James Blunt ~ Official Thread

[busybeeburns]

Rexall Place, Edmonton - November 2, 2006

 

 

EDMONTON - Blunt. James Blunt.

 

James Blunt, the special agent of easy listening, filled Rexall Place with his brand of melancholic balladry last night.

 

While there's an undoubted swoon factor associated with Blunt's high, Supertrampy voice and sensitive songs, an idea supported by last night's largely female audience, he's got a spastic and somewhat unnerving style of delivery - the big screens captured close-ups of all his twitchy gestures and darting eye movements.

 

At times, he almost looked like he was in pain - which could be a selling point for his sombre, introspective material - or, at the very least, uncomfortable.

 

Since the release of his debut and sole album, 2004's Back to Bedlam, his rise to fame has been so meteoric (to the tune of more than 10 million albums sold worldwide) that suddenly carrying the weight of stadium tours would be unsettling for anyone.

 

But he hit the stage running, wild-eyed and supported by a drummer, pianist, bass player and rhythm guitar. Would the full support of a band make his brand of down tempo more upbeat? Yes and no.

 

The band lent intermittent support, but most of the songs weren't unlike what's heard on his album, chiefly with Blunt front and centre, either on acoustic guitar or on keys, not that anyone was really there to see the band, anyway. And Blunt's set wasn't bound to be a shock to any of the soccer moms in the audience, either. To his credit, or bemusement, he sort of realized it, too.

 

"Some of you have been living with my album for a long time," he said, "while others may have thrown it out the window by now."

 

I thought the latter reference might have been to annoyed husbands or boyfriends, but there was at least one guy in the section next to ours yelling "I love you!" far louder than any of the women were.

 

Highlights were, of course, tunes like High and, sitting down at the piano apologetically because he was going to play "a miserable song," You're Beautiful. Wow, Blunt and ironic - it's his biggest tune, proven by the standing ovation and squeals of delight from the crowd. He also announced a new song, Annie, but asked the audience to hold their applause until after because, well, "it might be sh--." He was pretty amusing for such a lovelorn guy.

 

Fellow Brits in Starsailor availed themselves well in their opening set and if you're a fan of acts ranging from Coldplay and Oasis, chances are you'll quite dig them. Even if you aren't, you might like Starsailor, anyway. What sets the band apart is the keen songwriting of lead singer and former choir boy James Walsh.

 

For proof, see tunes like Alcoholic ("Don't you know you've got your daddy's eyes? Daddy was an alcoholic.") or, In the Crossfire from the band's latest album, On the Outside ("I don't see myself when I look in the mirror, I don't see myself when I look in your eyes - thank God for that").

 

Tunes like Keep Us Together and Silence is Easy most evoked U2 and it was all supported by the band's play, ranging between low-key and almost acoustic instrumentals through to denser melodic numbers.

 

"It's good to finally get here, this wonderful city," Walsh told the crowd, "but this next song is probably kind of inappropriate - it's called Get Out While You Can."

 

Walsh's soft-spoken charm helped sell Starsailor's set and he expressed gratitude to no longer be playing venues with "piss on the floor."

 

Starsailor was also far more rocking than the musical melatonin that Blunt was giving doses of. I mean, there's even a big gel cap (sedative, probably) on the guy's CD, for crying out loud.

 

The way Blunt sings about women, one Northlands employee informed me, is the way women ideally want to be thought of. Well, I can only promise to try harder. Blunt, however, didn't let anyone down with a solid show.

 

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/B/Blunt_James/ConcertReviews/2006/11/03/2219958.html

[busybeeburns]

James Blunt in San Jose

 

James Blunt doesn't have enough good songs yet to fill a 90-minute set, but with the help of a couple of well-chosen covers, he put on an entertaining show Friday night at the San Jose State Event Center. Sensitivity was in abundance, for sure, but there were also traces of goofy good humor and one taste of hard-hitting geopolitical outrage.

 

Blunt alternated among six- and 12-string acoustic guitars, organ and piano throughout the set, on which he was backed by guitarist Ben Castle, drummer Karl Brazil, bassist Malcolm Moore and keyboard man Paul Beard. Beard stood out the most with his prominent organ solos. The band played fine, but the backup singing was on the weak side.

 

The biggest applause went to his heart-on-sleeve ballads like "Cry" and "High" and, especially, "Goodbye, My Love," all from his wildly successful debut album, "Back to Bedlam." Because there's only so much of that sensitive stuff one can take, a nifty cover of Supertramp's "Breakfast in America" mid-set was a welcome respite.

