James Blunt made up for his last album
that was too mainstream pop/fake music/too Ed Sheeran-esque since that’s who
helped him write his last album. This album his sixth brings back his great
storytelling in the verses and his catchy choruses that are easy to remember.
It also brings back the emotional tone you get from hearing him sing his heart
out. He also shows his musical range by playing acoustic guitar and piano. He
has gotten more upbeat/happier since his debut album “Back to Bedlam” gradually
over each album that followed, and this album definitely has a more positive
tone to it with encouraging songs. He still gets you with a few very deeply sad
songs that reminds you he can still get you and make you cry.
The three biggest examples of this are
piano based tracks “Monsters”, “How it feels to be alive” and “Stop the clock”.
Monsters actually made me cry because it’s song about a real life thing
happening to him about his father battling stage four chronic kidney disease
who is waiting for a donor. He will now be there to protect him from bad things/accepting
he has to say goodbye to him. While “Stop the clock” is a sad song about
mortality and it should be his last song because its talking about the end but
the only bad thing there is a woman singing oddly/“Hey” is being shouted in
different parts that shouldn’t be in it. “How it feels to be alive” is his
usual very old-school depressing song that like always paints a very vivid
picture.
Songs like “The Truth”, “Cold" and
“Halfway” are what you would expect catchy songs that you can hear him sing
emotionally while playing the guitar. Another song that also is an example of
this is “Youngster” which has an interesting take on growing older with a touch
of his relationship with his mother. The “worst” song is “5 Miles” it actually
has a happier tone to it with a blend of both piano and guitar but has fake
music in it to cancel that out, plus it’s about asking a girl out doesn’t
really fit his style about bragging about a car.
His usual style is sad/depressing songs
about heartbreak and loss but with great story telling that, as he’s grown from
album to album making more happier/uplifting/upbeat songs there are three that
really stand out: “Champions” “I Told you” and “Greatest”. Champions is all
about taking risks in life for the chance to come out on top and that you
shouldn’t look back just take that leap of faith. The other two songs “I told
you” and “Greatest” are both songs with messages directed at his daughter. That
in “I told you” he talks about always being there for her no matter if he is no
longer around that no matter the struggles he will be there. While the last song
on the album “Greatest” which has great
piano where the uplifting message he tells his daughter that even thought he
might have failed as father he knows that she will one day be great, that she
can change the world.
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