James Blunt, un ufficiale inglese in Kosovo, debutta nel 2005 con "Back to Bedlam", un lavoro molto sentito che parla di morte, cosa che il cantautore conosce molto bene.

Il disco si apre con la bellissima, se pur sfruttatissima da una compagnia telefonica, "High", che regala subito all'ascoltatore una malinconia che attraverserà tutte le 10 canzoni che compongono il lavoro. Peccato che in "You're beautiful" Blunt si ripeta, offrendo una melodia simile al pezzo precendente con un testo banale.
"Wisemen" è il pezzo peggiore dell'album, una canzone che non starebbe male se fosse "cantata" da band come Blue e Backstreet boys.
"Goodbye my lover" invece è una canzone che dalla prima all'ultima nota è capace di regalarti emozioni vere e sincere. è un lento cantato magistralmente da James Blunt, che in alcuni tratti dimostra un falsetto invidiabile, accompagnato da un piano e sul finale da archi.
"Tears and rain" è un'altra ottima composizione dell'autore che sembra voler continuare la traccia precedente, riuscendoci alla perfezione concludendola con un ritornello da stadio da cantare a squarcia gola.
La seconda caduta di stile invece si ha con "Out of my mind", una canzone che non c'entra niente con il resto del disco ed inutile.
Con "So long Jimmy" si entra nella seconda parte del disco. Una canzone che si concentra tutta attorno a poche note di chitarra iniziali che ricordano molto le sonorità degli anni '70, accompagnate con delle tastiere che mischiano Deep Purple e, sul finale, ricordano vagamente "Riders on the storm" dei Doors.
Anche "Billy" è una traccia con una melodia orecchiabile con sonorità che non si discostano molto dalla traccia precedente.
"Cry" e "No Bravery", che concludono l'album, sono due capolavori che tornano a farti sognare ad occhi aperti, due lenti che ti lasciano senza fiato sia per la melodia che per la voce di Blunt, che canta molto bene e, soprattutto, dando un senso ai testi delle due canzoni.

Sicuramente un buon esordio per il cantante inglese che regala molte speranze agli amanti del genere, nonostante alcune tracce che rovinano notevolmente l'LP ma quelli si sa, sono errori di gioventù che tutti gli artisti compiono alla prima uscita discografica.

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

03   Wise Man (03:45)

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

05   Tears and Rain (04:06)

06   Out of My Mind (03:35)

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.

11   Fall at Your Feet (acoustic) (02:24)

Carico i commenti...  con calma

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  PunkPrincess

 La sua musica non va capita o interpretata. Fluisce liberamente e si insinua sotto la pelle, anche dei più reticenti.

 Ascoltare Back to Bedlam? Per capire quanto la vita è composita e stupefacente se vista con molta meno superficialità.