Charlee Drew, ‘Sugar Rush’ (LAB Records, July 19, 2010).

By Steve Anderson

Contrary to what you may think on the first read of his name, Charlee Drew is not actually bad at spelling, but the singer/songwriter/producer from Leicester is, in fact attempting to avoid fans saying his name in the sloppy accent of his home town. Spelling it this way, apparently, forces the proper pronunciation of “Charl-ee”, instead of the East Midland drawl of “Charl-eh”.

Trivia aside, this eagerly awaited first single from Mr Drew is a massive slice of saccharine-sweet upbeat summery pop, impressively penned, performed and produced by the man himself. The lyrics are catchy as hell and the melody is so infectious it will be revolving around your brain relentlessly after the first listen.

At the tender age of 22, Charlee has come a long way since the days of fronting more alternative punky outfits, and Sugar Rush is a testament to the amount of work he has put into restyling himself and creating a sound that is geared towards pleasing the masses. This boy has certainly done his homework; he knows what people want to hear and what will drive the kids crazy.

There are echoes of the electro, sugary pop of both Frankmusik and Mika, but Charlee somehow pulls it off with slightly more heart. His voice is something else, too, and his ultra-crisp and clean tones are showcased perfectly on this track.

My only criticism is that everything seems a little too perfect. The structure, instrumentation and production have all been mathematically arranged and though this is obviously Charlee’s intention in order to craft a fantastic pop song, I do sometimes prefer my singalongs a little rough around the edges.

Despite this, I can see Sugar Rush pushing Charlee into the limelight, and if the song itself is anything to go by, the following debut album is something to wait for.