 

After the Supertramp surprise, things got a little dreary with a few dull mid-tempo rockers, but it was hard to remain unaffected by what came next, Blunt's "No Bravery," which was inspired by his service in the British army in Kosovo. It was illustrated with what appeared to be amateur video footage shot by soldiers driving by bombed-out buildings, young refugees and mass graves. Powerful stuff.

 

Blunt also debuted a few new songs, including one called "Annie" that sounded pretty good.

 

The set ended with "So Long, Jimmy," which got mildly psychedelic with a swirling vortex projected on the screen behind the band. For the grand finale, a giant gong was lowered from the ceiling. Blunt grabbed a giant mallet and after quite a bit of mugging and posing, whacked it soundly to close out the number. It was good fun.

 

Blunt kicked off the encore with another new tune, "1973." It seemed there was nothing left but the inevitable "You're Beautiful," but he pulled out one final surprise with a nice cover of the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind." Then came "You're Beautiful," which prompted lots of swaying and singing along.

 

His countrymen Starsailor opened up the show with a set of perfectly competent Brit pop in the tradition of Travis or Coldplay or Keane. Lead singer James Walsh has a good voice, and a low-key cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" helped win the crowd over. Starsailor remains most interesting as the answer to a trivia question -- they were the last act produced by legendary knob-twiddler Phil Spector before his current legal troubles.

 

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/11/james_blunt_in_.html

[Black Rose]

Even if you hate him, you got to admit the artwork for his 2nd album is good

 

[Darlene_Ihnfsa]

nice artwork

 

but what does have to do the post of this thread with the pool of this thread? :huh:

[Black Rose]

You what?

[Darlene_Ihnfsa]

Poll: Who is cuter x&y/or sexier?

Be advised that this is a public poll: other users can see the choice(s) you selected.

Poll Options

Who is cuter x&y/or sexier?

James Blunt

Chris Martin

Fran Healey (TRAVIS)

They are cute, hot, sensitive sexy new age guys (SSNAG)

 

At the top of this thread says that^^

I don't get it, the relation with the thread and the poll... well may be i should read the first post first to understand the connection..

 

don't worry.

[Black Rose]

Don't know why that poll is there, maybe Ian would be kind enough to remove it.

[mc_squared]

Even if you hate him, you got to admit the artwork for his 2nd album is good

 

 

Shame the music doesn't live up to it then, isn't it?:rolleyes:

[mc_squared]

Don't know why that poll is there, maybe Ian would be kind enough to remove it.

 

I suggest replacing it with the following poll:

 

How dull is James Blunt?

 

1. Very

2. Extremely

3. Unbelievably

4. Totally off the scale

5. Overload alert

 

:rolleyes:

[Black Rose]

I don't think he'll be around that long. He doesn't stand out enough.

 

He has made it to his 2nd album...

 

...which is 2 albums more than Leona.

 

At least Mr Blunt didn't win X-Factor/Pop-Idol and was shot into fame that way.

[Darlene_Ihnfsa]

Don't know why that poll is there, maybe Ian would be kind enough to remove it.

Really nobody had noticied the poll above this thread, until now me? :thinking:

[mc_squared]

He has made it to his 2nd album...

 

...which is 2 albums more than Leona.

 

At least Mr Blunt didn't win X-Factor/Pop-Idol and was shot into fame that way.

 

He might as well have been.;)

[Darlene_Ihnfsa]

funny new poll idea mark... but we must respect people likes. :rolleyes:

 

You are right about the x-factor thing david.

[Lamposts]

1973 what does everyone think???

 

to be honest I think it's bent.

[mc_squared]

1973 what does everyone think???

 

to be honest I think it's bent.

 

[julissofine]

Even if you hate him, you got to admit the artwork for his 2nd album is good

 

Has it been released?

 

Poll: Who is cuter x&y/or sexier?

Be advised that this is a public poll: other users can see the choice(s) you selected.

Poll Options

Who is cuter x&y/or sexier?

James Blunt

Chris Martin

Fran Healey (TRAVIS)

They are cute, hot, sensitive sexy new age guys (SSNAG)

 

At first I wanted to participate on that poll just for fun :D, but then that particular line made me change my mind. :lol:

 

I suggest replacing it with the following poll:

 

How dull is James Blunt?

 

1. Very

2. Extremely

3. Unbelievably

4. Totally off the scale

5. Overload alert

 

:rolleyes:

:laugh3:

[Black Rose]

Released late september I think.

[mc_squared]

Released late september I think.

