Thursday, 23 January 2014

James Blunt- Moon Landing Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Moon Landing
Artist- James Blunt

Since bursting onto the scene back in 2004/2005 thanks to his breakout hit ‘You’re Beautiful’, James Blunt has been a really successful singer songwriter who has amazingly gone from ex-army man to an internationally recognised artist. With his new album Moon Landing, Blunt has definitely seen a renewed level of success, as the records lead single ‘Bonfire Heart’ became the singers highest charting hit in the UK music charts for some time, reaching number 4 in the charts. But was that hit song just a fluke, or is Moon Landing actually quite the brilliant album?

Track 1- Face the Sun

Face the Sun is a slow burning, ballad opening for the album that finds the singer in passionate, uplifting music territory that many people have come to know him for. The song finds Blunt telling us about how life is hard, but things can become better, and he uses the idea of flowers facing the sun to express how you will find the one at some point in life. The lyrics are very soppy but sweet, and with the delicacy of the singer’s vocal performance the song feels quite sincere and nice, whilst Blunt has that warming, light tone that really works for him and which reminds you of why he became such a big hit so many years ago. Producer Tom Rothrock does a nice job in slowly building up the power of the song’s sound from simple piano to a stomping, pop rock edged, stadium rousing final minute that makes this a good opening for the record, and probably a good start for the singers live shows.

3.5/5

Track 2- Satellites

With the snappy string arrangement and nice backbeat that punctuates the song, Satellites is a quirky pop rock ditty that finds the singer addressing society and some of its problems. Within the track Blunt sings of how people are consumed by technology and how this is a really bad thing for society. The lyrics are definitely clichéd and don’t really say anything that interesting, but the song is quite catchy with the ‘oh oh oh’ hook and the way that the singer doesn’t have to subtly tell you what his point is. With Blunt’s light vocal performance the song feels fresh and airy and nicely feels like Blunt is definitely moving away from technology, and with the blend of instruments used in the production, this is a sweet pop ditty that does what it sets out to do.

3.5/5

Track 3- Bonfire Heart

Lead single Bonfire Heart was co-written and produced by One Republic frontman and hit song maker Ryan Tedder, and sees Blunt simply tell this person that they make him feel so good because they simply love him. The song utilises this fire metaphor to nice effect, and although some of the lyrics feel terribly clichéd, the folk pop driven chorus is instantly catchy and memorable, and makes you feel quite happy in listening to it. Blunt gives us a vocal performance that is nicely controlled but still full of passion, and the simple quality of the vocals make the song seem honest and sweet. Tedder does a good job with the production with his blend of folk driven guitar riffs with undercutting drum beats that just creates this uplifting tone for the track, making this a good choice of a single.

3.5/5

Track 4- Heart to Heart

Continuing on from the last track, Heart to Heart finds Blunt telling this person once again that there love is great and how he is there if they need him, because their hearts are seemingly intertwined. The message is instantly catchy with a nice uncertain but strong relationship dynamic within the lyrics.  The singer’s vocals are sharp and simple and makes the song nicely get to the point, but the production of the song is definitely more interesting. This is because the tracks sound utilises more of a jaunty musical rhythm with plenty of hand claps, making this another song that will sound great live, and which creates a slightly different musical avenue for the singer (albeit really not that different).

Track 5- Miss America

Revealed by Blunt to be a tribute to the late singer Whitney Houston, Miss America is a piano led ballad that focuses on Blunt singing of feeling like he knew Houston through her songs, and how she will be in the hearts of the people forever. The song is lyrically clichéd, but the sweet nature of the song is nice to listen to, and with the singer rich voice, the sense of love for this woman feels more sincere and heartfelt. Production wise the track is really strong, transforming from this soft piano piece to a stomping rock effort filled with this great electric guitar riff that captures the passion and intensity of the songs lyrical emotions.

