By the time Undiscovered hits record stores in the US tomorrow, it has travelled a long distance. Originally released in the UK July 31, 2006, the album has already gone platinum there, and James Morrison was crowned top British Male Solo Artist at this year's Brit Awards. After just the first time listening to Undiscovered, I realized British pop fans knew what they were doing. This album is a stellar pop debut.
Impressively Consistent
It is exceedingly rare today when you listen to a new pop album and every song is a keeper. About halfway through listening to Undiscovered the first time, I realized that every song had been well worth hearing with its own unique elements that caused it to stand on its own as well as blend into a coherent album. By the end of the album I was mentally playing the game of spot the filler. Fortunately, the filler never came. With Undiscovered, there is no need to push that skip button on your music player.
James Morrison Channels a Long Line of Soulful Legends
Here it's reminiscent of Stevie Wonder. There James Morrison makes you think of Otis Redding. For those watchers of American Idol last season who cheered on Taylor Hicks and Elliott Yamin hoping for a return of real soulfulness to pop music, James Morrison is your real thing. It's time to put Taylor on ice (if he's not already there), and get yourself a copy of Undiscovered. You'll sing along to the first release "You Give Me Something," but it's when you find yourself enveloped in the honest emotion of "Wonderful World" or the hopefulness of "If the Rain Must Fall" that the power of Undiscovered really begins to sink in.
Top Tracks on Undiscovered
- You Give Me Someting
- Wonderful World
- Call the Police
- If the Rain Must Fall
- Better Man
Today's Singer-Songwriter Peak
In the past 2 years, the UK has conveyed a wide range of singer-songwriters to American shores. From the high-pitched emotional pain of James Blunt to the wit of Lily Allen and elegant pop-jazz of Corinne Bailey Rae, British performers have emphatically stated that high quality singer-songwriter pop did not end in the 1970's. James Morrison is adding his voice to that chorus, and he stands with the above 3 at the peak of current quality of singer-songwriter music. Ignore the record company hype about Morrison's painful early life, and simply listen to the music. It really should be the focus.
