Blunt beautifully revisits the sounds of the '70s

September 18, 2007|Joan Anderman, Globe Staff

James Blunt held much of the planet in thrall, or hostage, during 2005 with a lovelorn song called "You're Beautiful." Thanks to the ubiquitous single, Blunt's debut album, "Back to Bedlam," went on to sell 11 million copies worldwide - quite a feat for a collection of courteous ballads and predictable soft-rockers.

His second album, "All the Lost Souls," is out today, and what's even more surprising is the British singer-songwriter wasn't bamboozled into making "You're Beautiful" version 2.0.

Blunt has turned his attention away from his sound hole and his sensitive soul, refocusing his energies on the '70s and unearthing a measure of depth and ingenuity. He's also hooked up with some interesting new collaborators; "1973," the lead track and first single, was co-written with Mark Batson, who works with Dr. Dre and Jay-Z, and on it Blunt reminisces fondly and in vivid detail about a year that preceded his birth. No matter: The tune is a laid-back charmer that owes equally to disco and the Eagles, specifically "One of These Nights."

"One of the Brightest Stars" finds the sweet spot between Bowie and the Bee Gees. Who knew that place even existed? Certainly Blunt - who co-wrote the song with Steve McEwan (Robbie Williams, James Morrison) - didn't seem a likely candidate to unearth such a piquant fusion. But armed with a Gibb-caliber falsetto and a tender way with glam, he wears it well.

The quirkiest cut on the album is "Give Me Some Love," where coiled, pensive verses spill into a vaudevillian chorus. Elton John comes to mind, but not Bernie Taupin. "Why don't you give me some love/ I've taken a shipload of drugs," goes Blunt's amusing, inelegant plea.

Even when he falls short, Blunt gets points for stretching out. On "I Really Want You," he juxtaposes dense war imagery (Blunt is a former British Army officer) with powerful romantic desire and rubs at his guitar strings until the sound becomes an eerie call to arms.

Tom Rothrock (Beck, Elliott Smith) has returned as producer and made much smarter choices this time around. Pump organs, vibraphones, and Wurlitzers are everywhere, and they supply a welcome surliness and warmth alongside Blunt's high, scorched voice. Subtle digital effects flesh out the textures and give the vintage-sounding popcraft a tight, modern feel.

The disc does dip into the stock pleasantry of his debut. "Carry You Home" is like a dress cut from a store-bought pattern: pretty and generic. Similarly, the mail-order chords in "Shine On" are strung in achingly familiar fashion, but at least Blunt blows them up with an explosive rock coda. He tries the same trick with "Same Mistake," a quivering ballad that turns epic with a steady slathering of keyboards and strings and lines like "look at the stars," and Blunt winds up sounding like Coldplay lite. It adds an unintended layer of meaning to the song title, but that's little consolation.

Joan Anderman can be reached at anderman@globe.com. For more on music, visit boston.com/ae/ music/blog.