ALL THE COLOURS OF YOU ALBUM REVIEW
All The Colours Of You is the brand new and eagerly anticipated album from firm festival favourites James. The band began working on the album at the start of the pandemic in early 2020 and it is due for release on 4th June 2021.
Upon first listen we think it’s fair to say that All The Colours Of You is completely removed from the well versed fan favourites of Laid and Sit Down. The new album is a prime example of work from a band whose career has spanned decades and stood the test of time. James have reinvented their sound over the years while still making music that proves to be relatable on many levels.
The new album will be James’ 16th studio album and fans will detect a departure from their more familiar sound with the new album being their first release under their new label Caroline International and further being produced by Grammy award winning, Garret “Jacknife” Lee. (U2, REM, Taylor Swift, Snow Patrol, The Killers)
For the large part of the recording of this album, front man Tim Booth was living in California while the rest of the band were all still based in the UK. This resulted in a somewhat unusual recording process with each band member having to record their parts individually.
The album consists of 11 tracks being;
1. ZERO
2. All The Colours Of You
3. Recover
4. Beautiful Beaches
5. Wherever It Takes Us
6. Hush
7. Miss America
8. Getting Myself Into
9. Magic Bus
10. Isabella
11. XYST
The first track on the album is entitled “Zero” the track starts up with a dischord of muddled vocals interspersed with the tinkling keys of a haunting, solo piano, It’s a song that easily demonstrates the craziness and the serenity all at once of life itself and Tim Booth’s instantly recognisable, provocative vocals stating “We’re all gonna’ die, that’s the truth” is a stark, and somewhat shocking opening line! Following this up with “Quit measuring time, by money and youth” is perhaps a reflective measure, of how now older and wiser, Booth sees his life now and how wants to instil the notion in others that we should all be living in the now and enjoying what we have. When the instrumentals kick in and the trumpets blow, the mood of the track instantly lifts and there is an air of hope and of faith being restored.
Next up is Recover which is not so far removed from the opening number, being a somewhat melancholy song that deals with our own immortality and which was created following on from the death of Tim’s father-in-law. The song is a raw and honest track detailing what it’s like to experience grief. The repetitive hook of “it will be alright” being an all too real mantra for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one. The need to be told that it will indeed be ok, that life will go on.
The title track of the album All the Colours of You it would seem, tells the story of personal relationships undergoing strain, but more so, we would hazard to guess with Booth’s relationship himself with American politics having been resident in the US throughout the Trump fiasco. The track further explores recent political and social issues such as racial injustice and the death of George Floyd and the Black Live Matter movement.
Beautiful beaches gives the album a much needed injection and change of pace, being much more joyous and upbeat in its instrumentals, but there’s still a darker message contained therein. The song was penned as a direct result of Booth’s very real fear when wild fires in California forced him and his family to flee their home.
Wherever It Takes Us has a retro feeling vibe to it, but deals with the very real threat that climate change brings to our planet.
The bands latest single and first track from the album is Isabella. Its a very reminiscent track and reminds us heavily of the bands 1994 hit Tomorrow.
Listen to Isabella here now https://youtu.be/edikctKq3DA
All The Colours of You is a very reflective album. A personal album we would say. Providing Booth with a platform to speak out about subjects that mean something and matter to him on a deep level, be that politically or personally.
The new album is out on the 4th June and is available to preorder HERE
James are due to play up and down the country at various festivals this summer (including in our hometown 🙌🏻) followed by a winter arena tour. Full details and ticket info can be found HERE
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Words by The Songbird_HQ
The songbird 