Who is James Blunt

All the Lost Souls

1. 1973
2. One Of The Brightest Stars
3. I'll Take Everything
4. Same Mistake
5. Carry You Home
6. Give Me Some Love
7. I Really Want You
8. Shine On
9. Annie
10. I Can't Hear The Music

The second album from James Blunt is overshadowed by his huge debut, and alas, doesn't rock hard enough to shine in the sunlight on its own.

First single "1973" reminds me of "You're Beautiful" in the sense that it's a song that sounds good the first few times, but grates on the nerves shortly after that. "One of the Brightest Stars" is a really slow ballad that just may cure insomnia.

A much, much better track is "Same Mistake" which has decent lyrics and a soaring chorus:

"I'm not calling for a second chance,
I'm screaming at the top of my voice,
Give me reason, but don't give me choice,
Cos I'll just make the same mistake again"

Good tracks include "Carry You Home" which allows his warbling falsetto free reign with good results; "I Really Want You" where he sings "No matter what I say or do / The message isn't getting through / And you're listening to the sound / Of my breaking heart"; "Annie" (except if your name is Annie, that is); and saving the best for last, there's "I Can't Hear the Music", the one track where you can really hear it.

The worst track is "Give Me Some Love", which unfortunately, I couldn't.

Sounding more than a Bee Gees tribute, the most innovative thing about this album is the cover art, which is exceptional. -- Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana)

While I enjoyed his first cd (a few songs at least). I was just looking for some improvement from the first. He has done that this time around with "All The Lost Souls". He has a different vibe to him on this release..that i didnt really feel on the first one (not that i didnt like it). But Mr. Blunt seems to have a clearer purpose on this record and it involves getting us to listen and just enjoy the things that we have in life. He does it with a voice that while not strong is more than clear and resonates on each and every song on the set. While it only clocks in at 38 mins and 39 seconds. It gets what needs to be said across with out all the interludes and crappy intros that other artists seem to pile on to their releases.

Simply put its just a really good record to listen and mellow out too without getting too deep and trying to do too much. "All The Lost Souls" helps you find that something that you may have lost or is right there in front of your eyes. Nice one this time around, JB.-- Derrick Jenkins "Lover of music/anime" (Hampton VA USA)

Release Date: 09/18/2007

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Back to Bedlam

1. High
2. You're Beautiful
3. Wisemen
4. Goodbye My Lover
5. Tears and Rain
6. Out of My Mind
7. So Long Jimmy
8. Billy
9. Cry
10. No Bravery

This stunning debut by James Blunt--a British soldier turned musician--will take your breath away; literally! Every single track on this beautiful release is lyrically multidimensional with incredible depth and addictive melodies. It's definitely the best release by a new artist this year hands down.

The ballad-heavy, Back to Bedlam, is romanticism reinvented. The ecstatic High starts off the album with James pleading, "Will you be my shoulder / when I am gray and older / promise me tomorrow starts with you."

It's followed by "You're Beautiful"--an ode to love that can't be had. Equally beautiful and heartbreaking as he sings, "But it's time to face the truth / I will never be with you."

"Wisemen", one of my favorite tracks, asks "Gotta ask yourself the question / where are yo now?" It's one of those

In the melancholic ballad "Goodbye my Lover", James pleads with his departed love to remember the good times they had together and try to be his friend. He ends it with the chilling, "I'm so hollow baby / I'm so hollow."

Then comes my favorite track in this release, "Tears and Rain", in which James wishes he could do away with all the demons in his head and soul; the conflicts that come with the simple act of living life. He even makes a reference to 'Dorain Gray"--Oscar Wild's alter ego character from The Picture of Dorian Gray. Absolutely solid track!

The album goes on with songs commenting on the craziness of life's affairs with "Out of my Mind" to infidelity with "Billy."

"Cry" and "No Bravery" are two emotionally packed tracks through which James tells us what he thinks of war. In "No Bravery" he goes:

"There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness."

James Blunt's voice takes some time to get used to, but his passion, lyrics and music are irresistible. He is to 2005 what Damien Rice was to 2004: definitely the best new artist of the year!

I've never listened to an album so much since Keane's. It's guaranteed to satisfy regardless of what genre of music you are into.

