Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

(Here's Master Will giving it maximum class for some rubbish radio station or other.)

The other brilliant aspect to Will Young in 2008 that he is the best justification for further series of the TV talent shows he rose out of, in that he's a very talented man and they did discover him. But if you think about who he is and what he does, he is so far removed from that boom and bust annual churn of winners that you could easily believe that he made it on his own terms.

And that's not another reference to Simon Cowell supposedly preferring Gareth Gates when Pop Idol finished. I mean who could have predicted, when Will got his Westlife cast-off for winning, that he would end up doing live sessions for Radio 2? That having Will Young on Radio 2 would be a good match? That it would actually be GOOD for Radio 2 to get an artist of Will Young's calibre in? That a TV reality show winner would ever be considered as an 'artist' who had a 'calibre'?

Everyone was expecting Will to have the exact career that Gareth had. Two albums, the second one a flop, and that's that. No wonder Simon preferred the one who would give him less trouble (and more short-term gain).

That's all by the by, of course. We're here to discuss where Master Will is now. And it's a good place. He's perfected the art of writing a nasty, rusty and barbed ballad, then wrapping it in layers of velvet and silk so that it appears soft and welcoming. His soft, sheepy bray would never suit an out-and-out angry song - it would be FAR too undignified anyway - but his natural demeanour seems to be fairly uncompromising, so this is how he gets those feelings out.

It's a little like being beaten up with pillows, by sweary Care Bears, only, y'know, classy.

This is Master Will we're talking about, after all.

Download: Out now
CD Released: December 1st

www.bbc.co.uk/music

(Fraser McAlpine)