Having never really heard of James Blunt, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard an advert for this album. Unawares to myself I actually knew two or three of the songs that were played throught the aD.

So on deciding I actually liked James Blunt and had no idea of even who he was, I set off to get myself a copy of this, and did so the very next day!

Track LIstings include:

1. High
2. You're Beautiful
3. Wisemen
4. Goodbye My Lover
5. Tears And Rain
6. Out Of My Mind
7. So Long, Jimmy
8. Billy
9. Cry
10. No Bravery

There was three songs in which I knew on hearing the ad, these were "High", "You're Beautiful", and "Wisemen". I think they have all been released so far, if not they certainly have had some amount of airtime on my local radio station and at the supermarket where i work!

The overall feel for the album is a fresh, slow, happy soundtrack for the summer of 2005, I already have a copy on my minidisc and listen to it most days on my way to work. It certainly keeps a smile on my face, even when its raining!

Let's look at the album track by track.

~~~~1. "High"~~~~

"Beautiful dawn - I'm just chasing time again.
Thought I would die a lonely man, in endless night.
But now I'm high; running wild among all the stars above.
Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me."

This track is slowly paced and although the lyrics may look quite glum, it is for me a really happy song that always gets me singing along.
This is a really good song and as far as I'm aware has been released, if you think you recognise the lyrics then you are probably right because it is on the radio ALL THE TIME, not that it's a bad thing of course!

~~~~2. You're Beautiful~~~~

Another favourite of mine, this song again is slow paced and keep they same rythm of the first track. There is about at 20 second intro to this song before the lyrics truly begin.
This song has also been released and is frequently played on the radio. I think out of all songs on the album, most people may recognise this, even if they do not know who James Blunt is.

In this track there is one swear word, which came as a surprise to me as I had always heard it on the radio, which obviously did not include this word. But as I say, it is only one word, so if you buy the album and have kids, I don't see too much of a problem.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw you face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.

This track is rather short, as are most tracks on the album, but it was only listening to this track that made me realise this. This song lasts 3.33mins, but it does seem to go by quicker than that!

Other songs on the album last roughly aroung 4 minutes, which in comparison to other songs is about average but it must be the quality of these songs,and the fact that I don't want them to end seems to make them go by quicker.

~~~~3. Wisemen~~~~

For me, this is my favourite song on the album, and when I heard this on the ad, I knew I just HAD to have it!!

"Look who's alone now,
It's not me. It's not me.
Those three Wise Men,
They've got a semi by the sea.
Got to ask yourself the question,
Where are you now?"

I adore the accoustics in this song, there is a longish gap towards the middle of the song and the guitar just seems to pipe up from the background and I totally love.

Then again towards the end of the song an electric guitar has a solo even though it is only for about 5-10seconds, another cool part of the song for me.

~~~~4. Goodbye, My Lover~~~~

I totally love the way this song starts, again slow, keeping with the whole mood of the album. You hear a piano for about 20 seconds before the lyrics start, it is pretty cool and you can keep focused on the piano throughtout the song.

This song is pretty sad and for me I can see it as the background music to perhaps an episode of the OC or even Nip/Tuck, it is the kind of song to accompany a spouses death on such a show. (If only I were involved in something like that....my show would rawk lol)

"Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me."

As the chorous is so simple you find yourself singing along to it after only havin heard it once or twice! This is another fantastic song!

~~~~~5. Tears and Rain~~~~~

On looking at the title of this song it does not seem familar to me, but as soon as the song has started playing, only after 5 seconds I am reminded of how much I like it!!

The lyrics begin:

"How I wish I could surrender my soul;
Shed the clothes that become my skin;
See the liar that burns within my needing.
How I wish I'd chosen darkness from cold.
How I wish I had screamed out loud,
Instead I've found no meaning."

Again another slow song, where an accoustic guitar dominates the song from the onset. For me, although the title is unfamiliar when I glance at it, it is really good especially the chorous. Unless you have the album you probably would not know this song, but if you do get a copy of the album, I recommend this song.

