REVIEWS seven Years Ten Weeks

It's a brilliant album, crammed full of mature, guitar-led pop, rock and swooning ballads. My Music, 'This is a one man band, a talent hotspot capable of far more than perhaps the record company executives are naturally comfortable with.'

'This debut outing is, surprisingly, a top effort. When David's not trying to sound like old Take That stars, there are actually some moments of genius here. The exquisite Lazy is an absolute corker and has classic written all over it and David's second single Don't Let Go is a bit of a belter too..' YAHOO

Sneddon is a performer with honesty, integrity and a fair degree of soul... with infectious piano melodies and an attractively low-key falsetto. Review by Andrew Lynch. Entertainment.com

David's debut album engrosses with stirring emotions and heartfelt lyrics, and takes you on a journey of inspired escapism. If you enjoy heartfelt and personally absorbing songs, this album will take you on a young man's emotional journey with the intense passion and range in his voice, from soothing lower tones to inspiring high notes.
The Albums title refers to the 10 weeks on the show. It starts with the rocky opener Best of Order, followed by the soaring Time to Fall Down, and includes both rocky tracks like, Follow Me, and personal ballads such as the Celtic Without You. There are shades of Bon Jovi, the Beatles, Elton in here - producer Steve Lillywhite thought it would work well to have David on piano and Elton's bands backing him. At times the bass is too heavy and rather overshadows David's vocals. Apart from this the album is a very heart-warming collection of songs that take you from busking, All My Life, to the trials on the show, OK, to hope for the future with John Kielty's Long Time Coming. There is also the jazz influenced and relaxing Lazy. It includes David’s two chart topping singles, Stop Living The Lie, and, Dont let Go, both recorded for the album with a rockier and more authentic feel to them. The album made number 5 in the Album charts, and David recorded all his own material, when many pop stars perform covers or co-writes. Highly recommended.

*Seven Years Ten Weeks - Album Review
This debut album tells an autobiographical tale of David’s journey – from playing with bands in smoky local clubs to the challenges of being on the TV show, and finishing with the slow burner Long Time Coming, which showcases David’s wide ranging and expressive vocals. Songs such as ‘Time To Fall Down’, ‘All my Life’ and ‘OK’ tell of the hardships of rejections, the vulnerability and having your hopes and dreams squashed yet again. There are the moving love songs ‘Without You’ and ‘Don’t Let Go.’ You can feel all David’s youthful longing to make something of his life and to be creative. Many of the lyrics are moving and memorable showing his strong ability to empathize and understand and to create clear poignant moments in song. His number one hit ‘Stop Living The Lie’ was the first song we heard from David on the tv show and led on to his winning the show. ‘She died long ago deep down inside, who is going to save her.’ A personal favourite of mine, ‘All my Life’ grips with strong imagery and honesty. ‘Get on your feet and play on and I don’t want to be left here all my life.’ The album starts with the upbeat ‘Best Of Order’ – the compare used to say this about David when he was performing at one of the clubs. I wasn’t sure about this song at first but grew to adore the vocals and feel of it. ’Once upon a time not so long ago, this boy he took to the stage.’ Bluebird; a song that is a step on with the abstract concepts behind it.
While Elton’s band with their 80s style rock doesn’t quite work for me with David’s musical voice and some of the songs lack a coherent overall style - yet when David’s voice does shine through on his hits Stop Living The Lie, Don’t Let Go and Without You it feels like a inspired new talent. David’s piano playing is dynamic and works well with his singing voice. His vocals have an emotional edge that hits the heart with a sensitive sincerity and pathos. This isn’t a perfect album – but it’s one you can get immersed in and that tells an honest story.
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David Sneddon is the latest pop star to be thrown up by a reality TV show (in this case, Fame Academy), which for some people will be more than enough reason to hate him instantly. That, however, would be unfair for while he's no Bob Dylan, Sneddon is at least a performer with honesty, integrity and a fair degree of soul. Perhaps it's because, as the title suggests, he's spent the last seven years hauling himself and his guitar around the club circuit - many of these self-penned songs are about his struggles along the way, trying to attract the interest of drunken punters and failing more often than not. His underdog image proves to be quite endearing - and he also shows himself to be a songwriter of some promise, redeeming his pub-rock arrangements with infectious piano melodies and an attractively low-key falsetto. His album is no masterpiece, But compared to the likes of Six, David Sneddon is surely entitled to at least a bit of respect. Review by Andrew Lynch. Entertainment.com
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April 2003 sees the release the much anticipated debut album from 'Fame Academy' winner David Sneddon. Entitled 'Seven Days - Ten Weeks', the album was written entirely by David himself and is the product of seven years of song-writing coupled with ten weeks of reality television. To make the album David has enlisted the help of one his biggest musical heroes, Elton John. Also on board was Hugh Padgham (Sting, David Bowie, Genesis), one of the most successful producers in contemporary Britishpop. His input has enhanced the definite and unpredictable rock sound David has created for the album. 'Seven Days - Ten Weeks' showcases David's true talent to the full and is a mixture of guitar-led, up tempo tracks and classic ballads. The album also includes a new version of David's No.1 hit 'Stop Living The Lie', the second biggest selling single of the year so far, and the new single, the filmic ballad 'Don't Let Go'. HMV
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David Sneddon's assured debut album immediately does it's best to distance itself from its Fame Academy origins and establish David as a serious artist. Poor David has a terrible time with ignorant journalists misunderstanding his talent and what Fame Academy was about, and everywhere from the cutting song lyrics to the album sleeve dedication is David's frustration over this made clear. This is a strong album which has some haunting tracks like 'Lazy' that evoke late 90s indie, to early Robbie efforts like 'OK', though David needs no Guy Chambers pulling the strings from behind the scenes. This is a one man band, a talent hotspot capable of far more than perhaps the record company executives are naturally comfortable with. There's plenty of surprises here, with the anthemic 'Best of Order' launching the album and a version of 'Stop Living The Lie' that's fantastically overly produced compared with the single version we know and love. 'Seven Years - Ten Weeks' is a quiet, confident and assured package that should ensure David continues to prove his critics wrong and establish his presence as a major talent in the music industry. 4 out of a possible 5
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.. Seven Years - Ten Weeks is something of a revelation. , this debut outing is, surprisingly, a top effort. When David's not trying to sound like old Take That stars, there are actually some moments of genius here. The exquisite Lazy is an absolute corker and has classic written all over it and David's second single Don't Let Go is a bit of a belter too..Snedders has presented us with a well-produced, admittedly old-fashioned album of songs that are sure to be classics. Perhaps Robbie should have a listen to this to see where he went wrong on the disappointing Escapology. YAHOO
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The easiest job in the world is to knock plucky reality television talent show contestants. Unlike previous success stories from the reality hothouse, this hasn't been whipped up by a gaggle of writers and musicians, then spoon-fed to the performer, this is all Sneddon's own work. The most prolific songwriter from the Academy has written all but one of this promising 12-track collection.
It all kicks off imaginatively with Best Of Order. ..The heartfelt, mid-range ballad is Sneddon's natural terrain, with a clutch of other examples like the Celtic-tinged Without You showing off his silky piano skills and the pleasant upper range of his vocals. The Glasgow lad shows considerable depth and maturity beyond his years..,. He shows signs of joining a long tradition of popular singer-songwriters capable of lasting the course. BBC
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