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," ...
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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, Rovi
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Add this copy of Back to Bedlam to cart. $4.95, new condition, Sold by goodsulove rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Palmdale, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Atlantic Group.
Add this copy of Back to Bedlam to cart. $7.10, new condition, Sold by EB-Books LLC rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rockford, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Atlantic.
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Add this copy of Back to Bedlam to cart. $14.35, new condition, Sold by Importcds rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sunrise, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Atlantic.
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Blunt; Blunt/Chambers/Cham; Blunt/Ghost/Ghost/S; Blunt/Hogarth/Hogar; Blunt/Ross/Ross; Blunt/Skarbeck; Blunt/Skarbeck/Skar. New. New in new packaging. USA Orders only! Brand New product! please allow delivery times of 3-7 business days within the USA. US orders only please.
Add this copy of Back to Bedlam to cart. $16.79, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Atlantic UK.
Add this copy of Back to Bedlam to cart. $22.87, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2005 by Atlantic.
Add this copy of Back to Bedlam (20th Anniversary Edition) to cart. $25.40, new condition, Sold by Salzer's Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from ventura, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2024 by Atlantic Group.
Add this copy of Back to Bedlam (20th Anniversary Edition) to cart. $25.74, new condition, Sold by Salzer's Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from ventura, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2024 by Atlantic Group.
I like Blunt's style and I'm not put off by the occasional four letter word, so I really enjoyed this CD. I won't play it in the presence of my grandchildren, because the language and themes are adult. I found this to be a thoughtful and well done CD.
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