Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:625
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You should never underestimate the closet Radio 2 listener. James Blunt is a great example of what can happen when you get some airtime, a little TV promotion, a good single and an interesting video. Back To Bedlam was a modest seller upon release, it was nothing spectacular and when You're Beautiful was released it entered outside the top ten.
But unlike every other single release, this was one that grew in popularity and actually climbed the charts and eventually took the number one spot for several weeks. Not only that but it helped to propel the album to the top of the charts dislodging Coldplay in the process. My theory for this incredible success is that James Blunt is probably a housewife favourite, they've heard his song on the radio and picked up the album on their weekly jaunt to the supermarket.
Now this may sound like I'm not a fan of James Blunt. Nothing could be further from the truth; Back To Bedlam has been on steady rotation for a long time on the drive to work. I actually started to check out some of this music after being hooked by the TV adverts for the album.
The album kicks off with 'High', this song was actually released as a single some time ago but did nothing. With the success of the album it's no going to be re-released as a single and will probably do a lot better. It certainly set's the tone for the album with Blunt's dulcet voice and the gentle acoustics. It's a nice sing along song with a good chorus and a little bit of rock.
The second track is a song called 'You're Beautiful'. Perhaps you've heard it somewhere on the radio. Of course it's the song that skyrocketed the album. I don't know what it is but it's one of those songs that is instantly infectious. It's one of those love songs that it's ok for guys to like. The lyrics are something many people may be able to identify with, the idea of seeing someone you are instantly attracted to but you know you it can never be. The string arrangements are great, it's all so simple and maybe if a group like Westlife came up with something as good as this then they may not suck. A word of warning must go to those who like their music clean. The single version is slightly different to the album version and contains a swear word. I have heard comments that peoples mum's have bought the album and been shocked!
To be honest there's nothing on the album that can touch the same heights as this track but it's such a good song. That's not to say that the rest of the album isn't that good, far from it. 'Wisemen' is another former single that comes nicely arranged and has the same kind of lyrics that you can instantly pick up on.
'Goodbye My Lover' is one of those stripped down ballads. It's Blunt pretty much saying goodbye to someone with only a piano as company. There are a few ambient sounds mixed in but it works well.
'Tears and Rain' isn't really one of my favourites on the album. I feel it doesn't really offer anything different. It doesn't really go anywhere, it's nicely played out with some guitar and piano but I just expected it to get a bit more uplifting.
'Out of my Mind' is one of my favourites on the record. It's starts off pretty downbeat and a bit dark. Unlike the previous track it actually builds up slowly before launching into the chorus, which has bit more fuzz in the guitar.
'So Long Jimmy' is a fun little ode to Jimmy Hendrix. It asks the questions to Hendrix as if he was sitting next to you and you wanted to ask him about rock 101. "Did you lick that line or did the voodoo magic help?" is just one of the lines. The song has a great chorus which I find goes along nicely with a car drive upon a straight road.
'Billy' is another one of the more upbeat songs. At first you may not think it, as again it's pretty downbeat and quite sparse in its arrangement. But forty seconds in you find the chorus kicking in and everything's ok. There's also some great organ sounds.
'Cry' is a pretty downbeat number with a haunting riff kicking things off backed by some acoustic guitar. The same kind of mellow beat resonates throughout the song. It get's a bit country part of the way through as well. It's the candle in the air moment of the album.
A lot of albums like to finish on a high or perhaps throw in a statement, perhaps some kind of comment on society or something to that effect. 'No Bravery' is obviously about war; the lyrics are quite poignant although some may view them as quite straight forward. I found the stripped down arrangement of the song and Blunt's voice quite effective. I think it's a great song that grows on you and it's a great way to finish off the album on a thoughtful moment.
So there you have it, 10 tracks that make up the number one album that is Back To Bedlam. If you've only heard 'You're Beautiful' then don't expect everything on the record to be just as poetic and nice. This a record that mixes the joy with the pain but does it well. It's certainly one of my favourite albums of the year and it's good to see records like this being a success when it looked like the Crazy Frog may be sending music back to the late eighties/early nineties.
And that is one moment in music's history I'm still trying to forget.
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A VH op, but it completely failed to make me change my mind about him. (At least on You're Beautiful) his voice is so blardy whingy and whiny and awful I couldn't listen to any more.
As a piece of propaganda, James Blunts albumBack to Bedlamdoes more for changing the face ... more
of the British Army than a series of television adverts ever could. Swapping a rifle for a guitar, the former cavalrymans ballad-heavy debut is a clearly aiming t...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
As a piece of propaganda, James Blunts album Back to Bedlam does more for changing the ... more
face of the British Army than a series of television adverts ever could. Swapping a rifle for a guitar, the former cavalrymans ballad-heavy debut is a clearly aiming...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
As a piece of propaganda, James Blunts albumBack to Bedlamdoes more for changing the face ... more
of the British Army than a series of television adverts ever could. Swapping a rifle for a guitar, the former cavalrymans ballad-heavy debut is a clearly aiming t...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: a unique talent and flawless album Disadvantages: all the hype could put people off, and he has a unique voice that obviously isn't for everyone...
Sep 5th, 2005
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