James Morrison caught my ear a while back with his hit single "Wonderful World", not because the song was all that good, but because his voice had this very distinctive smoky soul sound to it.
After fading from my radar for awhile, he came back even stronger with his new single "Broken Strings", which performed on ITV's Girls Aloud Party (thanks again YouTube). Like many people after seeing the show, I immediately went to find the original version from his album Songs for You, Truths for Me.
In the album version, he sings with Nelly Furtado, which is quite an odd choice considering how far she has strayed from Morrison's sound lately (you can thank Timbaland for that, by the way). Surprisingly, their voices compliment each other very well. Morrison is clearly the standout here, delivering one of the passionate vocals (that actually sound good) I have heard from a male artist this year. Furtado is a very good support here, and the lyrics they sing together sound almost seamless. It's easy to believe they are in a struggling relationship, trying to "play on broken strings", even though its over.
The song fits perfectly into the new soul-rock genre that's making its way into the chart, but there is something more that makes this song special. It all lies in what caught my attention the first time, James Morrison's voice. More soulful than some of the best R&B artists today, I'm hoping he can stick around for the long haul.
RATING: 8/10
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