Tom Odell bares his soul on new album ‘A Wonderful Life’

Tom Odell once again strikes an intimate chord with his seventh studio album ‘A Wonderful Life’. Written over an intense nine-month period in 2024, often between tour buses and train rides, the record radiates a fragile honesty.

On ‘Ugly’, the album’s lead single, his vulnerability takes center stage: “I’m standing in the mirror / I want to change my skin / Wish that I was taller / Wish that I was thin.”

Music website Dansende Beren describes Odell’s sound as familiar, yet “a little different.” Reviewer Lucas Palmans praises the emotional depth, even if Odell occasionally wavers “between good, cliché and somewhat-heard-before.” Still, he keeps listeners captivated: “Thanks to his charm, likability and sheer emotional intensity, it simply continues to work.”

Weekly paper De Zondag captures the essence of the album perfectly: “The album breathes sadness, but it’s also about letting go and embracing the fact that life is full of beauty, with joy, anger, euphoria and passion.”

‘A Wonderful Life’ isn’t a polished pop record, but a raw, personal testimony of life on the road. It stands as one of his most powerful works to date — and promises to become an unforgettable live experience when Tom Odell takes the stage at the AFAS Dome on December 4.