Back to Bedlam

by James Blunt

Overview

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. While his parched 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/11/2024
Label:	Atlantic
UPC:	5021732378132
Rank:	140293

Album Credits

Performance Credits

James Blunt   Primary Artist,Various Instruments,Vocals,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Marimba,Keyboards,Mellotron,Fender Rhodes,Piano (Grand),Piano (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (12 String),Guitar (Classical),Vocals (Background)
C. Paxton   Drums
Mike Tarantino   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Matt Chait   Guitar (Electric),Guitar,Sampled Guitar
'Leroy' Tarantino   Guitar
Col L. Perry   Guitar (Bass)
Pte. P. III   Guitar (Bass)
Jimmy Hogarth   Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic)
Charlie Paxson   Drums,Vocals (Background)
The Section Quartet   Strings
Tom Rothrock   Vocals (Background)
Eric Gorfain   Strings
Sasha Krivtsov   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Linda Perry   Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
Mr. Nau   Organ,Piano,Vocals (Background)
Guy Chambers   Guitar
John "Gumby" Goodwin   Guitar,Slide Guitar,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
John Goodwin   Guitar
Sacha Skarbek   Keyboards,Piano (Electric)
A. Ghost   Vocals (Background)
Amanda Ghost   Vocals (Background)
S. Skarbek   Keyboards
John Nau   Piano,Guitar,Organ (Hammond),Piano (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Mister Nau   Piano,Wurlitzer,Tack Piano,Organ (Hammond),Vocals (Background)
Brian McCloud   Drums
The Section   Strings
Sasha Kristov   Bass,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
The Producer   Slide Guitar
Charlie Paxon   Bass,Drums,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Linda Perry   Audio Production,Producer
Tom Rothrock   Audio Production,Mixing,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Jimmy Hogarth   Composer,Producer
James Blunt   Design,Artwork,Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Neil Finn   Composer
John Morrical   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Andrew Chavez   Assistant Engineer
Black Francis   Composer
Jeremy Wheatley   Mixing,Producer
Lukas Burton   Composer
Mike Tarantino   Engineer
Guy Chambers   Composer
Ricky Ross   Composer
Brio Taliaferro   Programming
Sacha Skarbek   Composer
Amanda Ghost   Composer
Steve Double   Photography
Todd Interland   Management
Max Lousada   A&R
Don C. Tyler   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Lynne Campbell   Photography
David Guerrero   Engineer
Mary Gormley   A&R
Paul Beard   Producer