British singer/songwriter James Bay has been receiving widespread recognition since mid-2013. He’s released three EPs (The Dark of the Morning, Let It Go, & Hold Back the River), gone on tour with acts like Hozier, and won the 2015 “Critic’s Choice” Brit Award. Despite the aforementioned acknowledgement, Bay is still quite unknown to many in the music industry. He’s hoping to change that with his debut full-length album, Chaos And The Calm. Featuring the best cuts from his previously released EPs and several new tracks, James teamed up with Grammy-winning producer Jacquire King to deliver a satisfactory debut.
“Craving” opens Chaos And The Calm in a bright and electric manner. The guitar work is akin to that of Fleetwood Mac and the remaining instrumentation is similar to Of Monsters and Men, given its drum heavy rhythm. It’s not exactly a memorable track but it gives the listener a feel of James’ impressive vocal range and the general sound of the album. “Hold Back the River” follows in a similar fashion, but it makes up for the previous track’s weak moments by sounding highly accessible and entertaining. It’s relatively more upbeat and soulful, and while some might criticize the song as sounding generic and formulaic, it folds into the album quite nicely, given its previous release on the EP of the same name. “Let It Go” is mainly a soft, guitar-driven track that bears the same accessibility of its predecessor. While the lyricism on this album isn’t dynamically different than most of Bay’s contemporaries, this song probably contains the best lyrics throughout this body of work. “If You Ever Want To Be In Love” might come across as filler at first, but its noticeable traces of gospel influence make it an enjoyable listen. It’s not the strongest track on the album, but it’s definitely not the weakest.
“Best Fake Smile” follows. Bordering on straight-forward alt. rock and pop rock, it sounded slightly out of place on this record upon my first listen, but it’s an undoubtedly irresistible song. James’ guitar work is enjoyable and its overall sound and optimistic tone isn’t that far from something you’d hear in an old-school Apple commercial. It’s quickly grown to be one of my favorite tracks on the album. “When We Were On Fire” was the first James Bay song I heard that genuinely impressed me. Its drums carry a similar weight to “Craving” but its melodies remind me of “If You Ever Want To Be In Love”. The overall soulful nature of the song helps it stand out amongst some of the album’s filler. While following track “Move Together” is heavily laid-back and slightly forgettable, “Scars” does a good job maintaining the album’s composure. It’s a generally soft but upbeat deep cut that showcases James’ vocal range once more.
“Collide” feels slightly nostalgic on a musical basis. It’s full of classic rock-like guitar riffs, intertwined with Bay’s most powerful vocals thus far. The underlying organ also works in the track’s favor. “Get Out While You Can” comes across as a clone of Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” with its similar structure and guitar work. Supposedly highlighted as a strength of the song, it ultimately bores the listener. That’s not to say it’s a horrible song. All it needs is a little more spontaneity. “Need the Sun to Break” reminds me of an Ed Sheeran track with its simple instrumentation (guitar, piano, muted drum set, etc.) and structure. Originally near the front of James’ The Dark of the Morning EP, its placement near the end of Chaos And The Calm was an intelligent move. It flows nicely into album closer “Incomplete”. It’s a little faster than the previous track but it doesn’t hinder the overall structure of the record. It starts out soft and minimal, but as it progresses it becomes layered and vibrant; fading out quite nicely.
The label-approved technique of recycling tracks from old EPs and combining them with new tracks to form a record has become increasingly popular, but while it’s smart in some instances, it’s weak in others. Chaos And The Calm is a little bit of both. It definitely has its flaws as it’s a formulaic, incohesive and relatively unadventurous album (six of its twelve tracks were from previously released EPs), but the passion that James Bay brings to his songs makes it a highly worthwhile listen. Equal parts Fleetwood Mac and Ed Sheeran, James Bay is a highly talented individual. One can hope that future studio efforts won’t be as lackluster. Until that day, however, Chaos And The Calm will definitely suffice.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqiH0ZSkM9I[/youtube]
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