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James Blunt is a singer/songwriter extradionaire. He is a new artist
who's destined to find his way into a lot of record collections. Essentially,
James is a find - an old soul who is somehow unafflicted by cynicism, a young
writer who sounds likes he's been doing this for years, an angelic voice who has
had a hell of a ride. Far from being the newest pop product, Blunt is the anti-hero
of mass marketing. He is an artist whose audience has found him, embraced him,
and spread the news...an artist who has become an unlikely chart-topper, drawing
comparisons to the likes of David Gray and Damien Rice...an artist who has built
his following the old-fashioned way, by constant gigging and contagious word-of-mouth,
fan by fan, week by week, month by month.
He hails from a military family.
His father a military Colonel who has only recently left the army. He was born
in an army hospital in Hampshire, he was sent to boarding school at seven, excelled
at science and maths, got a pilot's license at 16, did a spell at Bristol University,
and then, because of family pressure, joined the army. He eventually made Captain,
and was the first British officer into Pristina, leading a column of 30,000 peacekeeping
troops. He got into music late, a result of growing up in a musicless house that
didnt possess a CD player. When he went away to school, though, he learned piano,
then appeared in a school musical, and that was it. From then on, he listened
and learned as much as he could. Armed with demos he'd recorded, he left the army
in 2002 to become a full-time musician . The demos were impressive enough showcase
of his haunting voice and exquisitely personal songs to land him both management
and publishing deals within months. In early 2003, he travelled to the SXSW festival
in Austin, Texas, where he was spotted by songwriter/producer Linda Perry. She
signed him on the spot to her own label, Custard Records which in turn led to
his worldwide pact with Atlantic.
BACK TO BEDLAM was recorded in Los Angeles,
which helped reinforce James's admiration of such American singer/songwriters
as Jeff Buckley and father Tim, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and Paul Simon. James
chose Tom Rothrock to produce the album, a decision made in part because of Rothrock's
work with another influence, Elliott Smith. In some ways, everything you need
to know about 28-year old James Blunt is there in BACK TO BEDLAM. Ranging from
acoustic, stripped-down tracks to charged-up, band-driven numbers, the album charts
a journey through life's experiences, relationships, hardships, and aspirations.
BACK TO BEDLAM is full of stories, vignettes, and snatched moments, all told in
James's passionate and unique voice.
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