CONCERT REVIEW: James Blunt begins U.S. tour in Boston and he's rockin'
MUSIC: James Blunt with Christina Perri, at the House of Blues, Lansdowne St., Boston, Wednesday night.
As promised, James Blunt's new album is much more electrified and rocking than his first two efforts, and the British pop star seemed to revel in performing the new tunes last night, as he kicked off his 2011 American tour before a near-sellout crowd of 2000 at the House of Blues in Boston. Blunt and his backing quintet played nine of the tunes from his latest CD, "Some Kind of Trouble," released last November, among a stirring 20-song set that had the crowd singing along much of the time.
Blunt, 37, is a former British cavalry captain who served under NATO in Kosovo in 1999, commanding a tank battalion that did reconnaissance missions during that conflict. His music made him famous in 2005, when his debut album "Back to Bedlam" produced the hit singles "Goodbye My Lover," and "You're Beautiful," the latter of which seemed omnipresent by 2006. After that multi-platinum international success, Blunt's followup, "All the Lost Souls" in 2007 wasn't quite as big, but continued his chartbusting with songs like "1973" and "Same Mistake," while moving towards a bit more rocking mode. A couple weeks back, Blunt told us in an interview that he'd written most of his new material with electric guitar, seeking to break out of his perceived mold as sensitive folk-pop heart-throb with some grittier work.
Blunt's concerts have always been more raw and almost even a bit rowdy compared to his polished records, but last night's 95-minute show really put the spotlight on Blunt's amped up new style, as well as his talented backing quintet. At most points the sextet used two keyboards--piano with either organ or electric piano, contrasted with the lead guitar and Blunt's typical acoustic guitar. At other junctures, the band used a two-lead electric guitars lineup to get a decidedly harder edge. Of course it is Blunt's melodic tenor vocals, and his heartfelt lyrics that have the young ladies swooning, and he was in fine voice last night. His stage patter, from advising the crowd he might sing better if someone of the female variety took their shirt off, to crowd-surfing during a jubilant "I'll be Your Man" did a lot to get even the most cynical boyfriends on his side.
Blunt's new music, aside from being livelier than some of his dark and haunting earlier work, also contains some funky dance rhythms, and lyrics more attuned to the joys of love than its heartbreak. Some tunes might even be termed odes to frivolity, but Blunt's uncanny knack for melodies and infectious hooks is intact, and he makes it all seem like a natural component of his persona. Blunt, in a grey tee short and jeans, opened with two new songs, the easy midtempo groove of "So Far Gone," followed by the flirty dance-pop of "Dangerous," which is a single off the new album.
The muscular version of the ballad "Billy," from his first CD, fit in easily thanks to the band's subtle power. Blunt stepped away from his piano and guitar to just sing "Wisemen," investing that song with all of its mysterious allure, while also mugging good-naturedly at front row fans. "A Song For Your Heart," from Blunt's second album, was an interesting case study: he managed to retain the lyric's portentious impact without seeming the least bit maudlin. A similar theme, explored in the new tune "These Are the Words," came wrapped in delightfully rocking pop, as Blunt seemed indeed to be "dancing with a broken heart."
Blunt shifted to piano for "I'll Take Everything," and that tune from "All the Lost Souls" is a marvelous rock march anyway, but the enhanced funk quotient in the guitar lines was an added bonus. A hypnotic organ figure underlined "Out of My Mind," which came across as rumbling pub-rock. Blunt's solo piano take on "Goodbye My Lover" can be riveting in concert, but last night's crowd was too chatty to let it breathe, and it became just a pretty interlude. The easy-rolling ballad "High" restored the momentum, riding a punchy electric piano figure.
The stark piano-only beginning of "Same Mistake" gave way to full band treatment for good dynamic effect, and that midtempo, rumbling rocker has Blunt questioning a fly-by-night affair, while also rather romantically admitting he might return. The new single "Turn Me On" was the night's rawest rocker, with a heavy funk ingredient, ending with guitar solos that veered into grunge territory. The new "Superstar" might challenge Bon Jovi for arena rock dibs, and its verses referencing reality tv are a pungent commentary. "You're Beautiful," Blunt's best-known song, is a bit obvious, a bit precious, and yet still connects with its wistful melody and Blunt's angelic vocal. The fact that he roamed the stage making puppy-dog eyes at every female within sight might have seemed cheesy if he didn't seem so sincere about it.
The smoldering "So Long, Jimmy" continued the rocking aura. That buoyant "I'll Be Your Man" with the crowd-surfing, and a funky electric piano foundation, was an apt end to the regular set. The three-song encore segment featured the eerie "Into the Dark," and the newest Blunt hit single, "Stay the Night," which sounded irresistible in a dance-rock vein, despite another of his patented "whoa-whoa-whoa" choruses. Blunt ended the night with a slow building "1973," his band crafting a visceral singalong over the tune's elastic bass line, until it became a full blown rocker with the added push of harmonies from 2000 fans.
Pennsylvania's Christina Perri delivered a most impressive 40 minute opening set with her quartet, shifting between guitar and piano. Perri's band had real backbone, in a swamp-rocking kind of way, and tunes like her "Jar of Hearts" suggest the 24-year old singer will be making waves in the music world in 2011.
