Pah, kids today, getting old before their time. Hot on the heels of 19 year old Paolo Nutini comes 21 year old James Morrison, a young man with the voice of a soul veteran twice his age. Obviously the success of Joss Stone has paved the way for artists like Morrison, meaning that his voice is a lot less startling than it would have been had he emerged a few years earlier.
Still, Morrison is generating an awful lot of buzz, which either means he's an exciting talent or someone's PR department is doing their job properly. You Give Me Something is a bluesy ballad that would probably be forgettable in most people's hands, but is lifted up another level by Morrison's remarkable voice. The chorus soars and swoops majestically, while Morrison brings to mind soul greats such as Al Green - he really is that good.
Polydor are obviously priming Morrison for the 'quality singer/songwriter' market (in fact, this single was co-written by Eg Write, who also contributed the excellent Leave Right Now to Will Young's canon), and you're probably going to find him hard to escape over the next few months. It's a shame really, as with more interesting material Morrison probably could work wonders. But if it's a choice between this or James Blunt, there's really no competition.
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