“Maybe he’s past the screaming girl phase and he wants people to listen to what he has to say and not just be propped up on stage to sing songs and perform like a monkey. Maybe he’s just over how famous he is.”  Yeah, maybe.

But having listened to James Arthur’s new album, Back from the Edge, his words defending Justin Bieber’s recent outbursts seem a bit hypocritical. On Arthur’s new release, people won’t be able to “listen to what he has to say” because he doesn’t “say” a great deal. Unsurprisingly, considering Arthur’s X Factor past and subsequent fall from grace following sex scandals and homophobic slurs, much of the album focuses on the perils of fame and media manipulation.

He makes this evident most explicitly in ‘The Truth’ and ‘I Am.’ As an authority on the negative consequences of fame, I was naïve enough to expect actual insight, but sadly, Arthur sacrifices this for rhyme. His lyrics are simple and vague, formed of repeated platitudes and recycled lyrics. On the positive side, cute love songs such as ‘Remember Who I Was,’ and ‘Can I Be Him’ emulate a less sophisticated version of Lewis Watson or Ed Sheeran, and the former track is beautifully produced, making it a beacon of hope, alongside perhaps the only remotely cheerful song, ‘Sober.’

Arthur is going to have a tough time being “propped up…and performing like a monkey” for so long on this 17 track album. Listening to it took a precious hour and four minutes from my life. It was too long, and I could have easily cut five tracks – if only I had had the opportunity.

Back From the Edge, hails Arthur’s move from the borders of mediocrity right into the centre of it.

Emma Dutton

(Digital Spy)