James Morrison's debut had already gone platinum in Britain before it was released in the U.S., and the young singer/songwriter has scored hit singles at home.
With a pleasantly soulful voice that faintly recalls Stevie Wonder, he offers several slices of polite soul-pop that deftly manage to recall the heyday of soul while still managing to sound modern -- a neat balancing trick.
However, smooth as Morrison sounds, for much of the album there's a distinct lack of passion in his voice -- and that's a prime ingredient of real soul music.
Only on "Call the Police" does he summon any real anguish.
"You Give Me Something," his first British hit, is catchy and memorable, but not a classic.
Indeed, this is an album without soul classics.
Ultimately it's more a piece of pop, but there's nothing wrong with that.
Time will tell how ephemeral the songs will be, but Morrison shows here that he might become a real talent with some age and work, and maybe a little personal pain wouldn't hurt.
He has a hand in all the songs here, showing definite qualities as a writer.
Again, time will tell.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Under the InfluenceJimmy Hogarth, Steve McEwan, James Morrison | James Morrison | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | You Give Me SomethingJames Morrison, Eg White | James Morrison | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | Wonderful WorldJames Morrison, Eg White | James Morrison | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | The Pieces Don't Fit AnymoreMartin Brammer, James Morrison, Steve Robson | James Morrison | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | One Last ChanceKevin Andrews, Tim Kellett, James Morrison | James Morrison | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | UndiscoveredMartin Brammer, James Morrison, Steve Robson | James Morrison | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | The LetterDavid Frank, Wayne Hector, James Morrison | James Morrison | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | Call the PoliceJames Morrison, Eg White | James Morrison | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | This BoyTim Kellett, James Morrison | James Morrison | Play | 03:55 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 10 | Better ManJulian Gallagher, James Morrison, Kim Richey | James Morrison | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | The Last GoodbyeJimmy Hogarth, Steve McEwan, James Morrison | James Morrison | Play | 05:14 | 12 MB | 31 MB |
| 12 | If the Rain Must Fall | James Morrison | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 13 | How Come | James Morrison | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 51 mins | 118 MB | |||||
| 51 mins | 334 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Andrews | Composer |
| 2 | David Angell | Main Personnel, Violin |
| 3 | Guy Barker | Main Personnel, Trumpet |
| 4 | Martin Brammer | Composer |
| 5 | Paul Brantley | Cello, Main Personnel |
| 6 | Marcus Brown | Keyboards, Main Personnel |
| 7 | Diane Charlemagne | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | David Davidson | Main Personnel, Violin |
| 9 | Richard Flack | Audio Engineer |
| 10 | David Frank | Composer |
| 11 | Julian Gallagher | Composer |
| 12 | Wayne Hector | Composer |
| 13 | Jimmy Hogarth | Composer |
| 14 | Delroy Ivanhoe | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Tim Kellett | Composer |
| 16 | Sven Lindvall | Bass Instrument, Main Personnel |
| 17 | The Love Sponge Strings | Main Personnel, Strings |
| 18 | Joy Malcolm | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 19 | Martin 'Blacknuss' Jonsson | Drums, Main Personnel |
| 20 | Steve McEwan | Composer |
| 21 | James Morrison | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Main Personnel, Primary Artist |
| 22 | Andreas Olsson | Drum Programming, Main Personnel |
| 23 | Kim Richey | Composer |
| 24 | Evelyn F. Roberts | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 25 | Steve Robson | Audio Production, Bass Instrument, Composer, Main Personnel |
| 26 | Rosemary Bain | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 27 | Glen Scott | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 28 | Alan Simpson | Guitars, Main Personnel |
| 29 | Lorraine Smith | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 30 | Subrina Edwards | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 31 | Neil Taylor | Guitars, Main Personnel |
| 32 | Martin Terefe | Audio Production, Guitar (Acoustic), Main Personnel |
| 33 | Ian Thomas | Drums, Main Personnel |
| 34 | Philip Todd | Main Personnel, Saxophone |
| 35 | Tony McAnaney | Guitars, Main Personnel |
| 36 | Nikolaj Torp | Keyboards, Main Personnel |
| 37 | Eg White | Audio Production, Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Main Personnel |
| 38 | Sharon White | Main Personnel, Vocals (Background) |
| 39 | Kristin Wilkinson | Main Personnel, Viola |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |