James Blunt // When I Find Love Again

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It’s been nearly a year since we’ve heard from Mr Blunt but after being on a bit of a world tour, he’s re-releasing last years album, Moon Landing as the Apollo Edition with the first single from it When I Find Love Again.

We can’t help thinking that this is a little bit of a mash up of previous songs Bonfire Hearts & Stay The Night as it’s a bit of an upbeat happy number and is likely to be one to get the fans singing along with the chorus and clapping along. Won’t look out of place with the tracks that are already on Moon Landing as it was a bit of a mix of everything.

Rating: 4/5

James Blunt // Moon Landing

Standard
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Deluxe
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*This review pertains to the deluxe version of the album*

It’s been 3 years since James Blunt last album release (Some Kind Of Trouble) but now he’s back with his brand new album, Moon Landing. So what’s Mr Blunt offering us?

Opening with just a tinkling on the piano keys (and a motorbike buzzing past(?!)), Face The Sun a bit of sombre opening, that builds gradually to a crashing sound before dropping back just to piano.Satellites is slightly more upbeat and feelings of previous works by Blunt across his previous albums. Next we have the debut single from this album, Bonfire Heart.

Raising the tempo once again, it’s Heart To Heart we reckon will have fans singing and clapping along with when it comes to touring. Miss America again has us thinking of tracks from albums one & two (Billy & Carry You Home) mixed with a bit of Elton’s Rocket Man.The rousing The Only One comes next before another slow number Sun on Sunday with obligatory key change

I have never been a beautiful boy/Never liked the sound of my own voice are the opening lines to the upbeat Bones (and we think this is crying out for a dance remix!) Another dark track in Always Hate Me before he head into a brighter little number with Postcards complete with ukulele. Blue On Blue is another slow number before reaching it climax 3/4 of the way through.

Telephone (no, not a cover of Lady Gaga’s track….hmmm….James Blunt does Lady Gaga….no?) is a little swayey, clap the hands track with piano and ukulele and a backing of ohh. Mid tempo Kiss This Love Goodbye trundles along to the final track of Hollywood which reminds us a little of Goyte’s Somebody That I Used To Know.

Moon Landing feels like a bit of mash up of Blunt’s last three albums as there are sounds from all three present but at the same time, there is a bit of a mix of different sounds that we don’t think is deliberate. There more of a feeling towards the first two albums (Back To Bedlam & All The Lost Souls) more than the last (Some Kind Of Trouble) but there are moments where that sneaks through. An interesting collection of tracks from the singer/songwriter

Rating: 4/5

James Blunt // Bonfire Heart

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It’s been 3 years since we heard anything from Mr Blunt, and of course at one point there was rumours about retiring…well, obviously that’s not happening just yet seeing as his new album, Moon Landing is due soon but is preceded by the single Bonfire Heart

Opening with some lovely finger picking on a guitar, we’re finding it hard to match it to anything he’s done before…maybe somewhere between Stay The Night and Carry You Home. It does feel a bit subdued and probably won’t have any effect on the charts, but we think that there is a loveable quality about the track.

Will be interesting to hear what Moon Landing has to offer.

Rating: 4/5

James Blunt // You’re Beautiful (Q;indivi+ Remix Feat. KERI)

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Who can forget the James Blunt beautiful ballad that really brought him to attention of the public, You’re Beautiful. Well, in Decemeber 2011 it reappeared in Japan as a remix thanks to Japanese remixer q;indivi+ and 16 year old singer Keri Prather aka KERI.

Now we’re probably about to be really biased here for two reasons; 1) we’ve heard a previous remix by q;indivi (which we loved!) and 2) we like James Blunt. What we like about this remix is that it is sympathetic to the original piece and that the additional vocals provided by KERI are also well placed and not overpowering. Actually you’d swear that they were additional vocals.

Even after all this time, the song is still as good as it was the first time that it was released. Nice to see it being given another lease of life!

Rating: 5/5

James Blunt @ Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 17th February 2011

James Blunt released his album Some Kind Of Trouble back in November 2010. In February 2011, he began a 13 month world tour kicking it off at the Clyde Auditorium (known locally as the Armadillo) in Glasgow.

