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
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