Tim Booth
inaugurates
All the Colours of You
by singing "we're all gonna die," a sentiment that is a bit cheerier than it initially sounds. He makes an argument that we should live for the moment, an attitude that fuels the other ten songs on
,
James
' 16th album. His fervent belief in carpe diem may stem from the global unrest of 2020, a year when the world went into lockdown as they battled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Booth
mentions the events of the year throughout
-- not just quarantine, but the Black Lives Matter protests, California wildfires, and other cataclysmic events from the year -- turning the album into something of a telegram from a time of tumult. If
's presence is a bit overbearing here, there's a reason for it. He instigated the recording sessions during lockdown, hooking up with his Topanga Canyon neighbor
Jacknife Lee
, with the pair working with the rest of the band remotely. The singer may dominate the album, but that's also because he tends to swallow up a room; he's a full-force gale of heart and ambition.
and
Jacknife
give him plenty of room to roam by relying on semi-danceable electronic rhythms and arena-scaled atmospherics, a blend that lands the record precisely in the group's comfort zone: ambitious, arty music delivered with soft edges and strong hooks.
manages to ground this music while attempting to push it into the stratosphere, a duality that intrigues and chafes in equal measure, so it's good that he's buoyed by a band who give him a sympathetic bed, which is a comfort not only for the singer but for the listener as well. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine