Feb 16, 2006 03:28 PM
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(Updated Feb 16, 2006 03:29 PM)
James Blunt (formerly Blount) has taken some time to be recognised.
This album was released in January 2005 in UK, with the first single ''High'' actually being released in October 2004. The follow up single ''Wisemen'' was released in March 2005. But it took the third single from the album - ''You're Beautiful'' to actually kick the listeners from their Nelly-Duprie-Ludacris-Usher induced hip-hop madness to wake up and take note that good music still lives. The single brought up sales of the album to #1 and the single is one of the rare songs to actually hit #1 after debuting in the middle of the Top 20 in UK and then inching slowly forward.
This album is a must buy for anyone looking at good music. Blunt has written/co-written all the songs and most of them speak of his tryst with life. The songs are soulful and if you happen to chance looking at the videos, well his message is clear - life is not as honky-dorey as you care to think. There is a fair measure of despair and sadness. In ''High'', he is buried in a desert. In ''Wisemen'', he is kidnapped and taken hostage. Finally, in the video for ''You're Beautiful'', he alludes to suicide.
Blunt's voice has an angelic quality to it that nevers lets go. While some have tossed him away comparing him to boy-bands, he is anything but that. Besides the 3 singles listed above some of the other excellent tracks are ''Tears And Rain'' and ''No Bravery'', the latter a tribute to his time as NATO peacekeeper (he is a British Army Captain) at Kosovo. I also recommend ''Out Of My Mind'' - there was a good demo version of the song on Blunt's website - https://jamesblunt.com Dunno if it is there now. Check it out.
I first saw ''You're Beautiful'' in June 05 on VH1 and I got my hand on the album after waiting for 3hours at a store in the HongKong airport on transit to CA. The album was released in the Americas and most of Asia during the later part of last year. After almost 20 weeks in the US charts, as of this review the album is at #9.
James Blunt, you have come a long way. And I look forward to when the Grammy's look your way.
