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Not the normal 'oh that guy sucks' kind of thing, full on 'Why is this mother singing!?You see, he has a weird little trick he does with his voice, that I really can't describe, but since I assume everyone has heard Shakira, I can only describe it as an emasculated, more grating, and even more impossibly high. However, as time wore on (AKA I listened to this album once), I already hated its very being. Mind you, I didn't like it, but I could stand it and enjoy the music (more on that later). The first four times I heard You're Beautiful, I could stand it. The most obvious example of this is his extremely high, annoying voice. It's a culmination of horrible facets that, while they may occasionally work for other artists, he deems suitable to flaunt at every single waking moment. What's wrong with Blunt isn't anything in particular. Blunt recounts his harrowing experiences as part of the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo on the closer, "No Bravery," and it's a shock to hear all of the romantic lyricism that informed Bedlam up to this point reduced to "Old men kneel and accept their fate/Wives and daughters cut and raped/A generation drenched in hate," but it's damn effective - as is the majority of this fine debut.Reviews oh so rarely get to the point these days, so I'll just sum up my normal two paragraph long intro with one simple statement: James Blunt sucks. It's a pace that would sink some records, but Bedlam's perfectly rendered, under 40-minute run time ensures that the listener doesn't suffer from a melancholy overdose. Opening track "High" sets a determined midtempo pace that rarely wanes - it's like an acoustic version of "Drive" by the Cars with a Coldplay chorus. Predictable but effective four-chord guitar motifs are the chosen vehicle for the ex-Royal Armed Forces soldier, and when they connect ("Wiseman," "Goodbye My Lover," "You Are Beautiful"), it's like a "Dear John" letter from a lover who you know will remain a close but ultimately guarded friend. While his parched and effeminate falsetto recalls Gasoline Alley-era Rod Stewart with a healthy dose of Antony and the Johnsons, it's the late Elliott Smith who casts the largest shadow on Back to Bedlam.
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Soulful British crooner James Blunt's wistful debut infuses the listener - in order - with rainy-day hope, the wistful comfort of unattainable love, and finally, world-weary resignation.
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