James Arthur by James Arthur
James Arthur is the eponymously titled debut studio album by British singer-songwriter James Arthur. It was released via Syco Music on 1 November 2013. The album includes the singles "Impossible", Arthur's X Factor winner's single, and "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You", as well as collaborations with Emeli Sandé and Chasing Grace.
Balladry may have made James Arthur an <i>X Factor</i> champion, but he’s always been a singer-songwriter with a broader vision than your average acoustic troubadour. Building on the soul-pop foundations of 2016’s <i>Back From the Edge</i>, he sets his lived-in vocals to his richest palette of sounds yet. The drama and pomp of opener “You” suggests the Teessider absorbed a few tricks while contributing to <i>The Greatest Showman: Reimagined</i>, and he recruits Ty Dolla $ign and UK rapper Shotty Horroh for the spry hip-pop cut “Treehouse”. Those vocals demand a few stripped-back heart-tuggers, though, and the album’s reflective second half explores the twists and turns of love on “Empty Space” and the gospel-influenced “Naked”, while the graceful “Fall” evokes Arthur’s own struggles with addiction and anxiety.
