LIVE: James Blunt (Royal Albert Hall, London)
Verdict: Funny but uplifting
When his breakthrough single You’re Beautiful overtook Crazy Frog, Mr Blobby (and The Birdie Song) to be voted the most annoying song of all time, James Blunt’s chances of carving out a successful two-decade career came to the fore. of modern music. The pop seemed thin.
Yet here he is, 20 years after his debut album Back To Bedlam, with two nights sold out at the Royal Albert Hall.
The 50-year-old is a skilled singer-songwriter, and his most recent album, Who We Used To Be, saw him lay bare some brutally honest emotions in a set of typically angsty ballads and mid-tempo pop tunes.
James Blunt, 20 years after his debut album Back To Bedlam, sold out two nights at the Royal Albert Hall
The 50-year-old is a skilled singer-songwriter and on his most recent album, Who We Used To Be, he laid bare some brutally honest emotions.
Blunt’s hit single You’re Beautiful beat Crazy Frog, Mr Blobby and The Birdie Song to be voted the most annoying song of all time.
But he has endured, both because of his ability to make jokes at his own expense and because of his songwriting, and he did it again this week.
“I have new jeans and shiny new shoes, but the same old band,” he said. “Once they’ve worked with me, no one else will work with them.”
He went on to tell fans that he wouldn’t be playing any familiar tunes, but instead would focus on new material.
“But it’s okay… because I already have your money,” he joked.
Fortunately, he wasn’t entirely sincere on that front, and what followed was a well-judged balance of Who We Used To Be tracks and more familiar numbers.
Organized with that trusty four-piece band and all the whistles and bells of a spectacular arena, the night started slowly but gained momentum.
By the second half, with Blunt running energetically from the stage to the back of the room, decorum had left the building.
During High, from his debut album (‘the one everyone bought’), he led a masterfully orchestrated Mexican wave. I Wo n’t Die With You, from her current album, was surprisingly funky, adorned with synth brass.
He often makes jokes at the expense of his own songs and did so again on April 9.
Organized with that trusty four-piece band and all the whistles and bells of a spectacular arena, the night started slowly but gained momentum.
By the second half, with Blunt running energetically from the stage to the back of the room, decorum had left the building.
During High, from his debut album (‘the one everyone bought’), he led a masterfully orchestrated Mexican wave
There was an upbeat version of Slade’s Coz I Luv You and an energetic version of OK, the 2017 single he made with German DJ Robin Schulz.
There were also quieter moments. Monsters, billed as “a miserable song,” delved into his bond with her elderly father.
Dark Thought, played alone on the piano on a darkened stage, was dedicated to his former landlady Carrie Fisher.
She stayed with the late Star Wars actress while making Back To Bedlam in Los Angeles and shared an anecdote about writing Goodbye My Lover and You’re Beautiful in her bathroom.
Blunt enjoys a comfortable level of success these days. He’s no global superstar (although this tour will take him to Europe this summer and Australia and South Africa in the fall), but it was hard not to be impressed by the sense of community that enveloped the famous old venue.
This was a fun but uplifting night that would have confused Blunt’s detractors, including himself.
James Blunt’s UK tour continues tonight at Manchester’s AO Arena [April 12] (ticketmaster.co.uk).