 

Should we all flee to the bunkers now, then?:rolleyes:

[Black Rose]

Good plan, if your bunker isn't flooded.

[busybeeburns]

James Blunt: Why I'm beautiful

 

 

You’re Beautiful was voted the most irritating song of all time, yet it helped sell 11m albums. James Blunt is a paradox

 

There is a certain type of male who is expert at the preemptive conversational strike. He will raise a thorny issue concerning himself and, in doing so, achieve a degree of control over how it is discussed that would slip away from him were he to allow someone else to raise it first. He will attempt to disarm the criticism he has grown used to having aimed at him by purring phrases such as “Oh, absolutely, I agree”, or, “I know, I’m intrigued by that, too”, or, “How interesting”. He will often have been to boarding school, where these tactics were learnt as survival skills. In person, such men can be open and charming. But talking to them can be like throwing a boomerang into treacle.

 

Many things set James Blunt apart from being simply a “type”, not least, of course, the fact that his first record, 2004’s Back to Bedlam, sold more than 11m copies. But in key respects, the 30-year-old from a military background – a boarder at Harrow and, later, an officer in the Household Cavalry – is recognisably a man of this sort. Inevitably, he agrees. “I definitely recognise my failings in direct emotional communication,” he says, over lunch in a London pub. “As to whether I’m able to change, I’ve no idea.” Earlier, discussing Harrow, he says: “As emotional upbringings go, being sent away to boarding school at seven is as great an inspiration as any songwriter could have – to be taken away from one’s family and locked away for 10 years. It does create an incredible intensity of emotion.”

 

To the millions who bought a copy of his first album, Blunt is all about intensity of emotion. Songs such as his worldwide No1 hit You’re Beautiful, and No Bravery, which was inspired by the atrocities he witnessed as a member of the Nato intervention force in Kosovo in 1999, struck a deep chord with record-buyers. The video for the former showed Blunt stripping to the waist before plunging into the sea, as the lyrics signed off with: “But it’s time to face the truth/I will never be with you.” To his obvious irritation, reviewers noted that audiences at his concerts were overwhelminglyfemale.

 

You’re Beautiful was recently voted the most annoying song of all time in a British poll. At about the same time, it was announced that Back to Bedlam is the new century’s most successful album by a British artist. Obviously, then, Blunt is a polarising figure, and this is likely to continue to be the case. His fans will find nothing on his new record, All the Lost Souls, to make them question their initial ardour. Same Mistake, Carry You Home and Shine On are all songs that fasten onto their target audience with unerring precision. They are beautifully crafted and instantly familiar, their melodic cadences, vocal delivery and lyrical resonance identifiably the work of the man who made Back to Bedlam. Detractors, meanwhile, will hear in the album’s winsome warblings yet more reasons to loathe him: what they see as the cynically generic nature of his songs, the strangely clipped and desiccated singing style (as if the Goons’ Bluebottle were doing a karaoke Coldplay), the lack of that very emotional intensity his fans so prize.

 

Blunt does not, let’s face it, need to win over these critics. His comeback single, 1973, is already dominating the airwaves, and the album will fly off the shelves. Yet, in the course of two encounters – on Ibiza, where he now has a villa; and in London, where nobody in a packed pub garden appears to realise that the tiny, bestubbled figure in their midst is one of the biggest pop stars in the world – he appears at his most vulnerable when the subject of this extreme disparity is hovering in the air or explicitly raised. At such points, the preempt program malfunctions, and his eyes betray a wary watchfulness, or, in London, fill suddenly with tears.

 

As an agnostic, I hoped these encounters would answer two questions. How – or, perhaps, why – did James Blunt become such a success? And what has this success done to him? He describes songwriting as an “emotional outlet, where I say, to strangers, ‘This is how I feel; I can’t express it in conversation, but I express it through this magical medium of music,’ and they go, ‘That’s just how I feel, too’.” This explanation is revealing. Because if you follow that thread, then Blunt and his fans seem united in both an emotional inhibitedness and a longing to circumvent it. And that’s pretty much a description of all emotionally charged but inchoate mass culture – be it the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, or the box-office resonance of films such as Love Actually, or, indeed, the success of You’re Beautiful.

