Play it again, Blunt

James Blunt will be in Toronto October 1 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne St. For tickets, go to www.ticketmaster.ca.


ALBUM REVIEW: All The Lost Souls - Rating 3 stars

Poor, poor James Blunt.

The pretty-boy British singer- songwriter must be feeling terribly anxious with the release of his sophomore album.

How does one live up to You're Beautiful -- one of the most simultaneously loved and reviled hits of 2006? How does one prove the success of their first album wasn't a fluke?

Well, by writing and recording an album that's very similar to the first, of course.

All the Lost Souls has all the Blunt trademarks that made Back to Bedlam the tremendous success that it was in 2005 and 2006. It has Blunt's unmistakably high (but not quite falsetto) voice, conveying a certain sensitivity that makes some women swoon. It has a sweet folky pop sensibility with songs like Shine On, which is sure to make certain listeners smile, turn up the volume and sing along. And then there are the few naughty bits that seem oddly out of place, but will fool fans into thinking they're listening to something edgier.

It's innocuous and fairly bland stuff, but also melodic and, at times, kind of catchy.

The opening track, 1973, is hard to ignore, with it easy touch-step beat (perfect for living room dancing) and its repetitive lyrics about the good times once had at a club. (The song was reportedly inspired by a club Blunt frequented while living and writing music in Ibiza.)

I'll Take Everything is another track that manages to stand out from the uniform sound on most of the other tracks. Blunt seems to be singing with legitimate conviction about getting the most out of life (did success bring with it an existential crisis, perhaps?).

Annie breaks out of the background tendencies of other songs on the album, but on closer listen, the lyrics appear to be just plain mean. The song is about a woman who has dreamed of being a famous star, but who will only make it into the spotlight by way of Blunt singing about her. And, just to insult her further, he sings, "But the walls came tumbling down down. Will you go down on me?" Not nice.

Blunt's sophomore effort is sure to satisfy his fans. And it will likely get significant pop radio play.

But, with the exception of a couple of songs, All the Lost Souls sounds like the product of someone on mood-stabilizers who is going through the motions of making another hit album.