Electric Light brings nice tributes, but originality would haven been better for James Bay [Review]
On his second album, Electric Light, singer-songwriter James Bay pushes into new territories, as he details the break-up and make-up of a relationship.
The first half contains songs in the grungy stomp-rock style of The Black Keys or The White Stripes in songs like Wasted on Each Other and the energetic lead single Pink Lemonade. Punctuating those are other styles: the soft-plucked guitar and murmured harmonies of Wild Love feel like Bon Iver wrote them, while the piano-led Us is soul-pop, with a strong Sam Smith vibe. In My Head is a festival-friendly singalong that would give George Ezra or Ed Sheeran a run for their money.
The second half is a lot more optimistic in tone, with an even more crowd-friendly blueprint, with songs like Sugar Drunk High, I Found You and Stand Up all culminating in huge choral chants and handclaps.
Wanderlust is a dead ringer for Dire Straits’ country blues classic Sultans of Swing, but with lyrics which sum up the album: “I just need that rush again, again,again/ I don’t want to be here without you.”
The big issue is that these songs sound too similar to other well-known acts, without Bay carving a unique sound. Overall, though, Electric Light shows him stretching his songwriting abilities, which can only be a good thing.
Edited by Karly Cox