For those of you that aren’t familiar with James Arthur, he’s an English singer and songwriter that rose to fame after winning the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle’s “Impossible”, was released by Syco Music (headed by Simon Cowell) after the final, and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Since then, it has gone on to sell over 2.5 million copies worldwide, making it the most successful winner’s single in the show’s history.
Arthur’s stream of successful songs haven’t ended there though. He’s just released the deluxe version of his 5th studio album ‘It’ll All Make Sense In The End’. Stemming off the success of his previously released music, ‘It’ll All Make Sense In The End’ singles “September” has already garnered 50 million streams, “Medicine” with 60 million, and “Emily” dedicated to his future daughter, not that far behind them.
After a period of self-reflection during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Arthur was inspired to begin work on new material and set up a home studio. Before beginning work, he knew he “wanted to make a record that was guitar driven. I knew that I wanted to make a coherent album, one that felt like a body of work that was all made in the same place.” After working on several songs, he realized that he was writing about experiences that he had “never really addressed or spoken about before” and was motivated to complete a full body of work.
Arthur emphasized the difference in energy as compared to his previous work, calling his vocals “so intense on the record, and it made sense to match that intensity with heavy guitars and the trap drums”. Although his label were initially unsure about the loudness of the guitars in the mix for an otherwise pop record, Arthur felt that when he had previously “dilute[d] the rock elements”, he “lost” himself and wanted them to be more prominent on the album. Arthur titled the record It’ll All Make Sense in the End because “it’s what I’d say to my younger self”, which also inspired the cover art.
The highlight of the album for me has to be the epic “Last of the Whiskey,” where he misses his girlfriend, who always seems to be changing and moving while he stays the same. The song will remind you of the last time you had with a special someone and may encourage you to reach out to them.
Arthur is known to put his heart and soul into his music and carry it with his powerful vocals, and he certainly didn’t hold back when he put this project together. Every song has a deeper meaning and story behind it which brings more feeling throughout the entire record. The writing and production on this album is impeccable, no song is worth skipping, there is so much honesty and vulnerability about his life, making it relatable and a powerful listen.
Rating: ★★★★★
neillfrazer@hotmail.com