Following up his incredibly successful debut, British blue-eyed soulster James Morrison has upped the ante - no easy feat.
"Songs for You, Truths for Me"
James Morrison
www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com
Polydor/Interscope Records
_______
Following up his incredibly successful debut (which hit No. 1 in the UK and sold more than 2 million copies), British blue-eyed soulster James Morrison has upped the ante - no easy feat.
From the opener - the hard-driving, Bob Seeger-sounding "The Only Night" - the production is less over-the-top, letting Morrison's throaty pipes and compelling songs do the talking. Still in his early 20s, Morrison has an unusually deep well of emotion and passion.
As a result, ballads like "You Make it Real" are strong not syrupy; pop songs like "Please Don't Stop the Rain" are believable not pedantic (thanks in part to rootsy instrumentation) and rockers like "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You," a live show-stopper. Morrison even steals the show on his duet with Nelly Furtado ("Broken Strings").
"Precious Love" is made for radio, while the soaring "If You Don't Wanna Love Me" and the mostly acoustic "Once When I Was Little" show that he fairs equally well in a pared-down setting.
This is one fine record and, as with his debut, it's encouraging to know that not all commercial music sucks.
"Songs for You, Truths for Me"
James Morrison
www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com
Polydor/Interscope Records
_______
Following up his incredibly successful debut (which hit No. 1 in the UK and sold more than 2 million copies), British blue-eyed soulster James Morrison has upped the ante - no easy feat.
From the opener - the hard-driving, Bob Seeger-sounding "The Only Night" - the production is less over-the-top, letting Morrison's throaty pipes and compelling songs do the talking. Still in his early 20s, Morrison has an unusually deep well of emotion and passion.
As a result, ballads like "You Make it Real" are strong not syrupy; pop songs like "Please Don't Stop the Rain" are believable not pedantic (thanks in part to rootsy instrumentation) and rockers like "Nothing Ever Hurt Like You," a live show-stopper. Morrison even steals the show on his duet with Nelly Furtado ("Broken Strings").
"Precious Love" is made for radio, while the soaring "If You Don't Wanna Love Me" and the mostly acoustic "Once When I Was Little" show that he fairs equally well in a pared-down setting.
This is one fine record and, as with his debut, it's encouraging to know that not all commercial music sucks.
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