"I always keep a stimulant handy in case I see a snake - which I also keep handy" - W. C. ...
"I always keep a stimulant handy in case I see a snake - which I also keep handy" - W. C. Fields
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For a former long haired rocker who still counts Thunder and Terrorvision as his favourite bands, I have a perhaps surprising affinity for the music of Stevie Wonder. For this, I blame (or rather, credit) a former flatmate, who had a habit of playing her music far too loud and far too late into the night. When she moved out I discovered I missed her music more than I missed her, although I did enjoy sleeping properly at nights.
Recently I became aware of a song called "You Give Me Something", which made me think of Stevie Wonder every time I heard it. I couldn't work out if it was a new song by Stevie Wonder or, when I found out it was by someone called James Morrison, a very accurate cover version of one of his songs.
Suddenly there were stories of this James Morrison chap all over the place. Depending on which ones you've heard, he was discovered by his next door neighbour; inspired by the memory and support of a close friend who died too young; trading on his middle name, as his surname is actually Catchpole.
What does make Morrison different is that he was discovered in the old fashioned way and plucked from obscurity thanks to a great voice and a great talent, rather than in the crowds of a reality TV show. So these stories are coming to light after his debut release and after everyone has realised he's a talented musician, rather than whilst the public are still deciding if the person in question will be the next big thing. For a change, we have someone who was a great talent before he was a big star, rather than the other way around. There's not huge publicity or fawning interviews to create interest; Morrison's music does all the talking for him and it's proving wonderfully eloquent.
His first utterance comes in the form of "Under the Influence" and it's a great start. It has a pop-jazz sound, something like you'd expect from Jamie Cullum and it has a loose feel, as if it was recorded live and everyone involved was getting off on this track. There's a jaunty beat to it, which if you're listening on the move, you can't help but end up walking in time with
a dif you're not, you can't help tapping your foot.
Next up is "You Give Me Something", the song that launched Morrison to stardom. It's far more laid back that the opener, being a simple ballad type pop song, with a soulful edge. When I first heard the song, it reminded me of Stevie Wonder and my feeling hasn't changed, although it should be emphasized that the sound is more of the 1980s poppier version of Stevie Wonder, rather than his more soulful 1970s sound.
The pace picks up a little for "Wonderful World", although it's still another soul tinged pop song. The track sounds a bit more like Daniel Powter's music here, with it being more of a pop song with a soul influence than being a soul song with a pop influence. It's not a bad track, but the weakest on the album so far.
It's back to a slower pace again for "The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore", which is very much a standard pop ballad. There's not really a great deal more to it than that, although it does liven up a little bit in the chorus, but it's still a pop ballad even then. You could change the vocals on this song between pretty much any singer and it would fit in quite nicely. I fancy that Westlife would have had a decent stab at this one. It's a shame, as Morrison's jazz and soul edge was what set him apart and he's lost that here. It's not a bad song, but it's nothing new.
There's a bit of an R 'n' B edge to the intro to "One Last Chance". Morrison's vocals have more of a soulful edge again, but as with the previous track, there's little to set it apart from anything else out there. The vocals a 1980s pop-soul sound and remind me a lot of Terence Trent D'Arby. Essentially, though, this is a very standard track; not bad, but nothing really spectacular.
"Undiscovered" is the title track and the piano intro harks back to "Under the Influence", although it doesn't have quite the same jaunty edge. However, this is certainly somewhere between the sound of the opening two tracks, being a pop-soul song with a slight jazz tinge running through it. The vocals again having that 1980s Stevie Wonder influence and tip this song more towards the sound of "You Give Me Something". This is more like the James Morrison sound I would prefer to be hearing, so it's another favourite of mine.
There's another fairly jaunty beat running through "The Letter", although it's more laid back and down tempo than "Under the Influence". Morrison's musical inspiration here has clearly been the 1980s pop scene and once more, this evokes memories of Terence Trent D'Arby in both the vocal and the music.
