Forgettable effort from soulful crooner
Maybe his first album led us to expect too much from James Morrison, or perhaps he's fallen prey to the second-album curse, but the 24-year-old's sophomore release is something of a slight disappointment.
His debut Undiscovered won him the 2007 Brit Award for Best British Male artist, and the million copies sold made him the best-selling British male solo artist of 2006. He was critically and commercially successful, and promised great things for the future.
Morrison travelled and performed for two years, but admits to an intense loneliness during that time. He spent a lot of time reflecting and examining his feelings and philosophies, which resulted in 70 songs being written.
The best 12 were picked for Songs For You, Truths For Me, the title of which he explained: 'That's what I feel it is. It's songs for Gill [his girlfriend] and everyone else. But for me, they are truths.'
Morrison admits the huge pressure on him to succeed a second time made him try too hard and lose his direction. He realised he had to be true to himself. 'Just go for what you're feeling at the time,' he says.
'That's how I worked on the first album, and in a way I think that's some of the reason why people liked it. It wasn't trying too hard.'
Knowing what he is good at and what pleases fans, Morrison stayed in his comfort zone, resulting in an album of pleasant but predictable tunes.
Unfortunately, not even the singer's distinctive raw voice is enough to help the inoffensive and occasionally saccharine lyrics make much of an impression on the listener.
Opener Only Night is a cheerful number with a powerful, contagious piano line that will force you to your feet to dance along.
The following soul-tinged Save Yourself is a sad song about asking the one you love to leave you to avoid hurting them in the future. The brass and string sections add richness to the poignant number.
First single You Make It Real is a big ballad - its memorable melody and sincere singing will give you goosebumps.
But after these first three beautifully crafted numbers, the album goes steadily downhill.
Co-written with One Republic's Ryan Tedder, Please Don't Stop The Rain is a typically catchy pop song, but doesn't do enough to stand out.
Nelly Furtado guest vocals on the disappointingly flat Broken String. Two artists with such distinct voices should have been able to turn out something more impressive.
There are a few other songs worth attention. Organ-filled soul effort Nothing Ever Hurt Like You, and the laid-back If You Don't Wanna Love Me are great examples of Morrison's improved vocal performance. The record closes with the acoustic Love is Hard, a moody and unexpected folk track.
Morrison fans are bound to love this record in spite of its predictability. And if you don't have high expectations and enjoy chilled-out tunes, non-fans could enjoy this as background music.
