James TW styles himself after
Ed Sheeran and
James Bay, tempering his troubadour aspirations with the slightest hint of a quivering teenage idol. It's not merely his boyish good looks that push
James TW toward teendom.
Chapters, his 2019 debut, carries a wide-eyed optimism that's evident even beneath the thick layers of gloss that were shellacked upon his songs with the intention of appealing to as many demographics as possible. It's a gambit that works. Don't listen to
Chapters closely, and it seems like the kind of music that could soundtrack any number of upper class events -- anything from a dinner party to a waiting room. It's smooth, glassy, and unobtrusive, melodic enough to be pleasant but never insistent about its hooks. Listen a little closer and the songs are as open-hearted as
James TW's singing, the kind of thing that can hook younger listeners on music that is otherwise squarely middle of the road and, in many respects, made with middle-aged listeners in mind. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine