James Bay: Leap (EMI)
Verdict: back to form
James Righton: Jim, I’m Still Here (Deewee)
Rating: 
Verdict: Pandemic stories with a twist
The UK’s male singer-songwriters are enjoying a fruitful summer. In the past month, both George Ezra and Paolo Nutini have released new albums, while a revived live circuit has seen Sam Fender shine at Glastonbury, Lewis Capaldi headlines the Isle Of Wight festival and Ed Sheeran has a major UK tour. seen with five nights at Wembley Stadium.
With the arrival of his third album, James Bay is also present again. The Hitchin singer put a provincial, British spin on American rock at heart when he topped the charts with his 2014 debut, Chaos And The Calm, and for a while his chiseled cheekbones and black fedora were everywhere.
But his fortunes plummeted in the wake of 2018’s Electric Light—a move to gleaming pop and slick R&B that will go down in history as a casual mistake—and he’s now returning to bluesy rock’n’roll.
The jingling guitars that powered songs like Hold Back The River take center stage again, and there are intimate acoustic moments as well. It’s hard to escape feeling like he’s back in his comfort zone.
With the arrival of his third album, James Bay is also present again. The Hitchin singer put a provincial, British spin on American rock at heart when he topped the charts with his 2014 debut, Chaos And The Calm.
James, 31, began writing these songs in Nashville before the close of 2020, working with local producer Dave Cobb, the man behind Barry Gibb’s Greenfields album. He also sought help from Billie Eilish’s brother, Finneas, who takes the same less-is-more approach that characterizes his sister’s work.
Instead of experimenting musically, Bay now challenges himself in other ways. When he announced this album, he shared a post on social media describing his feelings of inadequacy and Leap is his effort to banish such negative thoughts.
He became a father for the first time last October and many of the songs here are celebrations of the most important relationships in his life.
The lighthearted, guitar-heavy One Life – ‘I only have one life, and I want you in it’ – is a romantic tribute to his long-time girlfriend, Lucy, and the couple’s daughter. Similar themes are explored in country-soul ballad Right Now.
If you think it all sounds a little lovey-dovey, you’d be right. † † were it not for the sentimentality set against the background of the singer’s mental health issues – and there are other songs here that paint a bleaker picture.
Everyone needs someone, sung in a falsetto voice, is about loneliness and has real emotional charge. Save Your Love, an acoustic lament produced by Finneas, provides a shoulder to cry on for a friend in need.
Better, a stripped-down ballad, seems to cater to the cheating sense that Bay experienced when he first tasted pop success. “I’m still not sure who to be,” he admits.
Former Klaxons vocalist and keyboardist James Righton put together the brilliant live band currently supporting ABBA’s digital ‘Abbatars’ at the quartet’s London residence. He is also releasing a solo album, Jim, I’m Still Here, largely made during lockdown, via Zoom, featuring members of the Belgian electronic band Soulwax. He is pictured above with Keira Knightley in May
Amid the anguish, fans will be encouraged by a return to the guitar-driven foundation that merrily set him on the road eight years ago. Give Me The Reason, is a spicy opener. The penultimate track Endless Summer Nights is an optimistic rocker with a Jersey Shore feel.
The cat in the hat is back – and he’s doing what he does best.
Another James is also having a busy year. Former Klaxons vocalist and keyboardist James Righton put together the brilliant live band currently supporting ABBA’s digital ‘Abbatars’ at the quartet’s London residence. He is also releasing a solo album, Jim, I’m Still Here, largely made during lockdown, via Zoom, featuring members of the Belgian electronic band Soulwax.
The Jim in question is Righton’s pandemic alter ego – ‘the misguided rock star, living out his fantasies from his garage’ – a character created when he helped homeschool and live stream the older of his two daughters during the day. at night from his basement studio. In taking on his new persona, he looked to his wife, Hollywood star Keira Knightley, for inspiration.
“I made a story before I made the music,” he says. “I’m married to an actress and I like the idea of creating someone. It’s great to see what my wife puts into her work to create a character.”
As a funny, yet personal recap of his life over the past two years (“upstairs dad and down pop star”), the album works like a treat, although the lockdown stories sometimes feel a little dated as the world opens up again.
Unlike Klaxons’ ‘new rave’ music – once hailed as the saviors of British clubbing culture after entertaining gigs with fans waving glow sticks and sounding air horns – the sounds here are shimmering and dreamy. Righton, 38, provides easy rhythms and keyboards for drum machines. His semi-spoken vocals are deadpan and languid.
The album is accompanied by two songs, Livestream Superstar and Farewell Superstar, which look at its dual existence. The Kraftwerk-esque I Want To Live is a classic “list song” that wryly lists everything he hopes to achieve after lockdown, including climbing Machu Picchu and stopping writing songs with too many chords.
His best songs have a warm, sincere quality. Real World Park is a contemplative account of a visit to a New York playground with his oldest daughter.
The melancholy Day At The Races honors the memory of a friend who died of Covid-19. There’s even a cameo from ABBA’s Benny Andersson, who is a guest on the falsetto ballad Empty Rooms to round out an intriguing musical detour.
James Bay embarks on a UK tour on November 20 at O2 Academy, Bournemouth (ticketmaster.co.uk† James Righton kicks off his tour on September 14 at the Moth Club, London (seetickets.com†