James Blunt
Some Kind of Trouble

James Blunt. What's there to say about James Blunt? Of course, he is known primarily for his 2005 song 'You're Beautiful', simultaneously a platinum selling hit single and one of the most universally despised cheese-fests in the history of pop music. This, then, is the plight of James Blunt - to be loved and hated in equal measure, or perhaps, to be loved by many, and hated by many, many more.

Like 'You're Beautiful', and the rest of Blunt's chain of non-descript, "heartfelt" ballads, his third album 'Some Kind of Trouble' is as innocuous as it is pointless. In fact it's so safe that it listening to it actually physically hurts a bit. There are those that adore Blunt's voice - his cloying, whiny, drivel-spouting voice - but why remains an unfathomable mystery, especially when combined with the sort of mediocre, over-produced fare here. In fairness, the peppy bounce of 'Stay The Night' does make a change from Blunt's bountiful brand of self-pitying misery-guts, but it's every bit as insipid and uninspiring as the rest of his back catalogue. Ok, so the simple piano chords of 'No Tears' make for a pretty intro, but now we're really clutching at straws.

The saddest thing about James Blunt is he honestly seems to be trying. You can hear in these songs songs that he feels they're unique and worthwhile. In reality there's not one moment of genuine beauty to behold throughout. Each and every song is so placid, so underwhelming, so completely lacking in enticing features of any kind. James Blunt? James Bland, more like.

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