 

His description of the aftermath of this success, though, is much less straightforward. The man who, at university, wrote a dissertation entitled The Commodification of Image: Production of a Pop Idol is, as you’d expect, savvy about the rules of the game he has chosen to play. “Alongside music,” he says, “has to come image and perception. It is all-encompassing; it’s a phenomenal power. When I started, I thought that I could perhaps control it, but I recognise now that if someone has a great deal of love, they will perceive the world with a great deal of love; if they’re an angry person, full of hatred, they will perceive the world with that hatred.” And perceive him that way, too? “When a person turns round to me,” he continues, “and says, ‘I f***ing hate you’, should I get upset? Or say, ‘I’m sorry, what’s wrong?’ Or should I say, ‘Off to the counsellor with you, mate’? Because it’s probably nothing to do with me – particularly when it comes to something like music, there’s no requirement for such extremes of emotion.” Plenty would disagree.

 

Blunt stayed, alone, at his Ibizan villa last winter, the first opportunity he had had to take stock of the madness, “to look back at the choices I had made, from saying, ‘I’m going to step onto this treadmill,’ to realising that the treadmill was a sodding rollercoaster, with no straps on it”. It was, he says, an amazing experience, trying “to understand the extremes of emotion, the love that had been thrown my way, and at the same time, what seemed like great hatred and personal assaults. And I’m pretty sure I’m not a horrid person. I don’t think I am”.

 

The villa’s boiler broke, so he wandered around the huge property in a coat, hat and gloves. “And the world stopped. Suddenly, you’re not creating the noise around you any more, the journey’s not providing this distraction: you’re just back to being human. You can look at yourself, wander around a house in absolute silence, stand in different corners, look at it and think, ‘Wow, even the house is new to me.’” He talks, for the first time, with an absolute and endearing directness, as his eyes brim with tears.

 

“I’ve always been a very good watcher,” he says at one point, “a person who can walk into a room and see exactly what everyone’s intentions are. And I went into reconnaissance in the army, and that’s all about understanding people’s movements.” Later, discussing what fame has done for his ability to trust people, he says: “My friends and family have always been there. You meet other people along the way, and you just assess what they have to offer and what it is they want to take – be that emotional, be that physical, be that financial.” Which is commendably clear-headed, but also pretty bleak.

 

Blunt wrote much of the new album during that winter stay, emerging eventually from his hilltop fastness to indulge fully in the island’s famously hedonistic nightlife. The paparazzi chronicled as much of this as their telephoto lenses could capture, and Blunt, while having the grace not to deny that the tales of hard partying, yachts and supermodels have some basis in fact, is clearly not a fan of the press. In his mild way, of course, he would claim to be above such low loathing. But they have come after him, first by dumping on his music, and later picking apart his private life. “Shine on,” he sings, seemingly to himself, on the song of the same name, “close your eyes and they’ll all be gone/They can scream and shout that they’ve been sold out/But it paid for the cloud that we’re dancing on.”

 

He still worries about whether writing songs has helped him develop emotionally, or might instead be preserving him in puer aeternus aspic. “In a way, [songwriting] can almost be detrimental,” he muses, “because suddenly you find an outlet that is a kind of cheat. You don’t need to have direct communication. You can say, ‘I can’t describe it to you, but I’ll record it and send it to you.’”

 

On the one hand, an awful lot of people are receiving his billets-doux and snaffling up their contents, so the ruse is clearly working splendidly. But on the other, doesn’t it also perpetuate the strange relationship with intimacy and emotion that he first developed at school? “Absolutely,” he says. “I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with that.” But he then, as usual, broadens the discussion, away from him, out into generalisation. So, he wears his heart on his album sleeves: sensible chap, many other men would say. Millions of his fans seem happy with this state of affairs. Who is James Blunt to disappoint them?

 

1973 is released on Sept 3 on Custard/Atlantic; All the Lost Souls follows on Sept 17

 

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2223348.ece

[Black Rose]

1973 is released on Sept 3 on Custard

 

How are you supposed to play Custard? :p

[brazzo]

i just want to know what songs he played in the Live Earth???:)

[busybeeburns]

James Blunt - 1973 (Atlantic)

 

 

IF George Orwell's hideous vision of the future is true, one where everything we see, hear and consume is produced and controlled by a panel of powerful individuals and a machine, then James Blunt's 1973 is exactly the sort of music we can look forward to.

 

If you were living on a diet of Blunt, you'd swear musical development ended in the Seventies with the double whammy of Chris Rea and Chris De Burgh - a style 1973 emulates, throwing in some Coldplay-style moody bridges for a splash of the modern age.

 

Clearly, 11m album sales have fuelled Blunt's philosophy that there's still substantial riches to be won on the easy listening shelves.

 

Released on September 3

 

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/music/single_reviews/s/1015/1015014_james_blunt__1973_atlantic.html

[Black Rose]

I quite like 1973 :embarassed:

[mc_squared]