James Blunt Album: “All the Lost Souls”

Description :

Personnel: James Blunt (12-string guitar); Malcolm Moore (acoustic guitar); Ben Castle (12-string guitar); Suzie Katayama (strings); Mr. Nau (piano); Paul Beard (Hammond b-3 organ); Karl Brazil (drums). <p>James Blunt's 2005 debut, BACK TO BEDLAM, was a surprise runaway hit, and reminded the public that there was still plenty of room on the pop charts for pretty, heartfelt, singer-songwriter fare. Blunt's sophomore effort, ALL THE LOST SOULS, doesn't find him branching out exactly, but rather refining the formula that made BEDLAM such a success. Here Blunt's sharp songwriting, earnest lyrics, and fragile, expressive vocals come across stronger than ever, striking the perfect balance between wistful melancholia and sweet pop accessibility. <p>Overseen by producer Tom Rothrock (who also worked on BEDLAM), ALL THE LOST SOULS has a sleek, crisp sound that still manages to heighten the intimacy of the tunes. "1973," the album's first single, is a case in point. With its breezy, soft-rock sound, the song could have easily been a radio hit from the year it describes, but the familiarity is endearing, and sets the tone for the rest of the disc. In fact, the album--with its introspection, emotiveness, and guitar and piano-driven songwriting--fits neatly into the style pioneered by such '70s artists as James Taylor, which should please all folk and pop fans, whether they were born before 1973 or after.

I found the first cd absolutely addictive. While this is good, it's not nearly as addictive. I still think he's great but I'm sure that I'll listen to the previous cd far more often. I wish this one had the same effect on me but,,, unfortunately, I think my expectations were just too high.

I like his voice and I think his music is beautiful.He is very talented.This cd is rally good.Not something to dance to or bang your head but if you're in the mood and want to relax this would be a good cd for you.I like driving to it.

First of all, I think the critics were overly harsh about this second album. I bought the first one and I bought this album because the songs are good. "1973" was my favorite track for its strong lyrics and emotional melody. I've listened to this album five times over and it gets better with each play. The instrumental accompaniments are excellent. The only thing I see that might turn people off of this album compared to the first is the tender, sorrowful, sad undertones, but it's not like James Blunt is crying through each track and it's not like the tracks are unbearable. Of all the albums of this year, All the Lost Souls and Mika's Life... are probably the two most original albums.

James Blunt pretty much came out of nowhere back in 2005. Although his first single "High" didn't really do much chart-wise (well, in the U.S., anyway), "You're Beautiful" was so tremendous that I don't think I have to remind anyone of its popularity. And although the rest of

was great, "You're Beautiful" is still the only hit single James has seen thus far. Fortunately, All the Lost Souls proves that he's not just a one-trick pony.

I'm surprised that a lot of people are calling this album dark; in fact, the only song I can see that really gets down to that level is possibly "Same Mistake". But speaking of the same mistake, the only really "fast" track on Back to Bedlam was a song called "Out of My Mind", and I didn't care for it, but fortunately James figured things out and made songs like that work this time around, as evidenced by "Give Me Some Love".

Other notable selections include the first two tracks ("1973" and "One of the Brightest Stars"), as well as his latest single, "Carry You Home". But the acoustic (and shorter) version of "1973" at the end of the album is really unnecessary because it doesn't sound any different from the original version (and aren't all of James' songs pretty acoustic anyway?). It's not too late to pick up All the Lost Souls, so go to the record store and do just that.

Anthony Rupert