It’s been a long time between solo albums for Jon Stevens and so the news of Jon hitting the studio last year was the best possible prompt for fans that something was in the pipeline. Jon’s 10th studio record comes as an eagerly anticipated return, his first full-length solo album since 2017’s ‘Starlight’. Eight years is a long time in the world of music, more than the length of a career these days, but Stevens has never had a linear career and has always remained busy: whether on stage or working in various collaborations, whilst staying silent as a solo recording artist… until today.
Like all absences, the gap has only heightened the stakes — fans and critics alike have wondered whether Stevens could recapture the emotional resonance and sonic ambition of Starlight, while also charting new territory. In that light, Shimmer doesn’t merely feel like a follow-up — it feels like a reintroduction, one that leans hard into melody, reflection, and the lived experience of the years in between.
The album opens with title track, “Shimmer,” and it immediately sets the tone: it’s intrinsically melodic, lush in its instrumentation and has a vocal that beautifully balances strength and restraint. In the chorus, the line “diamonds in the sky” feels like an intentional bridge to Starlight, weaving a lyrical thread across the albums and reminding listeners that the skies he’s singing to still carry light.
From there, Stevens moves through a sequence of songs that range in mood but remain grounded in melody. “Paradise” offers balladry tinged with melancholy; in it, he seems to wrestle with recalled loss and find sanctuary in this idealised retreat. Light permeates the album as a theme: “Summer of Love” brings a more sunlit energy – there’s a wonderfully breezy harmony, shimmering guitars, and a wonderful chorus that is bold and unselfconscious enough to feel like a throwback to earlier chapters of his career.
“Your Bubble” that follows showcases a fun, more intimate side of Stevens, with stripped-back textures, strummed guitar and vocal intimacy, it’s pure Pop on one level, but devilishly enticing, making it stand out in contrast to the more layered arrangements elsewhere.
Deeper in, Stevens continues the alchemy of balancing the anthemic with the rawer, more personal numbers. “So Beautiful” which has a Coldplay-like edginess and Pop propulsion; and the timeless “Fight Another Day” with its almost whispered opening both lean into rock dynamics and deliver real emotional urgency, with beautifully utilised guitars and driving rhythms. Together they almost sum up the power of this return.
“Trippin’” rides in on a strummed guitar and you can almost imagine its genesis with Jon sat with guitar in hand, before it takes a harder funkier edge as it launches into the chorus. It’s a love story that can’t fail to get you moving. And like other number here that you might feel embrace Pop more than Rock it utilises the guitar wonderfully well.
“Gotta Get It” adds wonderful drive and has an almost ‘INXS does Rock and Roll’ feel. It builds beautifully and is made to be played live. Some of my favourites come late though and bring some of those most emotionally raw moments. “Waiting For You” is probably my favourite here – its soulful vocal tempered with the sweetly simple refrain is a pure summer days ‘blue sky’ moment, and the addition of the backing vocals just underline the real joy and power of it’s three minutes thirty-six seconds. It’s the cure for all ills!
“Breakdown” brings back the rawness found in of some of the lyrics here, Stevens’ voice is at its most exposed and vulnerable yet keeping itself moving forward despite the pain. It’s a wonderful balance that contemplates both the power and the danger of love.
All too soon we’re at the end and “My Sunshine,” which closes the album sees us back on the beach we were when ‘Shimmer’ brought us in. It’s a fun song and comes as a rather fitting epilogue to Jon’s latest collection. Closing an album that has taken us on a journey through reflection, desire, yearning and a certain emotional resilience – this is a song that just busts with love an gratitude. And whilst it’s a song that is light and fun, you feel that at a deeper level it’s a song about finding what you want and have always been searching for in love and in life. It’s understated, intimate and leads us out with a real sense of optimism.
As someone who has always loved Jon’s solo work maybe more than his collaborations “Shimmer” is a record well worth the wait. It has all that you would have hoped from the man behind ‘Woman’ and ‘Starlight’. It’s ambitious and wonderfully reaised setting just the right balance if you’ve loved his last few records. Sonically it’s wonderful and the collaboration with producer and songwriter Kevin Savigar and guitarist Emerson Swinford, members of the Rod Stewart band, is a match made in heaven. They have helped Stevens craft an album that simply sounds wonderful and manages to capture a real live energy as well as sounding polished and wonderfully accented. It’s a production that leaves plenty of room for Stevens voice and stories, and the real triumph might actually be the use of guitars, which shimmer like stars here.
For those like me who have waited I only hope that we get to see some of these wonderful songs played live soon.
