Remember White Town? They (or he, for it was effectively a one
man band of Jyoti Mishra) lit up the early part of 1997 with an
unusual, gender confusing lyric. Tyler James clearly remembers, and has the
voice to go with it - soulful yet more than a little feminine in its wiry
sound quality.
Part of the original's appeal lay in its refreshingly uncomplicated,
direct 'bedroom studio' approach, and by adding some production polish to
this James removes some of the song's quirky, confused nature.
That said it's a pleasing vocal performance once again from this source,
with James giving plenty of emotional input as ever. On reflection, keeping
the sampled instrumental backing is a good idea, but while the beats that
surround it are good this misses the mark - just. Keep an eye on Tyler
James, though - a vocalist of his ability is to be nurtured.
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