In a scene dominated by soulful singer/songwriter guitarists (
Ed Sheeran,
James Bay,
Hozier) and blue-eyed soul crooners (
Sam Smith,
John Newman), it seems almost unfair that 2015 is the year
James Morrison has decided to make his comeback. His sound is perfect for the moment, but after a four-year hiatus, he has to contend with younger upstarts who have amply filled the niche he left after 2011's
The Awakening.
Morrison's fourth album,
Higher Than Here, is a safe collection of soul-folk tunes that is pleasing and enjoyable. Much like
Morrison himself, the songs are likeable, but never venture too far from the middle, making much of the album quite vanilla. His voice still carries that gorgeous, husky grit, so full of smoky soul and yearning, most expertly executed on "Stay Like This" and "Just Like a Child." Elsewhere, he ventures into some
OneRepublic/
Script territory with lead single "Demons," a catchy hip-pop number that should help keep the album afloat in the public consciousness. However, it's a pair of surprising album highlights that lift
Higher Than Here to another plane. The rousingly defiant "Right Here" is reminiscent of the best uptempo tracks on
Adele's 21 and
Sam Smith's debut, while the glimmering disco of "I Need You Tonight" (co-written with Mark Taylor and
Paul Barry, the duo responsible for
Enrique Iglesias' "Bailamos" and "Hero," as well as
Cher's Auto-Tune smash "Believe") has all the trappings of a sure-fire hit. If
Morrison wants to reclaim any territory lost in his absence, these songs could do it. Ironically, the sound that helped him land in the top spot on the U.K. charts multiple times may cause him to get lost in the mix. It would serve
Morrison well to avoid the middling tracks on this album -- so reminiscent of much of the stuff on the radio in 2015 -- and focus on forging a new musical pathway with even more uptempo jams, which his voice could surely carry. [A Deluxe Edition added "In the Shadow of a Dream," "Naked with You," and "Lonely People."] ~ Neil Z. Yeung