Starting as a diaphanously warm acoustic pop score, with nothing but guitar strings and a voice that could have saved the Titanic because everything in its presence melts, the latest release, the live recording of Easy to Love by Stephen Mugford, chameleonically shifts into a jazz-tinged feat of aural cinema. It moves far beyond the usual capacity of synaesthesia, filling listeners with the adoration that first sparked the creation of this lounge-lit, soul-swathed revelation. The track leaves no uncertainty that within reality, there’s no truer pleasure or meaning than love; it’s enough to cut through the hollow churn of dopamine chasing and push us towards a sweeter, more conscious way of living.
The live version carries a rare kind of intimacy that only simplicity can allow. Without studio gloss, Mugford’s performance feels raw yet refined, heartfelt yet never overstated. His voice drifts over the fingerpicked chords with an ease that speaks to experience and sincerity; it’s an unguarded capture of an artist steeped in honesty. Guided by the melodic storytelling of Paul McCartney, the warmth of Willie Nelson, and the breezy optimism of Jason Mraz, Mugford reaffirms that tenderness doesn’t need theatrics to hit hard.
A rising singer-songwriter with a poet’s sense of timing and tone, Mugford first introduced Easy to Love on his jazz-centred debut album Palooza Beach in 2024. The live rendition strips everything back to the marrow, exposing where the song first took root — in real affection and vulnerability.
Easy to Love is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
