James Bay’s new album “Electric Light” is all over the place. It’s chaotic in a way that, for the most part, works.
The English singer-songwriter broke into the music scene in 2014 with his first album, “Chaos and the Calm.” He started as an opener for singers like Hozier, and slowly made his way into the spotlight with solid tracks like “Hold Back the River” and “Let it Go.”
Hailey Stewart | Argonaut
Similar to Hozier and Adele, and unlike many younger star singers, listeners can hear the accent in Bay’s voice. It has a tone and vibe that feels soothing.
That breakout album was folksy, bluesy and calming. This album? Not so much.
Bay maneuvered both his look and his singing style in a new direction. Not a negative direction, but one most unexpected.
In the four years since Bay first came to be widely known, he has changed — a lot. No more fedora, less bluesy influences and a whole lot more pop.
Still, Bay’s voice stands out against the mass of pop singers available on services like Spotify. His voice is still original, even if his sophomore album ventures into common territory.
The album name is true to its sound. If sounds could emit glimmer and shine, that’s exactly what “Electric Light” does. Perhaps it is the — at time’s a little too much — synthy sounds on each track or the higher tones Bay brings to this album.
There’s an intro into the album, just one second shy of being a minute long. It’s composed of what sounds like conversations on the street, cars and sirens. It makes sense in comparison to the album as a whole. The sounds are a common type of chaos, just like Bay’s second album, which makes the listen both confusing and intriguing.
In the early hit “Wild Love,” Bay demonstrates that chaos can be well-utilized in a pop song. This track has an odd mix of slower, drawn-out lyrics and a mixed beat. Somehow, it works well.
“Pink Lemonade” brings up the tempo on this track. It’s echoey light and would be perfect live in concert. This track is reminiscent of the early 2000s, pop rock.
However, that combination doesn’t always work out on each track.
“Sugar Drunk High” feels clunky. Between, one too many layered beats and Bay’s near shouting into the microphone, there’s a lot to take in on this track.
Again, in the middle of the album, the “Interlude” breaks up the music. Sounds of cars and doors opening don’t provide much to the album, other than extra ambient sounds. Still, it’s an interesting way to cut down the album.
“Fade out” slow the album back down and showcases Bay’s smooth vocals and wide-ranging vibrato.
Back to his roots and the original sound so many listeners loved, “Slide” brings out Bay’s smooth vocals with a hint of bluesy shake. It finishes off the track in the best way possible.
Bay might be trying to reinvent himself. This album shows that. And although the pieces and parts are successful on their own, the album as a whole feels a little too rattled to sound cohesive.
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at Hailey_ann97