No, not Jim Morrison who died taking a bath. This Morrison is from England, and his vocal style owes more to Paul Young, although there is a soulfulness that suggests he might have heard that other living Morrison. Undiscovered might also be the most inappropriate album title of the year, for there’s a swagger about this debut which suggests that James will be battling it out with the Blunts and Grays for pole position over the coming years.
‘Under The Influence’ is the kind of heavy drum-laden pop that trandscends markets and tastes, while his passionately soulful delivery on ‘Call The Police’ evokes the easy sassiness of an Otis Redding. The lush orchestral sweeps and subtly expressive vocals on the delicious ‘You Give Me Something’ also recall Redding, and ‘The Letter’ is a loping, slinky track that oozes real emotion. The production on the ultra-commercial ‘The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore’ nudges it dangerously close to MOR territory but stops before it topples over, and the warmth of the strings on ‘The Last Goodbye’ might be very welcome come November. There’s a bluesy edge to some of the tracks too, including ‘If The Rain Must Fall’.
Morrison proves that you can make chart-friendly records without abandoning all artistic ambitions. He deserves to score big with this one and, with a little good taste on the part of the buying public, should be around to uplift us for quite a while.