Review:

on 2011-02-22 CharlesMartel Said:

James Blunt was a soldier. He was an officer and came from a privileged background, land, money and public schooling as well as sporting the almost obligatory double-barrelled surname to prove it. He fought in Iraq. He came back to Britain and became a songwriter.

Billy Bragg was a soldier. He was a grunt and came from the East End of London, comprehensive school and public housing. He fought in the Falklands. He came back to Britain and became a songwriter.

There the similarities end. Bragg came back to a Britain in the process of being destroyed by Thatcher. Far from being treated like a hero he was thrown on the scrapheap. His music conveys the suffering and the pain and anger of those who lived through those dark times.

Blunt came back to a music world dominated by bland twaddle. He realised he could make a career out of jumping on the bandwagon. So he set about producing more bland twaddle. It fitted in with the times - this is a world which gives G4 airplay for God's sake, instead of putting them out of OUR misery!! Blunt dropped the first half of his double-barrelled surname and changed the second half to a more quasi-proletarian spelling so he would not put people off by coming over as such a toff. Then he appealed directly to lovelorn teenagers, housewives locked in loveless marriages and to grannies.

Unlike Billy Bragg, Blunt's music fitted in with the perpetual malaise of British popular music, mediocrity and sterility. Blunt could produce crap of masterful quality which was as potent of water: one sip to slake your thirst and ten minutes later you've forgotten about it. His brand of whiny voiced pathetic love songs was superb radio fodder. Blunt became famous. Blunt dated supermodels. Blunt makes me sick.

What we have here is a collection of bland songs, played blandly and with bland sentiments. The only thing about this which is not bland is Blunt's voice, and that is just plain irritating. Take away that and what you are left with is music to be played in a lift.
Rating: 1/10