JAMES Blunt will be back... Don't take my word for it. They were the singer's final words as he took his clearly reluctant leave of his Sheffield audience. And, as everyone knows, an officer and a gentleman always keeps his word.
If so, the city's in for an absolute treat.
The Blunt Experience is a perfect antidote to life in the UK at the moment: forget the credit crunch, forget wallet-sapping price rises; forget even the downpour accompanying you to the venue.
Ex-Second
Lieut Blunt made it his mission to raise spirits, coax smiles and lighten hearts with his enthusiastic take on entertainment.
And the mystery is how he does this not only with songs which are generally doom-laden (failed love affairs, mental instability, even genocide are this singe songwriter's stock in trade) but also while delivering every phrase with heartfelt passion.
Take, for instance, his version of No Bravery - a snapshot of the horrors he witnessed on duty in Kosovo. I swear to God, there were tears in the man's eyes - and how many times must he have sung that song!
Lighter times were there, of course. Not least with a sing-along version of Slade's Coz I Luv You, which was Mr B's cue to leave the stage, dash through the audience and appear mid-venue on a raised platform complete with piano to deliver a clutch of songs in the most intimate manner imaginable.
No review would be complete without mention of James's signature tune, You're Beautiful. As with so much of his material, the audience was up for the sing-along challenge and joined in with gusto, particularly at the rude bit. Thousands of voices bellowed out the unadulterated lyrics about his drug induced state, rather than the sanitised radio-friendly version. Of course, they were egged on by the singer, cocking an ear to his crowd and showing what the Blunt Experience is really about...having a good time.
And that's why we're holding Mr B to his promise to be back: we need as many good times as he can deliver at the moment.
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