James Bay released his much anticipated fourth full-length album in October 2024, Changes All The Time, out now via Mercury Records.
Changes All The Time spotlights Bay’s elevated songcraft and dynamic vocals as well as his fret-burning guitar playing, highlighting his evolution from every angle. This time around, he crafted these eleven tracks alongside producer Gabe Simon [Noah Kahan, Koe Wetzel, Maren Morris] and co-writers such as Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Holly Humberstone, Dan Wilson of Semisonic, Natalie Hemby of The Highwomen, and Kevin Garrett.
James Bay is a musician’s musician: the UK singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer upholds traditions of timeless songcraft while confidently challenging himself and popular music in equal measure. He spikes a tried-and-true style with clever lyricism, honest confessions, and instrumental proficiency.
The album was produced by Gabe Simon [Noah Kahan, Koe Wetzel, Maren Morris] alongside co-writers such as Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Holly Humberstone, Dan Wilson of Semisonic, Natalie Hemby of The Highwomen, and Kevin Garrett.
11 songs running in at 42 minutes.
My review:
“Up All Night” (with The Lumineers & Noah Kahan) opens in an upbeat manner, a clap-along rhythm and a George Michael groove mixed in the pot with the Scissor Sisters ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing.’ It is an opener that absolutely does get you off your feet to dance the night away. I do want to talk about wine, and I am happy to party along to this.
“Everburn” slows things down a bit; we have the acoustic guitar and lovely harmony in the singing. I liked the melody and the sentiment of the song; it guides you into the album after the little cracker that opened it.
“Hope” is a song with a story, a sense of southern rock/folk mix that slowly builds up. It’s a very strong vocal performance, which really presents the emotion of the piece.
“Easy Distraction” is an uplifting track, instantly picking up the beat with that drum sound. It is a pacey number and I enjoyed the little “ooh ooh’s” that were there in the background. A fine chorus makes this a top drawer number.
“Speed Limit” is slow and moody, reflective and emotive. It speaks of losing the one you love and removing the needle from the groove. It is full of lyrical sadness.
“Talk” is a strong ballad with a chorus that uplifts and a bit of angst in the vocals. It is, I would say, late-night radio-friendly. It is the type of track I would have on in the car as I was driving home.
“Hopeless Heart” is also very radio friendly, but more for the breakfast show! Again, I thought the drum sound really added to the song, giving a great beat full of summer sunshine, which I always appreciated as we approach those darker nights.
“Some People” is a short number coming in at 2.40. It is a track stripped down to the bare, with the production raising the vocals to an almost choral feel. Its a moving, transient track.
“Go On” has the strumming guitar, a strong vocal and the sense of building power and emotion. It comes across as a very personal number somehow, reaching out to someone.
“Crystal Clear” introduced the song with this nice melody and a story to tell. Again, it has a folk sense to the tune and a campfire feel to the number. It would make a lovely communal song with an intimate audience.
“Dogfight” ends on a sad note, a song of emotion, “Hell, it’s been rough”—I know what he means!
In summary, this was a real chocolate box of an album with loads of different flavours and no fillers at all. It goes from the liquor chocolate of “Up All Night” to the dark Montezuma black in “Speed Limit.” I liked the album a lot; it played with light and shade and there is no doubt that James Bay is highly talented. A small caveat would be that I would have had more of an uplift at the end of the album, but I was drawn into the intimacy of the album and the feeling that I was sitting there around the campfire sharing a drink and friendship.
Standout tracks: “Up all Night,” “Easy Distraction,” and “Talk.”
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You can stream music by James Bay here
By Stevie Ritson