.

Painted Like a Picture is a fine pop song, while the lyrics reveal a deft songwriting touch and a confidence in Townsend to put his own story into words. It is a good introduction to his work and left me wanting to find out more about the man behind it.

Townsend performed a fine acoustic version of the song on the BBC’s The Review Show last night. It is well worth checking out on iPlayer.