Still Getting Away With It... Not So Messed Up
Girl At The End Of The World
James
Back in 2001 I witnessed James' farewell gig at the then M.E.N. Arena. I was actually working backstage at the time. I managed to watch the sound-check. It seemed like an end of an era, but it was just a minor blip thank god.
'Girl' is James' 14 album (yes 14!!) and picks up nicely where ‘La Petite Mort’ left off. And it's annoyingly good. I say that in the nicest way. The reason is, once you get past that first verse and into the chorus on the songs, there's no going back.
The first track "Bitch" starts with an intro that reminded me of a Neu! track. That said the Booth vocals soon remind you who this track belongs to. It’s a great opener.
"To My Surprise" follows, again, by the chorus I'm hooked and tapping along to something that seems so familiar... James familiar that is.
However, it’s the single release "Nothing but Love" that’s the anthem song that will have audiences around the country singing along later this year. It’s a cracking song to be honest and also my favorite on the album.
Another stand out track is the heartfelt "Dear John", a break up song that sounds like it should have been written and performed by a synth pop band in the 80's. This has remix written all over it.
I was lucky enough to catch the opening night of the album launch gig in Manchester recently. Judging by the fans reactions that night, it’s already a classic James album. Tim said he was nervous about performing new songs for the first time, but no need … all’s good!
