[1] The following year, Young collaborated with electronic music duo Groove Armada on their album Black Light, singing vocals on the track "History".

"[4] While X would serve as the album's chief producer, Young collaborated and co-wrote songs with various writers, including Andy Cato from Groove Armada, Kish Mauve, Fred Falke, The Sound of Arrows, Richard Stannard, and Pascal Gabriel.

[4] Musically, Young sought inspiration for Echoes from fellow UK dance-pop acts Pet Shop Boys, The Communards and Everything but the Girl,[5] stating that he "wanted to hark back to that type of sound with strong bass but also very melodic.

The hands-in-the-air ballads "Lie Next to Me" and "Silent Valentine" prove that he's still the Will we've always known, just in a shinier, sharper and altogether more comfortable skin.

"[13] The Guardian writer Caroline Sullivan compared Echoes to the work of George Michael and the Pet Shop Boys.

"[14] Evening Standard's Rick Pearson complimented the album for its "playful, dancey quality" which he considered "a welcome change from the schmaltzy ballads that have characterised too much of Young's output.

[12] He felt that the "13 highly personal tracks [...] largely eschew his trademark MOR blue-eyed soul in favor of an understated electro sound that perfectly fits his delicate and fragile vocals.

"[12] Ian Wade from BBC declared Echoes a "fantastic, perfectly crafted adult pop album for people who’ve long wondered if such a thing existed anymore.

Now arguably one of the UK’s most authentic, honest and engaging stars, he is perhaps the first TV show alumnus to attain true Idol status.

[17] She felt "what is immediately striking is the apparently intensely personal nature of much of the material [...] delivered in Young’s tuneful yet frequently vulnerable vocal.

"[17] James Lachno from The Telegraph noted that while "several anodyne tracks yearn for more vocal drama, overall an understated beauty permeates this well-crafted expansion of Young’s smooth adult pop.