In the support slot was Brooklyn based group Wakey!Wakey! Amidst the banter (which ranged between talking about crowd size, being invited to join James and talking about the audience in the gallery seats ('saving their money for beer...they're my kind of people') they played a half hour of music, much of which can be found on their album Everything I Wished I'd Said The Last Time I Saw You. Having not heard of them before the show, they were actually in league with James in the style of music.

At 9pm, the main event began. The house lights went down and the intro music began (it was something very old western film sounding) allowing the band to come on stage and start playing So Far Gone. But there was no James. That was because he was running down the aisle, hi-fiving members of the audience and then jumping up on stage to get the show on the road. From So Far Gone it was straight into Dangerous, both of which are taken from current album Some Kind Of Trouble. From the 3^rd album, it jumps back to the debut, Back To Bedlam for Billy and Wisemen. Near the end of Wisemen whilst singing the lyrics 'where are you now', James belted out 'Glasgow!'

After this, James welcomed everyone to the show and thanked them for their support. He warned the men that if the women had told them it was going to be a sedate night, they were wrong. He encouraged people to get up and dance if they felt the urge, but said he'd get the miserable stuff out the way first.

Fans were treated to the beautiful ballad Carry You Home, the first song in the set from the album, All The Lost Souls which led to SABS (that's Swaying Arms & Bodies Syndrome). From this, another track from the same album, I'll Take Everything, which James jumping from guitar to the piano. It was this song that seemed to get the crowd in the singalong mode. From one power track to another, it's Out Of My Mind up next.

Now the pace comes down a little as James once more takes to the piano and performs Goodbye My Lover alone, again the crowd in full voice. Still on piano but joined once more by his full band, he performs No Tears. To end a trio of ballads, it's back to the guitar and a performance of High, once more ensuring a singalong from the audience.

Once more James addresses the audience and tells them that it's rumour that the further away from London that you get, the better the singing gets, and that he hopes the audience will prove that. But not right now. Now he wants us to get up and dance to the brilliant Superstar dropping the tempo with Same Mistake.  Now James has no instrument to hide behind as he performs If Time Is All I Have, resulting in more cases of SABS.

How do you follow something as beautiful as this? Only with what is probably you're biggest single to date. Yes, it's You're Beautiful with James being almost drowned out on the second verse with the explict line 'F***ing high' being belted out by the Glaswegian crowd. So Long Jimmy follows it up.

The tempo is raised to the rocking I'll Be Your Man during which, James leaves the stage and runs through the crowd, hugging, hi-fiving and kissing members of the audience. Once back on the stage, we encourages people to the stage. Well, don't mind if we do James! At the end of the song, he leaves the stage and everything is dark. Cue the obligatory chanting.

True to form, James returns to the stage and begins to tell how whilst writing the album, he inadvertently wrote a 'celtic' tune, and he'd like to play it for us now 'if that's alright'. Like the crowd are going say no? The song that he is referring to is Into The Dark . This is followed by the first single from the latest album, Stay The Night. Finally, the set comes to a close with the song Turn Me On, Coming to the end of the song, James climbs on top of the piano and pretends to be surfing. Really, health and safety will have you for that!.

Overall it was a great night with a mixture from all the albums so that there was something for everyone. Although James was only on for approx. an hour and half, the 21 strong set made it seem much longer. Here's to that the rest of the tour as is good as the first night.

Photos: © Vhari Lannigan

Wakey! Wakey! releases

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James Blunt Releases
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James Blunt // Stay The Night

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It's been a while since we've heard anything new from Mr. Blunt, but now he's back with a new single and album (following shortly)

Some people may be mistaken upon hearing the first few chords that it's a new version of Train's 'Hey Soul Sister' as it has the same sort of sound. Yes, gone (at present) is doom and gloom and it's hello sunshine. It's a nice upbeat and happy song just as we're heading into winter and is just what the doctor ordered. Lyrically, James doesn't disappoint and you'll soon find yourself singing along, even if it is just with the chorus.

It's nice to hear something different from James. But that's not to say that the whole album is going to be all rosy like this, but it is a good start. Only problem is the similarity to the afore mentioned song, so could be construed as trying to play off the back of that. Fun little number that fans probably aren't expecting and may well draw in some new fans.

Rating: 4.5/5