3.5/5 

Track 6- The Only One

From the tribute of Miss America we turn to a more typical James Blunt type of song with The Only One, a relationship based track in which the singer addresses the fact that he has messed up in this relationship, but the singer has told this girl all his secrets, and to him she is the person he is meant to be with all of his life. The song lyrically once again edges into cliché, but the singer still manages to make the cliché not sound really terrible, with the chorus being quite catchy in its intensity. The singer’s vocals are really strong has he adds some depth to the chorus and uses the range of his voice well. The blend of the piano and the pounding beats creates a simple but emotive sound for the song that harks back to Blunt’s Back to Bedlam success, so he wants a weepy love single, then this wouldn’t be a bad choice.

3.5/5

Track 7- Sun on Sunday

Beginning with just this really delicate piano melody, Sun on Sunday is a song that is immediately positioned as a teary ballad. Here we find Blunt singing of how he can’t believe that he couldn’t see this person’s pain, and he just asks if he can help this person, because he hurts if they hurt. On this occasion the clichéd quality of the lyrics is unavoidable, and the song doesn’t have the right amount of impact in the way that the lyrics should. Although the singer’s voice is great within this really stripped back setting, the way that the production uses this simple piano line and some strings is another element of cliché for the track, making this more of a sub-par ballad.

3/5

Track 8- Bones

Bones is a really intriguing pop number that opens up with this really frenzied guitar line that immediately commands your attention after the last track. The song focuses on Blunt singing about his life and how he hasn’t always been great or confident, but this person makes him feel so good. The song is a feisty slice of pop that has this rushing chorus that is so catchy and powerful, whilst the singer vocally sits very comfortably within the track and sounds like a man just enjoying life. The production is really strong with the use of pulsing pop rhythms and vibrant drums, creating a great sound, and overall this song is great and must be a future single.

4/5

Track 9- Always Hate Me

After the happiness and adrenaline rush of the previous track we are treated to Always Hate Me, a break up song that finds the singer expressing how he has hurt this girl and because of this she will always hate him. The song is nice in its simplicity, but does have a slight clichéd narrative quality that makes it seem as if the singer has pulled his lyrics from a film. However, Blunt’s voice is great with this track, as his high pitched tone makes the vulnerable and sad quality of the song that bit more tangible. The sound is simple but dramatic with some booming bass notes, strings and a steady piano line that just creates a slightly forceful but ultimately simple sound that works well.

3.5/5

Track 10- Postcards

Postcards is another track that lyrically has more of a narrative led quality, as the singer paints this picture of a love story in which he sends postcards to his girl to show his feelings. The song is a jaunty, folk pop offering that features this lovely acoustic guitar riff that is infectiously jolly, and this joyous tone of the song works really well with the softness of the singer’s voice. The lyrics have a very middle of the road quality to them, but Blunt has enough charisma to pull off the song and keep you invested, with the final minute being a really uplifting moment with a great use of electric guitar.

3.5/5

Track 11- Blue on Blue

Final track Blue on Blue finds the singer in his usual emotive state. Here we find Blunt asking what he has to do to get through to this girl, as it is sad for him that this girl doesn’t see how much he wants her. The song doesn’t get really far lyrically, and on this occasion the vocals aren’t that strong. Whilst the verses allow Blunt’s voice to shine, the chorus features an annoying, layered style of vocal that just doesn’t work. The acoustic guitar led sound also doesn’t really do much for the track, with the build up to more of a pop rock stadium sound just feeling very clichéd, and so this is more of a bland finish to the record than a nice end.

2.5/5

Final Review

Moon Landing is an accomplished set of nice folk, pop and rock tracks that show this singer has really mastered his craft. The production is sophisticated and slick whilst the lyrics are catchy, even though at times things are too clichéd. At the centre of it all comes Blunt’s great vocals, and although many people critic him for it, the singer just has this distinctive voice that is emotive and which works well, and this album really shows that he knows how to use his voice to the best effect. Moon Landing is fun, definitely worth a listen, and will definitely see the singer have continued success (especially if he releases Bones as a single)

8/10

Best Track- Bones

Worst Track- Blue on Blue

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