~~~~~6. Out of My Mind~~~~

This on has a kind of peculiar start, I think its the sound of a drum tapping but its not tapped by a drumstick, more like some kinda of wirery thread, lol sounds mad I know, I guess you would have to hear it to draw your own conclusions.

This song is ok, but as most of the lyrics are "out of my mind" it does come easily repetitive and for me is one of the albums weaker links.

"But I won't be your concubine - I'm a puppet not a whore.
I just need this stage to be seen.
Won't you be a friend of mine to remind me what is real?
Hold my heart and see that it bleeds."

Looking at the lyrics it does appear pretty deep but when your listegning to it your just glad that he's stopped repeating, "I'm out of my mind".

~~~~7. So Long Jimmy~~~~

This song begins with a cool little electric guitar rhythm. It makes the song sound almost like funk, and is a different sound from the other songs on the album.

This one is a little more paced than the others and is slightly faster. It is a quite good song but I don't really have anything to say about it, so I will include some of the lyrics and leave you to draw your own conclusions.

"So long, Jimmy, so long.
Though you only stayed a moment,
We all know that you're the one. Singing,
So long, Jimmy, so long.
Sure we're glad for the experience,
We miss you now you've gone.
We're just swimming in your soul 'cause,
We all wish we wrote this song.
Life goes on."

~~~~8. Billy~~~~

This song reminds me of Maroon 5, although the album is nothing like theirs, there's just something about this one song.

It starts of pretty bluesy but the this kinda disappers as the lyrics begin.

For me, my favourite lyrics are:

"Tomorrow comes. Sorrow becomes his soul mate.
The damage is done. The prodigal son is too late.
Old doors are closed but he's always open,
To relive time in his mind.
Oh Billy."

The song only lasts 3.37 minutes but for me, the best bit is the chorus, this for me, along with the intro reminds me of Maroon 5.

~~~~9. Cry~~~~

I think this song starts of kind of eery, then you hear a guitar and it reminds you of a John Wayne showdown. It is only the beginning of the song that sounds like a western though.

Not a huge fan of this song, it is ok, and it is definetably "listenable" but I wouldn't switch songs to hear it.

Again this song keeps the slow pace of the album, and is maybe one of the slowest songs on the album. It talks of death and remorse as well as guilt which could explain the slow melodoy, but it's not for me.

I don't have any favourite lyrics in the song, but I will include some just to give you a taste of it, if you have not heard it.

"I have seen birth. I have seen death.
Lived to see a lover's final breath.
Do you see my guilt? Should I feel fright?
Is the fire of hesitation burning bright?"

~~~~10. No Bravery~~~~

I like the start of this song, again it is a piano and keeping a slow pace, for me it is something you would see in a film based back in the 1950s, where the mother is sitting at a piano with all her children round her, teasching them how to play.

The lyrics of the song are ok, as is the song itself, I think that is probably why I have got such a vivid imagination and tried to give it a set.

Erm, another weak link for me, so that's probably why it is last...again nothing much to say, other than it is dominated by a piano and at some bits it can become quite loud in comparison to the lyrics, it is slow paced and the piano is the only thing that makes it worth listening to for me!

Again, I will inlcude some lyrics but not majorly impressed with this song.

"There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
But no one asks the question why,
He has been here.
Old men kneel and accept their fate.
Wives and daughters cut and raped.
A generation drenched in hate.
Yes, he has been here."

~~~~~~~~~~~Overall~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The album itself is really good, unfortunetly there are only 10 songs and I don't like three of them. But out of the 7 I do like, i have around 4 favourites, so I'm totally spoiled for choice.

If you do like the stuff you have already heard from James Blunt then you are most certainly going to like this, if you haven't heard anything then I'd say listen out for him on the radio and if you are really earger go and buy either "High", "You're Beautiful", or "Wisemen" on CD single, if you like either of them, then you know what to do!!

Even though there are 3 songs which I am not particuluarly enthused about, I will recommend this for potentinal buyers and would probably rate it 7/10!!

Happy listening!