• Voto:
La parola "bedlam" può assumere diversi significati. Il caos. Il manicomio. Il pandemonio. Minime sfumature. Di certo James Blunt ha attraversato uno di questi luoghi, metaforicamente (o, chissà, magari nella maniera più reale). Quest'album è una testimonianza di vita interiore più che di vita vissuta. E' un'istantanea di tanti piccoli momenti in sè apparentemente insignificanti eppure pregni di significati più che mai. Quanto la vita sia multiforme ed enigmatica, tragica e al contempo inaspettatamente piena di speranza e di momenti felici.. beh ce lo mostra James Blunt. E ciò che stupisce è che non lo fa con 'forza'. La sua musica non va capita o interpretata. Fluisce liberamente e si insinua sotto la pelle, anche dei più reticenti.
Non si può certo dire che ad un primo ascolto si possano rilevare notevoli originalità per quanto riguarda la musica ma non si può nemmeno dire che essa cada in una alquanto sospettata banalità. L'apertura 'acustica' dell'album con "High" promette bene. Questa prima traccia di un'interessante playlist sembra sprizzare un certo ottimismo (non per nulla ce l'hanno fatta tanto odiare in televisione!) e infatti benchè parli di tramonti, notti e stelle sembra costituire il tripudio di una perfetta armonia delle parti, naturali e umane (Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me). E, inaspettatamente, cosa succede? Il tripudio sembra continuare (illusoriamente) per poi infrangersi in "You're Beautiful", sublime canzone su un amore non così tanto convenzionale. Amore platonico, subitaneo, vissuto e finito nello stesso momento. Diciamo la storia delle anime gemelle che non si avranno mai. Si passa per "Wiseman", pezzo forse un po' infelice per quanto riguarda la struttura dell'album poichè sembra spezzare un po' l'atmosfera di climax che pareva si stesse creando. Fortunatamente questo equilibrio si ricompone con "Goodbye My Lover". Nulla da dire. Il romanticismo in tutti i suoi volti fatto canzone. Ed ecco la svolta introspettiva dell'album. "Tears and Rain" racchiude quella voglia di perdersi e nascondersi, volere e desiderare (la nota figura di Dorian Gray si fa emblema di tutto questo). Ma il pezzo che forse meglio rappresenta Blunt è "Out of my Mind" (nei ringraziamenti vi è inclusa anche la scimmia, amico immaginario, di cui parla in questa canzone!!). Si procede verso la fine con "So Long Jimmy" e "Billy" pezzi notevolmente orecchiabili con sonorità però che si discostano del tutto dal resto dei brani (e in particolare "Billy" sembra anche essere il pezzo meno autobiografico, eppure, non fuori posto in quel quadro frammentario di vita che l'autore si propone di creare). In conclusione "Cry" e "No Bravery" si dimostrano i pezzi più 'dolorosi' in cui la voce di James Blunt si fa stentata ma espressiva perchè prevale sulla musica e acquisisce pienezza di significato.
In definitiva è un ottimo album sia per quanto riguarda la prospettiva musicale che quella dei contenuti. Non si può inoltre perdere di vista un elemento determinante nell'analisi di quest'album e cioè la voce di Blunt stesso che gioca un ruolo fondamentale nell'ascolto quanto nella comunicazione. Perchè ascoltare Back to Bedlam? Per capire quanto la vita è composita e stupefacente se vista con molta meno superficialità.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 High (04:06)
Beautiful dawn,
Lights up the shore for me.
There is nothing else in the world,
I'd rather wake up and see with you.
Beautiful dawn,
I'm just chasing time again.
Thought I would die a lonely man, in the endless night.
But now I'm high!
Running wild among all the stars above.
Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me.
Beautiful dawn, (Beautiful dawn)
Melts with the stars again.
Do you remember the day when my journey began?
Will you remember the end of time?
Beautiful dawn, (Beautiful dawn)
You're just blowing my mind again.
Thought I was born to endless nights, until you shine.
High!
Running wild among all the stars above.
Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me.
Will you be my shoulder when I'm grey and older?
Promise me tomorrow starts with you.
Getting high!
Running wild among all the stars above.
Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me.
High!
Running wild among all the stars above.
Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me.
