James Morrison-Review

Jenn Cohen | May 23, 2012 | 0 Comments

by Andrea Terrones

Photo credit: Jennifer Price

James Morrison made a stop in Colorado at the Fox Theater in Boulder for his Awakening Tour. Opening, was California duo, Honeyhoney, who had a crisp sound, blending country and folk. Their enthusiasm, and occasional stomping, made for a brink of a ho-down, which didn’t quite make sense to proceed before a British import known for his soul sound.

The show began with only the band and two backup singers setting up the intro to a “Beautiful Life.” After a few moments, Morrison stepped out on stage, visibly excited, donning a leather jacket and Sid Vicious t-shirt, a look contrary to his soulful voice. As he sang, his vocals took over the room with their raspy tone and almost vintage sound. The energy from the first song set the attitude for the rest of the show, with the exception of a couple songs where he took a moment for reflection. For the most part, Morrison kept the arrangements the same as on the album with few changes. Example, his duet “Up” was sung with one of his backup singers who stepped in for Jesse James. A good decision, as she was able to hold her own. “Broken Strings,” a duet with Nelly Furtado from his sophomore album, was sung solo and acoustic. Morrison is at his best when he lets his tone flourish, and this occurs when he stays in the genre that suits him best, soul. If he dropped the pop aspect it would allow for deeper meaning to his lyrics. This was showcased when he intertwined “I Heard It Through The Grape Vine” with its cousin “Nothing Ever Hurt Like You.”

Morrison tried to connect with the audience with stories or sporadic jokes in his “American” accent, which for the record was pretty good. One moment that quieted the crowd was his song “In My Dreams,” which he explained was written to cope with his father’s death two years ago. Though the show was packed, his vulnerability is clearly how he makes a crowd feel like an intimate group. However, his anecdotes weren’t always heavy with sentiment. Before beginning the upbeat “Slave to the Music” he relayed a dream he once had where Michael Jackson came to him and gave the inspiration behind the melody. “One Life,” he renamed “Baby Girl,” as it’s what his 3-year-old daughter likes to call it. Morrison also liked to feed off the audience, whether it was holding out the microphone for them to sing, or starting the clap of hands. They were made to feel included as much as possible, and gratitude was given with screams or the occasional “WE LOVE YOU, JAMES!”

Most of songs played were from his latest album The Awakening, weaved with threads of his first two albums. He ended the set with his breakout hit “You Give Me Something” from the 2007 album Undiscovered. The encore included a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster,” which was complimentary to Morrison’s sound. He rounded the night with “Wonderful World,” an expression he performed as if he really believed. Judging by the audience’s faces, at that moment, it was.