James Smith Common People review

JAMES SMITH Common People | An old soul in a young body

‘Common People’ is James Smith’s debut album. The boy who made it to the finals of Britain’s Got Talent at the age of 15 has grown up, and at the age of 24 he shows that what was a promise has become a reality.

Who is James Smith?

James Smith picked up a guitar for the first time at the age of 9 🎸 and fell in love with music. Thanks to the Britain’s Got Talent show he became known in 2014 when he was only 15 years old. After the show he signed with a record label that guided the beginnings of his career with some success.

  • In 2018 he released his first EP, ‘Little Love‘, followed by his most successful track ‘Tell me that you love me‘.
  • In 2020 he released the second EP, ‘An EP by James Smith‘.

His third EP would arrive in 2021, ‘District Line‘. It included a smash hit called ‘My Oh My‘, but after that James called it quits. While his music worked, he didn’t feel any satisfaction because the tracks weren’t entirely his own. So Smith fell off the map for more than 2 years.

Now, James Smith is 24 years old, has over 300 million streams on Spotify and is ready to embrace maturity and start over. Thus in 2024 he has released his first full-length album ‘Common People‘, a very hopeful new beginning.

Video | James Smith Tell me that you love me

james smith biographt

James Smith (Promotional Image)

I was able to sit and write music that was a bit different to what I’d done before. I was writing from the heart. I’ve always enjoyed being around people, but when that was taken away I realised that I had to put those feelings down on paper.

James Smith

Common People | James Smith’s debut album review

James Smith wiped the slate clean, left behind the ties of a record label and the fame of a TV show to lock himself away for a long time in his home studio, learn to produce, mix club sounds with more classic ones, and create his best material to date, an album on his own terms.

Common People is split into 2 sides of 6 songs each, as if James had imagined the album to be listened to on cassette:

Disc 1:

  1. Let Me Go: Fantastic way to start an album, with an energetic track in which James asks to be let go.
  2. Molly: Unexpected love and an unexpected great song. Pay attention to the funny chorus

Oh, Molly, I don’t plan on falling tonight
I swear you came without a warning
You got me picking up my jaw, I can’t lie
I’m gonna feel it in the morning

  1. We Move: Get up and let’s go. Song of passage.
  2. Day and Night: A song with an incredible good vibe.
  3. Crescent Moon (Take 2): It sounds like a classic crooner track, mixed with a Jason Mraz song.
  4. Sunshine Pt.1: The best song on the album and our Emotion of the Week. The track pushes us to step out of the darkness and into the light, because things always work out. Wonderful backing vocals, beautifully written lyrics and a melody that stays, the exact ingredients of a perfect song.

Disc 2:

  1. Common People (Interlude): 41 seconds of relaxation that introduce the second and calmer part of the album.
  2. Common People: Reminiscent of Michael Kiwanuka, this track could have been the Emotion of the Week. A song that gives meaning to an entire album. An ode to the everyday, a staunch defense of the underdog, a song for the working class, to unite us all, a song that reminds us that we don’t need big things, just a lot of love.

’Common People’ is essentially the group of which I’d class myself under. I think the term ‘common’ is recognised as a word with bad connotations, but I really see it as a beautiful thing. It gives me a sense of community and peace! It’s the simple things in life that make us the most happy.

  1. Lightning in a Bottle:With a more personal tone, James sings to us that if we close in on ourselves we cannot truly feel.
  2. Why don’t you want me: He continues in a serene tone, lamenting that the person he likes doesn’t feel the same way. Nice duet song with Eloise.
  3. Like a Record: The time for fighting is over, time to raise the white flag and love each other again.
  4. Sunshine Pt.2: A simple ending that closes the circle with the second part of ‘Sunshine’.

James Smith moves like a fish in water in high tones full of energy and other harder and sadder bass. An inflection that translates into the two parts of the album.

James as a child imagined himself as a big music star 🤩. It can’t be said that he still is, but what can be said is that he is on the right track.

Video | James Smith Sunshine Pt. 1

Lyrics | JAMES SMITH Sunshine Pt. 1

Just how much more can you tolerate
Spending all your time
In this state of mind?
She said, “There’s no use tryna operate
Unless your spirit’s high
One day, we’re all gonna die”

So why keep waiting?
If it’s right in front of you, face it
When you’re caught up hesitating
You’ll set yourself apart
So bite the bullet
And I’ll be seeing you through it
If you don’t wanna lose it
Get out of the dark

Step into my sunshine
And you’ll be alright (It’s your life)
Take a step into my sunshine
And you’ll be alright (It’s my life)

When the silence gets too comfortable
And your bedroom walls
Make you feel so small
You can’t waste another moment alone
It’s inevitable
That the rain’s gonna fall

So why keep waiting?
If it’s right in front of you, face it
When you’re caught up hesitating
You’ll set yourself apart
So bite the bullet
And I’ll be seeing you through it
If you don’t wanna lose it
Get out of the dark

Step into my sunshine
And you’ll be alright (It’s your life)
Take a step into my sunshine
And you’ll be alright (It’s my life)

Shine (It’s my life)
Shine (It’s my life)
Shine (It’s my life)

Lyrics in Spanish | JAMES SMITH Sunshine Pt. 1

¿Cuánto más puedes tolerar
Pasar todo tu tiempo
En este estado mental?
Ella dijo, “No tiene sentido intentar operar
A menos que tu espíritu esté en alto
Un día, todos vamos a morir”

Entonces, ¿por qué seguir esperando?
Si está justo frente a ti, acéptalo
Cuando te pille dudando
Te distinguirás
Así que haz lo posible
Y te ayudaré a superarlo
Si no quieres perderlo
Sal de la oscuridad

Entra en mi luz
Y estarás bien (Es tu vida)
Da un paso hacia mi luz
Y estarás bien (Es mi vida)

Cuando el silencio se vuelve demasiado cómodo
Y las paredes de tu habitación
Te hacen sentir tan pequeño
No puedes perder otro momento solo
Es inevitable
Que la lluvia caiga

Entonces, ¿por qué seguir esperando?
Si está justo frente a ti, acéptalo
Cuando te pille dudando
Te distinguirás
Así que haz lo imposible
Y yo te ayudaré a superarlo
Si no quieres perderlo
Sal de la oscuridad

Entra en mi luz del sol
Y estarás bien (Es tu vida)
Da un paso hacia mi luz del sol
Y estarás bien (Es mi vida)

Brilla (Es mi vida)
Brilla (Es mi vida)
Brilla (Es mi vida)

Author | JC Trembol

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