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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