Album Review: James Arthur – James Arthur
3 min read
Pop-rock sensation, James Arthur has come a long way since winning X Factor last year and his self-titled album clearly shows that he’s still got the streak of talent that made him win the competition in the first place. The self-titled album has a strong focus on the Pop and RnB side of the artist, showing an urban flair from the musician himself. He also has a strong alternative rock focus in this album and it can be pretty much mentioned that the variety of tracks used in this release, emphasises the uniqueness of his music and the passion he has for his blossoming career.
The album starts off with Your Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You which is a strong track to open up with because it showcases the perfection of his soulful vocals with a very enchanting chorus. Get Down has remnants of Moby’s Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, full of powerful emotion and heartfelt lyrics. The rhythm and beat with a hit of urbanised flair in New Tattoo, sends out chilled vibes and a smooth edge by James Arthur.
The highlighting track of the self-titled release is of course Impossible, an original song by Shontelle. James makes an outstanding cover of this track, resulting in a very emotional and sincere performance by the musician. This is by far the best track he has done in the self-titled album because his vocals go at lengths, encompassing his talent as a vocalist. The turning point after an emotional track comes Lie Down, with a heavy and catchy beat. The chorus is loud and enthusiastic, with strong elements of RnB, adding that urbanised edge to the track.
James Arthur definitely has a soft side as an artist, showcasing another emotional track, Recovery. This song has a mixed bag of raw emotion and soulful vocals by the musician. The soft piano notes gracefully open up the track then slowly builds up while showcasing the strength of James’ vocals. Not only that but listeners will find that they will grasp the moment where they will actually feel the emotions of the song and how empowering James’ vocals are as an artist.
Towards the end of the album, Roses is a lovely acoustic track. Using minimal instruments with only a guitar, violin and piano playing and just goes to show that it doesn’t take much to make a song sound beautiful with only these three instruments being used. The self-titled album then ends with Flyin’ which comes off as a surprise because James Arthur does a rapping rendition in this track, concluding the album on a short and sweet note.
Overall, James Arthur is definitely a talented extraordinaire and his self-titled album being his first release shows there’s a lot of talented works in the near future by the man himself. He definitely has a strong, emotional side that people will definitely love, noting down his impeccable vocals and creative flair that will definitely make him a successful artist in the long run.
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::: Renowned For Sound Music Reviews ::: Jana is a 21-year old student currently based in Sydney, Australia. Writing for Renowned For Sound has given her the opportunity to take a break from her university degree and job by being able to write what she is most passionate about – music.
Since the day she got her first iPod and a broadband Internet connection, these two things have shaped her music taste till this present day.
With her love for pop punk, indie and alternative rock music, it’s no wonder she’s known to be that ‘go-to’ person when it came to finding incredible bands with amazing talent.
She believes that one of the best feelings in the world is to find a song that just clicks with you and from this day, she has never stopped believing in that.