I am still singing along! -- Ismail Elshareef "Somah" (West Hollywood, CA United States)

Release Date: 10/04/2005

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You're Beautiful

1. You're Beautiful
2. Fall At Your Feet (Acoustic)
3. You're Beautiful (Acoustic)

James Blunt was just on Oprah a few weeks ago singing this song, and telling Oprah the story behind the song, "Your Beautiful". It's about his ex-girlfriend that he saw on a train with her new guy. They shared a moment, and he never saw her, again. Can you imagine?!! This song that he wrote about his ex-girlfriend is a big hit!!! That's the best revenge when you get dumped, you become rich and famous. Wonder what she's thinking now? -- mommyofchristopher "mommyofchristopher" (United States)

Release Date: 02/14/2006

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1973, Pt. 1

1. 1973
2. Dear Katie

Part One of Two. CD pressing of the first single pulled from the best-selling British singer/songwriter's sophomore album All The Lost Souls. Recorded in Los Angeles, both the single and album were produced and mixed by Tom Rothrock, who oversaw Blunt's debut album Back To Bedlam. "For me, there was absolutely no pressure whatsoever," says James. "Having sold over 11 million albums, I know that the likelihood of doing that again is really minimal. Instead of setting that as a target, I set out to do and record something that I really enjoy, that I'm really happy with." Features '1973' plus the non-album 'Dear Katie'.

Release Date: 09/10/2007

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1973, Pt. 2

1. 1973
2. Annie (Live From The Garden Shed)
3. So Happy
4. Video - 1973

Part Two of Two. Enhanced CD pressing of the first single pulled from the best-selling British singer/songwriter's sophomore album All The Lost Souls. Recorded in Los Angeles, both the single and album were produced and mixed by Tom Rothrock, who oversaw Blunt's debut album Back To Bedlam. "For me, there was absolutely no pressure whatsoever," says James. "Having sold over 11 million albums, I know that the likelihood of doing that again is really minimal. Instead of setting that as a target, I set out to do and record something that I really enjoy, that I'm really happy with." Features two versions of '1973' (Main Version and Enhanced Video) plus 'Annie' (Live).

Release Date: 09/10/2007

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Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions

Disc: 1
1. Wisemen
2. High
3. Cry
4. Goodbye My Lover
5. So Long, Jimmy
6. Sugar Coated
7. You're Beautiful
8. Billy
9. Fall at Your Feet
10. Tears and Rain
11. No Bravery
12. Where Is My Mind?
Disc: 2
1. Billy [DVD]
2. High [DVD]
3. Wisemen [DVD]
4. Tears and Rain [DVD]
5. Out of My Mind [DVD]
6. So Long, Jimmy [DVD]
7. You're Beautiful [DVD]
8. Cry [DVD]
9. No Bravery [DVD]
10. Where Is My Mind? [DVD]
11. [Bonus Material]

I fell in love with James Blunt back in November, and I've been starved for anything of his ever since...which is why it's no surprise that I bought this the day it was released.

It's worth every penny, and more.

With this DVD/CD pack, you get a full CD of his songs (live, which is equal - if not better - to his studio-recording), plus a few others (Sugar-Coated, Where Is My Mind) that you won't get on the regular CD.

You also get a live DVD version of him playing all his songs (in a studio with about 30 people), and the quality is stellar. The video is excellent, giving great footage of both him (up close) and his band, and the sound quality is equally great. He's a stellar performer, singing brilliantly, if not better, than his studio version. In particular, his piano versions of "Goodbye My Lover" and "No Bravery" are gripping and heartwrenching. Unlike most popular singers today, Blunt digs into the soul with each song, reaches for that part of himself that he tapped into when he originally wrote the song, and it makes for a stellar piece of work when he's singing it. The raw emotion and talent therein is astounding.

And if all of that wasn't enough, you get all of his music videos (excluding the most recent re-release of Wisemen), plus Making-Ofs of his music videos (the Making-Ofs for the original High and Wisemen video are hilarious, but the rest of them are less than stellar because they don't actually feature James speaking at all in them; rather you have the boring director blathering on about nothing for about 30 seconds). You also get two extremely long and hilarious interviews with James about his songs, his life, his career, and where he aspires to go. All awesome stuff.

It's worth every penny, people. It's worth double the price. If you even remotely like James Blunt, and like seeing an awesome live show and getting a great bargain, pick this one up. You won't regret it.

EDIT: I'd recommend for those that are getting faulty Amazon discs to get a refund/exchange immediately; but for those that don't want to bother, and have DVD players on their computers/laptops, just toss the DVD in your computer and when it prompts you to change your region code, switch it to Region 2 (or whichever), and you should be good to go. -- Taylor Matthews (Florida)

Release Date: 03/14/2006

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Amazon Price: $14.98 (as of 01/03/2010)
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