James Blunt – Moon Landing

After his third album in 2010, James Blunt announced that he would be taking time off to relax (this was by many misunderstood as a declaration to abandon his musical career for ever). The result born of the time-out can be heard in the nostalgic texts and back-to-basics, raw sound that characterises the music in his latest, fourth album Moon Landing.

The title is explained by the singer/songwriter as a look back at the past: great things once achieved, but that for some reason can never be accomplished again, like love. The lyrics touch upon ideas that recall fond boyhood memories and past loves, dreams and hopes, as well as reflection, told by way of a grittier, less polished mix that is a return for the artist to his early acoustic days.

Stand-out tracks include the tender intro Face the Sun, a bittersweet ballad about lost love, the up-beat Postcards, and the folksy Bonfire Heart (the premiere single from the album). The Candle in the Wind-like Miss America is Blunt’s tribute to the late Whitney Houston.

The whole makes for pleasant, chill-out listening. The period of rest seems to have inspired Blunt to reflect upon the concept and the hollowness of fame; the artist’s take on stardom after his own rise to household name (after the enormous success of 2005’s You’re Beautiful) can be glimpsed in songs like Hollywood, Satellites and Miss America. Blunt’s latest studio piece is soft and contemplative, with allusions to camp-fire romance and dreamy nostalgia seen very much from a man’s point of view. Melodic, easy-going yet meditative, Moon Landing is James Blunt’s most personal album.

Mark Sempill

Moon Landing is released on 18^th October 2013. For further information or to order the album visit James Blunt’s website here.

Watch the video for Bonfire Heart here: