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Liam Carey reviews
Dive In
Mercury Records
- Year: 2002
- Rating: 8/10
- Cat. No: 635922
Track listing:
- 1. Colourblind
2. Rushes
3. Incredible (What I Meant To Say)
4. Girl In The Moon
5. I’m Not Buying
6. Dive In
7. Gotta Know Tonight
8. Sliding Doors
9. Simple Like The Truth
10. Better Than That
11. Mocking Bird
12. Mercury Rising
Darius Dinesh just wouldn’t give up, even after embarassing himself so memorably during the televised auditions for the original Popstars series. That he has managed to recover from the ridicule his ponytailed, over-the-top acapella rendition of Baby One More Time is remarkable, but to then return for another spirited failure on the subsequent Pop Idol yet now stand as arguably the most promising male solo act of his generation, thanks to a string of gleaming singles, is nothing short of miraculous.
True, he’s still trying too hard to be a credible artist, but on the evidence of Dive In, he really needn’t worry. These dozen songs tell their own story. Well-structured, tuneful, blessed with pleasing instrumental touches and lyrical intelligence, they’re based on traditional songwriting values.
Will and Gareth may have beaten him to the shallow spoils of instant Pop Idoldom and wretchedly anondyne karaoke hits, but Darius looks the one most likely to last. Longevity probably still won’t be his any more than it is for all modern-day recording acts, such is the nature of the beast these days, yet Dive In offers a decent case for accepting Darius as a bona fide contemporary of Ronan Keating and, who knows, even Marti Pellow. It’s no coincidence that those artists are also on the Mercury label.
In contrast to these potential peers, however, Darius refrains from saccharine balladry; only one or two of the dozen songs could be described as anything resembling a genuine ballad, and besides in Gotta Know Tonight we’re talking more The Scientist (Coldplay) than What My Heart Wants To Say (Gareth Gates). Colourblind, Rushes and Incredible are as good an opening trio of songs as a pop record could hope for. The pirouetting and articulate Rushes is a particular gem, pinned down by an irresistible guitar motif that, in truth, probably deserves an even better chorus. I’m Not Buying is widescreen rock that almost evokes classic U2, while the closing track Mercury Rising is as far away from Popstars fodder as can be imagined.
In waiting for his Popstars contractual obligations to expire before launching his recording career, Darius has been able to operate on his own terms, and find his natural niche. Without the instantly guaranteed hype-assisted success of the other Pop Idol finalists, he was destined to ultimately stand or fall on the quality of this album and its singles. The #1 achieved by Colourblind last summer could be explained away as a consequence of his talent-show origins, of course, but the real test has come with this debut album…. and Dive In passes with flying colours.
Review copyright © Liam Carey, 2003. E-mail Liam Carey
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.