Sam Ryder - “There’s Nothing But Space, Man!” Album Review
Sam Ryder burst onto the scene with TikTok stardom, gaining notoriety for his astounding vocals in covers of incredibly hard to replicate talents like Adele, Alicia Keys, Freddie Mercury and Celine Dion among others.
His heavily anticipated debut album gained more steam after the social media phenom went from household name to rising star with a second place finish in Eurovision. Ryder performed with bands like Queen and began to raise the anticipation for his first album to unfathomable levels.
Considering the lofty expectations and the undeniable vocal talent of Ryder, the album was almost the perfect debut for the young artist. Though the album failed to continually grasp one’s attention and at times it was a jumbled array of styles, the talent of Ryder is undeniable and the album was filled with hidden gems that will undoubtedly further Ryder’s rise.
“There’s Nothing But Space, Man!” showed a lot of Ryder’s vocal ability in nearly every song, but Ryder’s vocals weren’t enough to overpower the overly produced nature of some of the songs on the album. At the same time though, when the songs were good, they were really, really good.
“All The Way Over” is an Elton John-esque ballad with a David Bowie flair, which at its
core is the perfect depiction of what the album is at its best. At it’s best songs like this, “Deep Blue Doubt,” and “Tiny Riot” possess the capabilities to vault Ryder to superstardom.
From softly written lyrics like, “They say there will come a day when this pain will leave my chest, but I’m not all the way over you yet” to powerful pleas like “You and I can break the chains, it takes a day to start a tiny riot, stop being so goddamn quiet.” Ryder’s messaging and delivery is powerful to both hit you in the heart and to rally you to get out of your chair.
Of course, the album is not all great. Songs like “OK,” “Somebody” and “Spaceman” walked the line of depicting Ryder’s talent and being way too produced to the point it sometimes diluted said talent. The songs kind of represent that of any early day star, they are examples of still trying to figure out your style as you grow within the industry.
The title itself is a bit long and not exactly one that you would think defines the album, but the album currently sits atop the UK’s top albums and has taken off to outer space in terms of sales and general success.
Some of the notes like Ryder hits in “All The Way Over” are truly unfathomable. Ryder was given a gift and for a 29-year old who pivoted his career thanks to viral TikToks, it’s proof of some of the true great social media can do. Not just for Ryder, but for the music industry. Ryder is a star who will be around for a while.
Rating: 8/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “All The Way Over” & “Deep Blue Doubt”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “OK” & “Somebody”
Dylan Price is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dvp5625@psu.edu.