02 You're Beautiful (03:35)
My life is brilliant
My life is brilliant
My love is pure
I saw an angel
Of that I'm sure
She smiled at me on the subway
She was with another man
But I won't lose no sleep on that
'Cause I've got a plan
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You're beautiful, it's true
I saw your face in a crowded place
And I don't know what to do
'Cause I'll never be with you
Yes, she caught my eye
As I walked on by
She could see from my face that I was fucking high
And I don't think that I'll see her again
But we shared a moment that will last 'til the end
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You're beautiful, it's true
I saw your face in a crowded place
And I don't know what to do
'Cause I'll never be with you
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You're beautiful, it's true
There must be an angel
With a smile on her face
When she thought up that I should be with you
But it's time to face the truth
I will never be with you
04 Goodbye My Lover (04:20)
Did I disappoint you, or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty, or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end, before we'd begun
Yes, I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won
So I took what's mine by eternal right
Took your soul out into the night
It may be over but it won't stop there
I am here for you, if you'd only care
You touched my heart, you touched my soul
You changed my life and all my goals
And love is blind, but that I knew when
My heart was blinded by you
I've kissed your lips and held your head
Shared your dreams, and shared your bed
I know you well, I know your smell
I've been addicted to you
Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
I am a dreamer, and when I wake
You can't break my spirit
It's my dreams you take
And as you move on, remember me
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile
I've watched you sleeping for a while
I'd be the father of your child
I'd spend a lifetime with you
I know your fears and you know mine
We've had our doubts but now we're fine
And I love you, I swear that's true
I cannot live without you
Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
And I still hold your hand in mine
In mine when I'm asleep
And I will bear my soul in time
When I'm kneeling at your feet
Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow
I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow
07 So Long, Jimmy (04:27)
I just can't believe that it's over.
We were chilling out on the sofa,
Digging how the guitar goes,
In a song that no one knows.
Did you lick that line yourself,
Or did the voodoo magic help?
Does everyone have a different take?
Do you seem real but I seem fake?
Does everyone get hypnotized by your fire?
So long, Jimmy, so long.
Though you only stayed a moment,
We all know that you're the one. Singing,
So long, Jimmy, so long.
Sure we're glad for the experience,
We miss you now you've gone.
We're just swimming in your soul 'cause,
We all wish we wrote this song.
Life goes on.
I'm just so relieved that it's over.
We were hanging out going nowhere,
Digging how the guitar goes,
In a song that no one knows.
Did you burn that bridge yourself,
Or did the voodoo magic help?
Does everyone have a different take?
Are you just cool and I'm just baked?
Does everyone get mesmerized by your fire?
So long, Jimmy, so long.
Though you only stayed a moment,
We all know that you're the one. Singing,
So long, Jimmy, so long.
Sure we're glad for the experience,
We miss you now you've gone.
We're just swimming in your soul 'cause,
We all wish we wrote this song.
Life goes on.
08 Billy (03:39)
Billy's leaving today (don't know where he's going).
Holds his head in disgrace (he can't escape the truth).
He knows the price that he's paid.
He admits that it's too late to admit that he's afraid.
Tomorrow comes. Sorrow becomes his soul mate.
The damage is done. The prodigal son is too late.
All doors closed but he's always open,
To hear the time in his mind.
Oh Billy.
Billy's leaving today (don't know where he's going).
He's got lines on his face (they tell the story of his pain).
He accepts it's his fate.
He admits it took too long to admit that he was wrong.
Tomorrow comes. Sorrow becomes his soul mate.
The damage is done. The prodigal son is too late.
All doors closed but hes always open,
To hear the time in his mind,
Oh Billy.
Once he was a lover sleeping with another.
Now he's just known as a cheat.
And he wish he'd had a mirror; looked a little clearer.
Seen into the eyes of the weak.
Once he was a lover sleeping with another.
Now he's just known as a cheat.
And he wish he'd had a mirror; looked a little clearer.
Seen into the eyes of the weak.
Tomorrow comes. Sorrow becomes his soul mate.
The damage is done. The prodigal son is too late (too late).
All doors closed but hes always open,
To relive time in his mind.
Oh Billy.
10 No Bravery (04:05)
There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.
And I see no bravery, no bravery.
In your eyes anymore, only sadness.
And I see no bravery, no bravery.
In your eyes anymore, only sadness.
Only sadness.
Houses burned beyond repair.
The smell of death is in the air.
A woman weeping in despair says,
He has been here.
Tracer lighting up the sky.
It's another family's turn to die.
A child afraid to even cry out says,
He has been here.
And I see no bravery, no bravery.
In your eyes anymore, only sadness.
And I see no bravery, no bravery.
In your eyes anymore, only sadness.
There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
But no one asks the question why,
He has been here.
Old men kneel to accept their fate.
Wives and daughters cut and raped.
A generation drenched in hate says,
He has been here.
And I see no bravery, no bravery.
In your eyes anymore, only sadness.
And I see no bravery, no bravery.
In your eyes anymore.
And I see no bravery, no bravery.
In your eyes anymore, only sadness.
And I see no bravery, no bravery.
In your eyes anymore, only sadness.
Only sadness.
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Altre recensioni
Di Totisque
Il terrore gli si legge negli occhi - canta Blunt - e non si percepisce nessun coraggio, no.
Quando decidi di andarci, allora assapori anche le più piccole, splendide cose della vita, come la bellezza di un'alba, che ha un solo significato: sono vivo, la vita continua.
Di Torre Ste
"Goodbye my lover è una canzone che dalla prima all'ultima nota è capace di regalarti emozioni vere e sincere."
"Sicuramente un buon esordio per il cantante inglese che regala molte speranze agli amanti del genere, nonostante alcune tracce che rovinano notevolmente l'LP."