This general sound continues for "Call the Police", although it's a slightly more up tempo track and towards the end does cut loose a little more, adding an electric guitar for the edge to give it a strange almost 1960s Beatles kind of sound in parts. It can get a little messy in parts, as the music does over power the vocals when this happens, but it's not a bad track.
It's back towards the ballad type sound, this time a guitar led ballad, for "This Boy", although it does turn into something a little more up tempo and poppy later on in the track and then turns again into a more party type sound, a little like "Under the Influence", although without the jazz edge. As with much of the album, this is mostly a pop track with a soulful edge and once more, the vocals sound a little like Terence Trent D'Arby.
The vocals reclaim their Stevie Wonder sound for "If the Rain Must Fall". This one is another pop-soul ballad which, like much on the album, is distinctive mostly for the quality of the vocal. Other than this, it's very much background music, rather than party music, although the same could be said for much of the album.
There's a slightly darker tone to "How Come" with the guitar and piano taking on a more bass edge. This is a slightly more up tempo tune, but it's much the same as what has gone before, being a soul-pop track with vocals that sound a little more like Terence Trent D'Arby again this time around, although when he stretches himself at various points in the song, you can again hear hints of Stevie Wonder in the vocals and the horn section is more reminiscent of his sound as well.
Ending an album with a track called "The Last Goodbye" would be a bit of a cliché, which is something Morrison has managed to avoid so far. He does again, making this the penultimate track. Despite some interesting synthesiser noises and a string section, this is a pretty bland sounding pop ballad again. Once more, it's only Morrison's soulful vocal that sets this apart from anyone else.
The album does end on "Better Man". Unfortunately, it continues the somewhat bland ending to what was such a promising album. Again, Morrison's soul tinged vocal makes the difference between this being just anybody's guitar led pop ballad. With the last few songs from the album being largely indistinguishable from each other, this is a highly disappointing end to an album which began with such promise.
Despite the somewhat bland nature of some of the songs, particularly towards the end of the album, I did enjoy Morrison's debut. It's not exactly world shaking, being mostly down tempo pop influenced songs, much like you can get anywhere. What makes this album stand out, however, is Morrison's voice. Unlike most of what you'll hear today, he does have a delightfully soulful delivery and that is enough to escalate many of the tracks here above the mundane.
This is really only background music, something to listen to in the midst of doing something else. There's not a great deal here that will interrupt your reverie if you're listening to it that way. This is by no means a spectacular album, but it is wonderfully relaxing and if you like 1980s style pop-soul music, it's a very good example of the art. Of course, if you're a fan of other genres, you'll likely be pretty bored, as Morrison doesn't tend to deviate from his strengths and nothing here is likely to change your mind, as good as it is.
If this is your thing, the album is pretty good value, having 13 tracks and a playing time of around 51 minutes. Whilst prices are still generally fairly high, with CD Wow offering the cheapest new copies at £7.99 and even the Amazon Marketplace charging £5.47. Copies have been seen starting from 99p from eBay, but may not end up selling for that price.
Come the end of an album like this, you realise that it doesn't matter which of the stories about James Morrison may be true. A lot of the times, things are hyped up more than they deserve, but Morrison is the opposite. Quite frankly, it wouldn't have mattered if Morrison had been surrounded by all sorts of hype, as the cream will always rise to the top. The real tragedy with this album would have been if Morrison had remained undiscovered and we had never heard of him. Thankfully, this is no longer a concern.
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Fantastic review! I am (and I don't care what anyone says) the biggest James Morrison fan, but after buying his cd I copied it straight onto itunes and listen to it on shuffle so the blander songs at the end are mixed with the ore upbeat ones. I hadn't actually considered how the order of the songs would affect the listening! x
Advantages: James has a pleasant voice Disadvantages: Most of the songs are dull
TheIncredibleCheeseSandwich 10.04.2009 (10.04.2009)
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Review of Undiscovered - James Morrison
Advantages: James has a pleasant voice Disadvantages: Most of the songs are dull
TheIncredibleCheeseSandwich 10.04.2009 (10.04.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Undiscovered - James Morrison
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