|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James Blunt (UK)
|
|
|
February 12, 21:00
Acoustic-soul-pop-guitar-folk compositions performed by a musician marked with five Brit Award nominations and a 10x platinum album to his credit - James Blunt.
 A former British Army officer, singer/songwriter James Blunt is a thoughtful performer with a knack for crafting melodic contemporary soft rock tunes. Born in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England in 1974 to a family with a long military history, Blunt entered the army after graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Ultimately achieving the rank of captain, Blunt served with the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo and finished out his time in the military as a member of the Life Guard Regiment in the British Household Cavalry. Having long been interested in music, Blunt wasted no time in pursuing a pop career after leaving the army.
A subsequent performance at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX, brought Blunt to the attention of 4 Non Blondessinger/producer Linda Perry, who signed Blunt to her Custard Records label. Released in 2005, Blunt's debut album “Back to Bedlam” and its hit single, "You're Beautiful," was hugely successful - it hit number one in over a dozen countries, and sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Blunt became the first British artist to top the American singles chart in nearly a decade when his song "You're Beautiful" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006; the last British artist to do so had been Elton John in 1997 with the song "Candle in the Wind 1997". The songs "High" and "Wisemen" were subsequently re-released in 2006. Blunt started off 2006 celebrating five Brit Award nominations, going on to win Best British male solo artist and Best pop act categories, having already started an 11-month tour that would take him around the world.
“Back to Bedlam” eventually sold 11 million copies and topped the album charts in 16 territories worldwide. It sold 2.6 million in the U.S. and was certified 2x platinum. In Britain the album was certified 10x platinum, sold over three million copies, and entered the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest selling album in one year.
Blunt toured for much of 2005 and 2006, and then released the two-disc "odds and sods" live/documentary album “Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions” in 2006. He had been writing songs while on the road, and brought “Back to Bedlam” producer Tom Rothrock in again to record. The songs featured writing collaborations with Mark Batson, Jimmy Hogarth. Steve McEwan, andMax Martin, while the recordings featured Blunt's live backing band. His sophomore effort “All the Lost Souls” - featuring the lead-off single "1973" - finally dropped in September 2007.
It sold 65,000 units in its first week, and was certified gold in the UK after only four days. By the end of January 2008, the album sold 600,000 copies in the UK, and 3.5 million copies internationally. The first single from “All the Lost Souls”, "1973", was inspired by Blunt's nights out at Pacha, an Ibiza club, which opened that year. The song became another hit for Blunt reaching number one the Billboard European Hot 100 Singles chart. D.J. Pete Tong remixed "1973" and played the track during his set at Pacha over the summer of 2007.
In several respects, Blunt has a very distinct and individual sound and musical style. Many musicians have attempted to define the genre to which James Blunt's music belongs. When asked to describe the sound and style of his music, Blunt said: "Essentially, it's kind of acoustic-soul-pop-guitar-folk thing. I would say it's like my own mini-genre: the James Blunt genre."
More info
|
|
|
|
|
The virtual community for English speaking expats and Russians
